Tag: Bodin Historic Photo

Dutchman’s Pipevine Photo from 1915

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Look what Fred Bodin from Bodin Historic Photo shared!

Julia Lane, later Julia Wheeler, posed for Alice M. Curtis on August 12th, 1915, in Gloucester.

Fred read my post about Dutchman’s Pipevine and Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies titled Plant, and They Will Come!  I mentioned in that post that the Dutchman’s Pipevine had it’s heyday in gardens in the previous two centuries. Pipevine was planted  to climb porches and arbors in pre-airconditioning days, providing  shade and cooling the rooms within. The Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly is rarely seen in our region today because the Dutchman’s Pipevine is rarely planted.

Thank you Fred for taking the time to find this delightful vintage photo showing the Dutchman’s Pipevine growing on the porch in the background!

Dutchman’s Pipevine is the host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly and makes a wonderful addition to the garden. Back when it was in vogue (and practical) to plant Dutchman’s Pipevine, Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies were a regular occurrence in the northeast.

4-day old Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars, and recently molted. Notice their spiny discarded skins.

Note: the flower in the second photo of the Dutchman’s Pipevine is a Rose of Sharon, not the flower of the vine.

In the Pit ~ Lanesville

Posted on by Sharon
Quarrymen, Lanesville, circa 1890 Anonymous/©Fredrik D. Bodin
I have fifteen quarry photographs in my collection, yet only this one shows quarry workers. The negative is from a house in Lanesville, and came to me four years ago. These men stopped in the midst of their labor for a picture. Three granite cutters on top are double jacking vertical drill holes into the granite with heavy sledge hammers, which means they are alternately pounding on a narrow star bit, held by the brave cutter sitting down. As you can imagine, his was a dangerous job. Below, two quarrymen score a horizontal seam with hand hammers into the granite bed, where it will (hopefully) break cleanly. I haven’t been able to identify this quarry. If you recognize it, please let me know. Thanks.
Printed archivally from the original 5×7 inch glass negative in my darkroom. Image #A9957-007
Fred


Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Motif No. 1 and the Fish Boat, 1934

Posted on by Sharon
Motif No. 1, Rockport, 1934 Alice M. Curtis/©/Fredrik D. Bodin
Motif No. 1 is the most famous fish shack in the world, constructed around the time of the American Civil War (exact year uncertain). Initially used for storing fishing gear, it is located on Bradley Wharf, in the middle of Rockport Harbor (MA). The building soon became a popular subject for painters, including students of renowned artist Lester Horby (1882–1956), who coined the term “Motif No. 1.” Motif became an art studio in the 1930’s and was sold to the Town of Rockport in 1945, dedicated to the Rockport men and women who served in the armed forces. In this photograph, a 17′ Montgomery Fish Boat glides by. The Fish Boat class was designed in 1921 by Nick Montgomery. Six to eight hundred were made at the Montgomery Boatyard in Gloucester, and still are at the historic yard on the Annisquam River. This one probably sailed from the Sandy Bay Yacht Club. They were also raced at the Annisquam and Eastern Point Yacht Clubs. You can read more about the boatyard and fish boats in a GMG post by E.J. Lefavour here. Coincidentally, when I was traveling through the southwestern U.S., I visited Rockport, Texas – a small fishing town (mainly shrimp). In the restaurant where I stopped for lunch, there was a laminated placemat on my table with a photo of … guess what?
Printed archivally from the original 4×5 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image #A8345-196
Fred


Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Plum Cove, Gloucester

Posted on by Sharon
Plum Cove Sunset, circa 1930 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
I’ve been saving this photograph for a year. It reminds me of Easter sunrise services I have attended, even though this is a sunset. It must have been chilly that day, because the people in the foreground are wearing coats and hats, typical of Easter mornings in the Northeast. The freshwater stream flowing down the beach is gone, and a low tide exposes rocks not visible when the tide is in. Black & white sunsets can be striking. They are abstractions, because we naturally see in color. This photo challenges our minds to fill in the colors: a visual extrapolation.
Printed archivally from the original 4×5 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image # A8945-424
Note: This post marks one year of my weekly posts to Good Morning Gloucester. It’s been enlightening to work in a new medium (for me), and I’m very grateful to have made new friends in the GMG community of readers and contributors. A special hat’s off to Joey C. and Sharon Lowe, who publish my work, help me navigate unfamiliar waters, and are always encouraging. I look forward to more creative collaboration in the future. Thanks so much!
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

GMG Spring Fling At Bodin Historic Photo Downtown This Saturday Night!!! FOB ATTENDANCE MANDATORY!!!!!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Paul (I’m Horny For Ducks) Morrison will be bringing some of Ryan and Wood’s Knockabout Gin, Sista Felicia promises she’s making something special, Kim Smith is bringing scallops wrapped in bacon, Alicia Cox from Mamie’s Kitchen is Bringing her world’s greatest coffee rolls and to-die-for linguica.

