Tag: Fred Bodin

Eagle Head from Singing Beach From Jim (Penn State guy) Diedrich Updated With 1880 Photo From Fred (Syracuse guy) Bodin

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Joey,

Eagle Head from Singing Beach on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  Sony Alpha 55 using a 35 mm lens w/ UV filter.

Jim (Penn State guy) Diedrich

Jan 29 2012 002

and this from from Fred (Syracuse guy) Bodin-

Eagle Head Manchester circa 1880

image

Bodin Historic Photo

82 Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930

info@BodinHistoricPhoto.com

Praise for Good Morning Gloucester

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Hi Joey, I thought readers might want to see what was in my inbox this morning:

“Dear Kim,

Thank you for turning me on to Good Morning Gloucester.  Every city (and town) should have an equivalent.  What a great way to communicate enjoyments, appreciations, concerns, and complaints.”

We are truly blessed as a community to have a resource like Good Morning Gloucester. Thank you Joey and GMG team for all the good you have created, and continue to do, for our beloved community.

Our Fearless Leader

Good Morning Gloucester Team Members and Friends of the Blog

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

Fred Bodin Shares- Emily’s Bar Card

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Emily’s Bar Card

Fred writes-

It’s true, a little thoughtfulness across the bar or table goes a long, long way. Last September I drove to the North Shore Mall to buy an iMac. At Apple’s Genius Bar, the technician asked me to come back in an hour while he installed software and documents onto my new computer. So I walked over to P. F. Chang’s restaurant to order a takeout lunch for myself and recuperating friend back in Rockport. We’d been to Chang’s only a few times, it’s always tasty and a positive experience. I sat at the bar, and said "hi" to the bartender. Emily, who had served us before, is also a Rockport native. She didn’t remember my name, but did remember the Rockport connection, and asked where my friend Janet was. After she poured a beer for me, Emily wrote this note on a bartender’s card. Guess where we go every time we’re in Peabody.

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Fredrik D. Bodin, Bodin Historic Photo

82 Main Street

info@BodinHistoricPhoto.com

Like us on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/BodinHistoricPhoto

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

A Visit from Saint Nicholas

Posted on by Sharon
Saint Nicholas, circa 1890 Anonymous/©Fredrik D. Bodin
I always make sure I have Santa on display in the gallery for the holidays. There is a magical quality about him – a certain timelessness, for this is the real Santa. People who collect Santa Claus related objects love this photograph. So when the Christmas decorations come out of the attic, so does old Saint Nicholas.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc’d in their heads.
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Fred
Printed from the original 8×10 inch glass negative in my darkroom. Image #88810-045

Whither the Sign Painter?

Posted on by Sharon

Whither the Sign Painter?Sign Painter, circa 1900 Anonymous/©Fredrik D. Bodin

Before the age of computers and large printers, every sizable town or city had sign painting shops, including Gloucester. Signs were hand made by skilled artisans, who learned the trade by means of apprenticeships. In addition to expert handling of the lettering brush, sign painters had to master gold leafing, carving, stenciling, and silk-screening. When I opened my gallery fifteen years ago, I hired a professional sign painter, Bob Condon (now an attorney), to paint me a sign. Curiously, I have about 60 sign making photographs in my collection. These are a few of my favorites.

Gloucester Signs, circa 1915 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
Merry Christmas, Salem, 1909 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
All photographs printed from the original 5×7 inch glass negatives in my darkroom.

Gloucester City Hall – Brand New

Posted on by Sharon
Gloucester City Hall, circa1875 Alice M. Curtis/©Fredrik D. Bodin
I made this print of City Hall from one of my oldest negatives. It was shot from a high vantage point on Middle Street. Dale Avenue is in the lower left, and Pleasant Street is on the right. The Civil War Statue, erected in 1879, now in the front center, is not yet there. Boston architects Gridley J.F. Bryant and Louis P. Rogers designed the building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. One thing I learned while writing this is the four towers on City Hall’s corners are ventilation shafts. Questions for Cape Ann Museum’s Photo Archivist Fred Buck: Can you add to this (shooting location, surrounding buildings, etc.), and do you have anything older?
Printed from the original 5×7 inch glass negative in my darkroom. Image #9157-251 Note: The black objects in the sky are missing parts of the negative.
Fred Bodin
The Infamous Fred Buck Replies-

well, sure. yours is probably a copy neg (5×7 is way too big) of one of several stereograph images of city hall (each side albumen plate 3×4 and joined on a piece of clear glass to print the stereo card) taken by erastus g. rollins about 1872 from the tower of the unitarian church on middle st. to the left of the building is franklin square. on the right is the nice circular drive fronting warren st. cape ann museum has rollins’s original glass negs of these views in their archive (without homie poop all over them) as well as the stereo cards printed by rollins and succeeding owners of the plates. we also have bryant and rogers’ original plans of the building. c’mon down!

fred buck, photoarchivist, cape ann museum.

p.s. don’t think alice m. curtis was taking photos in the 1870s.

Thanksgiving and the Sacred Birches

Posted on by Sharon
The Sacred Birches, Lanesville, circa 1900 John I. Coggeshall/@Fredrik D. Bodin
Many of my best Thanksgivings have included a walk in the woods, notably among birches. Birch trees were among the first trees to grow after the last ice age, and are the national tree of Russia, symbolizing fertility, renewal, and miracles. They’ve been revered by many cultures since the ancient Celts, including the Finns, Swedes, and Norwegians, who settled here on Cape Ann. Birch groves in Dogtown and Lanesville are still highly regarded. At the turn of the century, John I. Coggeshall photographed these birches near his Lanesville home. I hope to find them after turkey dinner with friends in the Plum Cove neighborhood. If you know where this treed slope is, please let me know.
Printed from the original 8×10 inch negative in my darkroom. Image # A93810-007
I’m not a big poetry reader, but one particular verse from Robert Burns struck a chord with me, and I recite it at meals such as Thanksgiving:
A Scottish Grace

Some have meat and cannot eat
And some have none and want it
But we have meat and we can eat
So the Lord we thanketh.
Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Gloucester Harbor Village, 1856

Posted on by Sharon

Gloucester Harbor Village, 1856 H. F. Walling/ ©Fredrik D. Bodin

The Gloucester Harbor Village map was a small inset on a larger map, A Topographical Map of Essex County Massachusetts, which measured 62 inches x 62 inches. It was a wall, or scroll map, and was printed on linen and hand colored. The surveys and map were made by civil engineer Henry Francis Walling (1825-1888),  Superintendent of State  Map. Some of the 49 insets, which were approximately 5 inches  x 9 inches, were Annis Squam Village, Lanes Ville, Rockport Village, and Pigeon Cove Village (which I have). Interesting features of the Gloucester Harbor Village map include: Canal Street (the Boulevard) and the long Cordage Mill (rope factory); Fort Defiance at the end of Peach Street (The Fort); Front, Spring, and Jackson Streets running the length of the Gloucester waterfront (no Rogers Street yet); Rocky Neck with it’s first wharf – the Walen Story Wharf; and the end of the railroad line is in Gloucester. Also significant is the now non-existent Vincent’s Cove, and Five Pound Island, which is now the terminus of the State Fish Pier.

Printed archivally from a scan of the original map. Image # AM04-001

Title Section of A Topographical Map of Essex County Massachusetts, 1856 H. F. Walling

 

~Fred

 

Wheeler or Wheelers Point?

Posted on by Sharon
Wheeler Point, Mill and Annisquam Rivers, circa 1950 Don Felt/ ©Fredrik D. Bodin
You say Wheeler, I say Wheelers;

You say Wonson, and I say Wonsons;

Let’s get the whole thing right…
My friend Cliff McCarthy and I disagreed on whether it’s Wheeler Point or Wheelers Point. We based our opinions on what we’ve heard people say and maps we’ve looked at. Who’s right? The United States Board of Geographic Names (US BGN) is right – they define the official names of everything geographic. Their database holds the Federally recognized name of every feature’s location by state, with USGS topographic map, geographic coordinates, altitude, and even includes undersea features. This is the gold standard for place names. In the American West after the Civil War, rapid westward expansion led to confusing names for geographic features. This was a serious problem for surveyors, map makers, and the military. In 1890, President Harrison created the US BGN to standardize geographic names.
The final word on Wheeler(s) Point and Wonson(s) Cove is here: http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/index.html Click on Search Domestic Names, type in what you’re looking for in the Feature Name box, select the State, select the County, then press the Send Query button. You’ll see that Wheeler Point is correct (with Wheelers Point as a variant name))and so is Wonson Cove (with Wonson’s Cove as a variant name). Cliff, you were right!
Here are some interesting official names on Cape Ann: Cressy Beach (with Cressys Beach as a variant name), Dog Bar (an underwater bar), Dog Bar Breakwater (a dam) , Dog Bar Channel, and Dogtown Common ( listed as a Populated Place with an elevation of 79 feet). Some places we know are not listed, such as Cripple Cove. The US BGN invites any person or organization to propose new names, name changes, or names that are in conflict.
Fred
Printed from the original 4×5 inch film negative in my darkroom. Image # A9245-546
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Trail Ride in Vermont