It’s a BYOB or appetizer party.  Come on down and have a blast withyour favorite GMG personalities.  There will be autograph signings, you can get your picture taken with a rubber duck and a whole lot more (and who could resist that?)

If anyone wants to buy a “This is Gloucester” DVD let me know and I’ll bring some, or if anyone wants one of EJ’s calendars or Sharon’s Calendars or if one of our contributors has a certain print you would like to have them make up for you let us know.

The party hosted by the awesome Fred Bodin starts at 6:30PM at his joint at 82 Main Street in the heart of Beautiful Gloucester MA.

If you consider yourself one of our FOB’s this is a must attend event.  The Christmas party was off the Chain and I know all you crazy MoFo’s are just itching to get out and have some fun!

2012-03-29 09.03.13

oh and don’t forget to swing by the Horribles Parade fundraiser first and place some bids to help support the great Gloucester tradition!

Homeward Bound ~ Gloucester

Posted on by Sharon
Homeward Bound ~ Gloucester, circa 1930 Chester Walen/©Fredrik D. Bodin
This dory fishing schooner is racing to market in Gloucester. She’s wearing her winter rig: Topmasts removed with no upper canvas to improve stability – a requirement in fall, winter, and spring, when gale force winds and mountainous waves in the North Atlantic are typical. The rig, along with distant patches of snow in Stage Fort Park, suggest to me that this is springtime. Her crew is assembled on deck, preparing for docking, and probably quite glad to be home. Off the schooner’s bow is the Fort. The two large buildings were fish processing plants, sitting on what are now empty lots.
Image printed archivally from the original 5×7 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image #A9157-420
Hope to see you at our Good Morning Gloucester/Bodin Historic Photo Spring Fling this Saturday. Starts at 6 pm!
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

We’re Having A Party! What Kind Of Party You Ask? Saturday March 31st At Bodin Historic Photo The Good Morning Gloucester Spring Fling!!!!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

It’s On Baby!!!

and yes, it’s Gonna Be THAT kind of Party!

Spring Fling!

A Good Morning Gloucester and Bodin Historic Photo gallery spring party for FOBs, FOGs, contributors, and open to the general public.

Saturday, March 31st. Starts at 6 pm

82 Main Street, in downtown Gloucester

BYOB and appetizers/dishes are welcome.

Bodin Historic Photo 82 Main Street 978-283-2524

info@BodinHistoricPhoto.com

If you missed our winter bash you didn’t know how much fun we had.  the joint was packed!  Bring some booze, and come meet up with your favorite contributors!  If you’re lucky Paulie Walnuts will strip down and shake his ass for you.

Spring Outing at Cressys Beach, 1914

Posted on by Sharon
Cressys Beach, 1914 Alice M. Curtis/@Fredrik D. Bodin
Spring has arrived, and  spring photos are in order. In this photograph, a school outing is underway at Cressys Beach. Young boys in ties and girls in long dresses and bonnets bask in the sun, explore the rocks, and cautiously wade into the water. Only a few brave lads have ventured out to the rock. All the while, teachers keep watch on their flock. In the photo below, photographer Alice Curtis has moved her 5″x7″ (film size) view camera with heavy glass film and wooden tripod up the hill for an overall shot. On the left, players man the outfield for a baseball game. We’re fortunate to have Stage Fort Park, a public park owned by the City of Gloucester and located on the city’s first settlement site (1623). In addition to two beaches, the park offers athletic fields, picnicking, grilling, and exceptionally dramatic views.
Cressys Beach, 1914 Alice M. Curtis/@Fredrik D. Bodin

Note: The United States Board of Geographic Names (US BGN) defines the official names of everything geographic. Officially the name is  is Cressy Beach, with the variant of Cressys Beach. See my GMG post from last November: https://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/?s=us+bgn
Fred
Both photographs printed archivally from the original 5×7 inch glass negatives in my darkroom. Image # A8457-086 (top) and A8657-087 (bottom).
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Winter – Not Over Yet!