Posted on by Sharon
Fall Ride, South Woodstock, Vermont ©Fredrik D. Bodin
Only once have I seen fall foliage so brilliant that it was hard on my eyes. Driving north to Woodstock, Vermont, with the writer for Yankee, we preferred to keep the sunglasses on. Our destination was the Kedron Valley Inn in South Woodstock, built in 1793. The next day’s assignment was to photograph the Green Mountain Horse Association’s annual Fall Foliage Ride. This 14 mile long meandering trail ride offered great opportunities to photograph the horseback riders amidst the spectacular scenery. This is the image Yankee chose to run across two pages in the magazine.
Today, Woodstock and central Vermont are still recovering from the devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. Although the Kedron Valley Inn was untouched, the Green Mountain Horse Association’s facilities were heavily damaged, and the headquarters of the Vermont Standard newspaper, located in Woodstock, were completely destroyed, In spite of this, Vermont’s oldest newspaper continues to publish. Send a little love their way and plan a vacation in beautiful Vermont.
Photographed on 35mm Kodachrome 64 transparency film. Image #FDB7835-002c
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Old Salt, circa 1890

Posted on by Sharon
Old Salt, circa 1890 Anonymous/ ©Fredrik D. Bodin
I love this photograph, and affectionately call the subject  “Old Salty.” I like it so much it’s my profile picture on Facebook. This is a classic Gloucester fisherman image, with oilskin, sou’wester hat, and old fashioned beard. What’s really striking is the far away look in his eyes. He’s seen it all: Weather, endless ocean, severe hardship, and extreme danger. The portrait is carefully posed and lit – probably taken for the tourist trade. I was told that Old Salt could be Jessie Bates or Rufus Bates Parsons, and was taken in Gloucester.
If you know Salty, please let me know. In the meantime, today’s tourists who have seen my Facebook page will come to the gallery looking to meet the fisherman with the beard.
Printed archivally in the darkroom from a 6×7 cm copy negative. Image # AC020128-02#11
Fred
Fredrik D. Bodin
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Ipswich Light

Posted on by Sharon
 IIpswich Light and Steep Hill, 1934 Alice M. Curtis/ ©Fredrik D. Bodin
Many Ipswich residents and beach goers who come to the gallery are unaware of Ipswich Light and its interesting history. The first Ipswich Light was built on Crane Beach in 1838 to guide ships to the mouth of the Ipswich River. It was actually two towers, called a range light (like Rockport’s Thacher Island Light). This was replaced in 1881 by a 45 foot tall cast iron structure, very similar to Gloucester’s own Ten Pound Island Light (erected the same year). In 1881, Ipswich Light stood 82 feet from Ipswich Bay. By 1911, it was 1,090 feet inland. In addition, drifting sand covered the lighthouse to the extent that personnel had to enter through a third story window. In 1939, the Coast Guard floated the lighthouse by barge to Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. It now guards the entrance to Edgartown Harbor, bearing the plaque: Formerly Ipswich Light. Today’s Ipswich Light is a 29 foot tall sand dune resistant skeleton tower.
 

Ipswich Light, Crane Beach, 1934 Alice M. Curtis/ ©Fredrik D. Bodin
Photographs printed from the original 4×5 inch negatives in my darkroom. Images # A8845-056 and A8845-053
Note: I was asked today if any of the photos on my posts are for sale. Yes they are! The post from 9/14/11 resulted in the Brooklyn Bridge going to Oklahoma, and last week’s post (Cape Ann – a Farming Town) resulted in a purchase for a descendent of a Cape Ann farming family.
Fred Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

The Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan

Posted on by Sharon
Brooklyn Bridge New York City, circa 1910 Charles H. Cleaves/ ©Fredrik D. Bodin
The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883 as the longest suspension bridge in the world (5,989 feet) and the tallest free standing structure in the Northern Hemisphere. Rockport attorney and photographer Charles H. Cleaves (1877–1937), who had interests in Cape Ann granite quarries, probably made this photograph to show how our granite was used. Although the bridge’s clearance at high tide is 135 feet, this full rigged ship still had to step her topmasts to pass through. Three tugs tow the ship down the East River and out of New York Harbor.
I have driven, walked, and bicycled over the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan, where I was born. The bridge really is a National Treasure, the Eight Wonder of the World, and I have sold her many times.
Printed from the original 4×5 inch glass negative in my darkroom. Image # A9645-027