Posted on by Sharon

After the Storm, Long Beach, 1931   Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
In early March of 1931 a severe winter storm traveled across the United States. Chicago endured the second largest recorded snowfall in its history, up until that date. When the great storm reached the East Coast, it pummeled the shores of New Hampshire and Massachusetts with huge waves and extremely high tides. On Cape Ann, the 25 year-old Dog Bar Breakwater experienced 12-ton granite blocks tossed into Gloucester Harbor, and the severing of the cable to Breakwater Light. Long Beach, located in Gloucester and Rockport, had its boardwalk washed away. In the photo above, the Long Beach Hotel sits on the left. Below, the photographer shot toward Rockport in the opposite direction.
After the Storm, Long Beach, 1931   Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
As a result of the March 1931 Storm, Dog Bar Breakwater was reinforced with rip-rap on its ocean side, and Long Beach’s wooden boardwalk was replaced with the concrete boardwalk we use today.
 Hampton Beach, NH, March 1931
Printed from the original 4×5 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image #8345-041 (Long Beach showing hotel)
Printed from the original 5×7 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image #88657-134 (Long Beach looking toward Rockport)
Photo of Hampton Beach from the Lane Memorial Library collection, Hampton, NH

Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Heyday of East Gloucester Square, 1930

Posted on by Sharon

East Gloucester Square, 1930 Anonymous/©Fredrik D. Bodin

I’ve been saving this photograph for a blizzard. Nary a snow storm’s come along, so I’m posting it now as a reminder of what winter could have been. The camera lens is pointing down East Main Street, with Highland Street in the center left, and the curve on the right at the telephone pole leads to the current laundromat and Duckworth’s Bistro on East Main. The store on the extreme left is J.C. Dade’s Hardware. The view is remarkably similar today. At one time the Square had three markets (Dutch’s, Powler’s, and First National); Wishnick’s barroom, Kirby’s pharmacy, Mrs. Fine’s seamstress shop with pants pressing, Jensen’s Shoe Repair, and two physicians (Doc Quimby, with Doctor Torrey next door). I’d like to thank Paula Parsons and Deb Callahan for this negative, and the East Gloucester fisherman who shared his childhood memories of East Gloucester Square. Please comment with your own remembrances.
Printed archivally from the original 6×7 centimeter film negative in my darkroom. Image # A9267-056.
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

The Stone Sloop Albert Baldwin

Posted on by Sharon
Stone Sloop Albert Baldwin, 1934 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
I’ve been waiting fruitlessly for a Nor’easter snowstorm to post a winter photograph. It looks like tomorrow’s little storm could be my last opportunity, so I’m taking it. This is the Sloop Albert Baldwin, iced in off Rocky Neck. The 90 foot long Baldwin was built in 1890 at the James and Tarr shipyard in Essex. She was designed with extra reinforcement for transporting granite along the New England coast. The pilings in the photo are remnants of the Rocky Neck ferry pier, which was at the present public parking lot. Abandoned and derelict, the sloop was still rotting away when I came to Gloucester in 1980. About ten years later, the Sloop Albert Baldwin was cut up and hauled away.
Printed from the original 5×7 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image #A8857-149
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

The Hotel on Pavilion Beach from Fred Bodin

Posted on by Sharon
The Pavilion Hotel, Gloucester, circa 1880 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
The Pavilion Hotel, built in 1849, was Gloucester’s first true resort hotel. It was located between Stacy Boulevard and Fort Square, on the edge of downtown. The Gloucester Telegraph called it “the first specimen of architectural good taste ever seen here.” The Pavilion featured a two level veranda with dramatic harbor views, fine dining, a saltwater pool, bowling, and accommodated 150 guests. The beachfront of the hotel, called Crescent Beach at the time, is now called Pavilion Beach. On a foggy night in October of 1914, the 65 year old Pavilion Hotel, then named the Surfside Hotel, was consumed by fire. The building which we call the Tavern now sits where the Pavillion once was.
Printed archivally from the original 8×10 inch glass negative in my darkroom. Image #A88810-003.
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

The Cape Hedge Inn, circa 1950

Posted on by Sharon
The Cape Hedge Inn, Land’s End, Rockport, circa 1950 Don Felt/©Fredrik D. Bodin
The Cape Hedge Inn was located at the end of South Street in Rockport, between Cape Hedge and Pebble Beaches. Across the street was the over flow guest house, and the little shack to the right of it was a hot dog stand. In the later 1950s and 1960s, the inn was called the Sandpiper by its new owners. Sadly, the Sandpiper burned in 1978. All that remains is a crumbled foundation.
The Cape Hedge Inn, Land’s End, Rockport, 1954 Anonymous/Fredrik D. Bodin
Aerial printed archivally from the original 4×5 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image #a9245-578
Sandpiper Inn printed digitally from a post card.
Fred

Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

The Last Schooner

Posted on by Sharon
Schooner Andrew & Rosalie, Gloucester, circa 1935 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
The last Gloucester-built fishing schooner was the Andrew & Rosalie, which was constructed and launched in 1930 at Burnham’s Railways (in the area now called Harbor Loop). With a 20 foot beam, her deck was 92 feet long and she carried 4,600 square feet of sail. The schooner was renamed American Eagle in 1941 by new owner Captain Ben Pine. In 1984, after 53 years of hard fishing with the Gloucester fleet, she was purchased and rebuilt by Captain John Foss for the passenger trade. Berthed in Rockland, Maine, Schooner American Eagle can be seen in Gloucester every September for the Mayor’s Cup Race, which she’s won eight times. http://www.schooneramericaneagle.com/
Schooner American Eagle, Gloucester ©Fredrik D. Bodin
Images printed archivally in my darkroom from the original 6×7 centimeter negatives.
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Main Street, circa 1880

Posted on by Sharon
Main Street, Gloucester, circa 1880 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
Here’s another very old photograph, of similar vintage to the City Hall image I posted two months ago. The camera angle is from the Bradford Building on Main Street. In the distance is Beacon Hill and Governor’s Hill. The steeple on the left is today’s Universalist Unitarian Church, and the one on the right became Temple Ahavat Achim in 1950, sans steeple. Main Street is still without trolley tracks, which arrived in 1884. The small street in the middle left is Center Street, bordered now by Gabrielle’s Antiques and  Passports Restaurant. In the lower right is Hancock Street, passing between a pharmacy (note the mortar and pestle on the building’s exterior) and Ellery’s Furniture. Those shops are now Menage Gallery and The Curtain Shop respectively. To my eye, Main Street looks pretty much the same. Lucky for us.
Printed archivally from the original 4×5 inch glass negative in my darkroom. Image #A8845-068.
By the way,  I’m waiting for our first significant snowfall to post something special from the collection. Mayor Kirk and Duckworth’s will like this one.
Fred
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

The Mount Washington Hotel

Posted on by Sharon
Joey edit-
Here it is back in 2002 from almost the same exact perspective.  Man I miss that car.-
DSC00365The Mount Washington Hotel, 1903 N.L. Stebbins/©Fredrik D. Bodin
In 1900, wealthy Pennsylvania industrialist Joseph Stickney began construction of the Mount Washington Hotel, located in Bretton Woods, NH. Two hundred and fifty Italian artisans were hired to build the steel-framed Spanish Renaissance structure. When finished in 1902, the hotel accommodated 600 guests, with a staff of 350. It had its own railroad station, post office, electric power plant, telephone system, and 6,400 acres for golf and recreation. Look closely between the two flagged towers, and you’ll see the electrified banner: MOUNT WASHINGTON. The photograph also shows the 1903 Glidden Automobile Tour, organized by the fledgling American Automobile Association. The purpose of the tour was to foster public acceptance of the automobile and draw attention to the primitive road system, which was unpaved, unmapped, and suitable only for horse travel. This was one of the first motorized endurance races.
Early Glidden Tour
Today the grand hotel thrives as the year-round Omni Mount Washington Resort. It’s a National Historic Landmark featuring a 25,000 square foot spa, two four-diamond dining rooms, and a renovated speakeasy: the Cave. In 1902, hotelier Joseph Stickney successfully charged $10 per night "in season" – twice the going rate at the time. You can book a room at the Mount Washington tonight for $199.
Fred

Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

The Old Freeman House

Posted on by Sharon
Old Freeman House, Gloucester, 1928 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
The Davis-Freeman house, built in 1709 on 17 acres, is a first period colonial house located at 302 Essex Avenue (Route 133). It’s named after owner Charles Freeman, a descendant of eighteenth century Gloucester slaves. For many years the house served as a tavern on one of the two roads into Gloucester before 1950. From the late 1930’s to the early 1950’s, the Freeman house was the Stage Coach Inn, a restaurant serving lunch, tea, and dinner: “In this old tavern – one of the earliest – you’ll enjoy our hospitality and delicious food in an atmosphere of the old stage coach days.” The photograph below shows owner Harriet Johnson in the doorway of the house. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Freeman house is owned by Wellspring House, a Cape Ann organization assisting families and individuals to become financially self-sufficient.
Harriet Johnson, 1928 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin

Printed from the original 5×7 inch film negatives in my darkroom. Image #A8557-063 (house), and A8557-061 (Harriet)
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Dog Bar Breakwater

Posted on by Sharon
Dog Bar Breakwater, circa 1906 (note lack of rip rap on the ocean side on right) Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
Dog Bar Breakwater extends nearly half a mile from the tip of Eastern Point across the entrance to Gloucester Harbor. It not only shelters the harbor, but also covers the treacherous Dog Bar Reef, for which it is named. Construction by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began in 1894 and continued until December 1905. The foundation of the structure is granite rubble taken from Cape Ann quarries, and is capped by 12 ton granite blocks supplied by the Cheves Granite Company of Rockport. A total of 231,760 tons of granite were used to build the breakwater. A small tower lighthouse marks it’s outermost extremity.
Ledge Hill Trail, Ravenswood, 1919 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
Eastern Point Light and Dog Bar Breakwater are located at the end of Eastern Point Boulevard, The adjoining  parking lot and breakwater are part of Massachusetts Audubon’s 51 acre Eastern Point Wildlife Sanctuary –http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Eastern_Point/index.php
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

The Pier at West Beach

Posted on by Sharon
West Beach, circa 1920 V. Blanden/©Fredrik D. Bodin
The West Beach photograph evokes fond childhood memories from local visitors to the gallery. The beach, on Route 127 in Beverly Farms, is privately owned, although open to the public for nine months during the off-season. It runs about a mile from Prides Crossing through Beverly Farms to Beverly proper. It has been administered by the West Beach Corporation since 1852, after being bequeathed to the residents of Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing by John West, who acquired it in 1666. The pier was originally built for docking boats, later evolving into a popular place for jumping into the water and swimming. The sign at the pier’s entrance reads: “This Pier for the Sole use of the Members of the West Beach Corporation and Subscribers.” Great Misery Island, pictured in the distance, and now owned by the Trustees of Reservations , had structures such as the Governor’s Cottage, the Casino hotel, and Bleak House, complete with sea plane hanger. The pier at West Beach was destroyed in the blizzard of 1978, and now has only a few pilings remaining. This beautiful beach was painted by Gloucester’s Fitz Henry Lane 1855.
Printed from the original 5×7 inch negative in my darkroom. Image # FS-001
Fred

Fredrik D. Bodin

Bodin Historic Photo

82 Main Street

The Historic American Sneakboat

Posted on by Sharon
Sneakboat and Decoys, Plum Island, circa 1885 Anonymous/©Fredrik D. Bodin
 
Basic Sneak Boat
The sneakboat is a type of duck hunting boat, dating from the early 1800’s, that was, and still is used throughout the United States in one form or another (sneak, sneak box, sculling boat, float boat, and coffin boat). This low-profile camouflaged boat allowed the hunter to lie down at water level amoung his decoys, maneuver quietly by wiggling a paddle out the stern transom, and lure flying ducks to seemingly safe waters. When the birds descend, he hunter sits up and fires away with a shotgun. Sneakboats proved to be deadly for ducks in the days of “market hunting,” when one could make a decent living killing waterfowl. The Rodigrass clan migrated to Plum Island from Nova Scotia in the late 1800’s to commercially harvest ducks, clams, and fish. They were notable both as hunters and as guides.
Nathan Rodigrass, Plum Island, circa 1885 Anonymous/©Fredrik D. Bodin
The Rodigrass Camp, circa 1900 Anonymous/©Fredrik D. Bodin
Built in 1882, the Rodigrass Camp stood on Plum Island until 1989, when it was torn down. The Rodigrass clan later became stewards of the National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island, protecting the animals they once hunted. I’ve met people in Gloucester who are familiar with or hunt with sneak boats. However, not many of us have seen a sneak boat, and neither have the ducks.
Fred