Fred Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

The Castle on Salt Island

Posted on by Sharon
 Castle on Salt Island, 1919 Alice M. Curtis/ @Fredrik D. Bodin
I encounter locals, and even Brier Neck residents whose homes overlook Salt Island, who don’t know about the castle that was situated there. Here’s the story:
In the fall of 1919, the Fox Movie Company built a wood and plaster facade of a Gothic castle for the silent film Bride 13. This was a 15 part serial, or cliff hanger. The plot revolved around the kidnapping and ransom of thirteen beautiful damsels by a ruthless Moroccan pirate and his motley crew. Action scenes included the firing of a 450 pound cannon, a hot air balloon escape, US Navy battleships and submarine, a schooner wrecked and burned in Brace Cove, and the dynamiting of the castle as the movie’s finale.

Where is this film? I’d love to know. All sources indicate that Bride 13 was either lost or destroyed, as happened with many silent films. The reference used for this post was the May 1972 Yankee Magazine article, Lights! Camera! Disaster!, authored by the late Joseph E. Garland of Gloucester. Thanks, Joe–you gave us so much–we miss you.

Photograph printed from the original 5×7 inch glass negative in my darkroom. Image # A8357-053
Fred Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Schooner Adventure Wins the Mayor’s Race

Posted on by Sharon

Adventure Wins! 1991 ©Fredrik D. Bodin
Three years after her 1988 arrival in Gloucester, Schooner Adventure won the Mayor’s Race for the second time. Race day was crystal clear and very windy, which Adventure, with her 6,500 square feet of sail, took advantage of off the East Gloucester shore. The 122 feet long knockabout schooner was built in Essex (MA) in 1926. She fished until 1953 as the most productive dory fisherman ever.
Now listed as a National Historic Landmark, Adventure is being restored to sail again as a floating classroom. Although she won’t be sailing this year, Adventure will be offering a full schedule of events during Gloucester Schooner Festival: http://schooner-adventure.org/
Note: To help Schooner Adventure, I granted them publicity and promotional rights to this photo and to Adventure Wins! 1988. You can see another photo of Adventure on our distillery Ryan & Wood’s Knockabout Gin label.
Printed archivally in the darkroom from my original 6×7 cm negative. Image # FDB910901-02#09

Fred  Bodin

Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

Hurricane Bob

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

This sailboat ran hard aground courtesy of Hurricane Bob on August 19th, 1991. Twenty years ago, Bob was the last hurricane to make landfall on the New England coast. The storm caused extensive damage and seventeen fatalities, resulting in the name Bob being retired from the list of Hurricane names.

Fred Bodin

Bodin Historic Photo, 82 Main Street

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The Ramparts, Commodore Rouse, and the Schooner Niagara

Posted on by Sharon

The Ramparts, Eastern Point, circa 1900 Anonymous/ @Fredrik D. Bodin

 Schooner Niagara, Eastern Point, circa 1898 Phelps/ @Fredrik D. Bodin

The Ramparts was built in 1896 on Eastern Point (Gloucester, MA) by Commodore Henry Rouse of Cleveland. Rouse was a railroad tycoon and commodore of the Seawanhaka-Corinthian Yacht Club of New York. In 1898, Rouse was visited by financier Howard Gould, the ninth richest man in America, on his Schooner Niagara. In the photo, Niagara sails off Eastern Point, with The Ramparts visible between the jib and the bowsprit. Ladies and gentlemen enjoy the outing, probably with Rouse aboard, and the man with the top hat just aft of the mainmast likely robber baron Gould himself.
Printed archivally from a scan of the original. Image # AD07-002 (Ramparts) and AD07-001 (Niagara)

Fred  Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930



Rules and Regulations – No Loafing About the Sheds!

Posted on by Sharon
Cape Ann Granite Company Rules and Regulations, 1875

The Cape Ann Granite Company was organized in 1869 by Civil War veteran Colonel Jonas H. French. It was located near his summer home in Bay View (Gloucester, MA). Colonel French’s quarries supplied granite for the Boston and Baltimore post offices, the Brooklyn Bridge, and was one of the largest suppliers of paving block in the country. One of French’s claims to fame was cutting out a 122 feet long by 45 feet wide and 30 feet deep block of granite from Old Pit quarry in 1871. The original Cape Ann Granite Company was bought out by the Rockport Granite company in 1893. Remember: “No loafing about the sheds.”
Printed archivally from a scan of the original. Negative # ADP-011-001
Fred Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930