My View of Life on the Dock
Continuing my series of posts of murals from the stairwells of St. Ann’s Church, here’s one of two fishing boats. The names (updated thanks to a reader’s comment) are “Carole & Gary” and “Sunlight”. Anybody know to whom these vessels belonged?
Post cards from the private collection of David B. Cox
Good Morning Gloucester Exclusive
Cigar Joe Frontiero born in 1898 these tapes were recorded in 1981 when he was 83 years old.
Click here or the arrow below to listen to the audio
The family of Cigar Joe Frontiero brings Good Morning Gloucester these treasured recordings of Fishing out of Gloucester MA in the early part of the century in the second of the multi-part collection of recordings. I’m happy that the family entrusted GMG with these priceless recordings and am proud to be able to have the platform in which we can archive and share with the community.
To listen to the previous Cigar Joe Recordings Click Here
The family of Cigar Joe Frontiero brings Good Morning Gloucester these treasured recordings of Fishing out of Gloucester MA in the early part of the century. I’m happy that the family entrusted GMG with these priceless recordings and am proud to be able to have the platform in which we can archive and share with the community.
Thank you to the family of Cigar Joe Frontiero
Cigar Joe Frontiero born in 1898 these tapes were recorded in 1981 when he was 83 years old.
Click here or the arrow below to listen to the recording
The history behind the tapes: Someone had asked Cigar Joe for an interview for an oral history project but Cigar Joe decided to do the recording himself. At the time he was having trouble with circulation in his legs and spent most of the time at home so he bought a tape recorder. He had trouble with the tape recorder and threw all of the tapes away. His mailman took the trashed tapes, spliced them, and made copies. He gave Cigar Joe copies and kept backups (with Cigar Joe’s consent) in case the originals were lost. This occurred in 1981.
For The Other Parts Of This Series-
Look for part V of VI April 13th and 16th
Good Morning Gloucester Exclusive
Cigar Joe Frontiero born in 1898 these tapes were recorded in 1981 when he was 83 years old.
Click here or the arrow to listen to the audio
To listen to the previous Cigar Joe Recordings Click Here
The family of Cigar Joe Frontiero brings Good Morning Gloucester these treasured recordings of Fishing out of Gloucester MA in the early part of the century. I’m happy that the family entrusted GMG with these priceless recordings and am proud to be able to have the platform in which we can archive and share with the community.
Thank you to the family of Cigar Joe Frontiero
The history behind the tapes: Someone had asked Cigar Joe for an interview for an oral history project but Cigar Joe decided to do the recording himself. At the time he was having trouble with circulation in his legs and spent most of the time at home so he bought a tape recorder. He had trouble with the tape recorder and threw all of the tapes away. His mailman took the trashed tapes, spliced them, and made copies. He gave Cigar Joe copies and kept backups (with Cigar Joe’s consent) in case the originals were lost. This occurred in 1981.
Part IV will be released Sunday April 10th at 6PM
Good Morning Gloucester Exclusive
Cigar Joe Frontiero born in 1898 these tapes were recorded in 1981 when he was 83 years old.
Click here if you don’t see the arrow below to listen to the audio
The family of Cigar Joe Frontiero brings Good Morning Gloucester these treasured recordings of Fishing out of Gloucester MA in the early part of the century in the second of the multi-part collection of recordings. I’m happy that the family entrusted GMG with these priceless recordings and am proud to be able to have the platform in which we can archive and share with the community.
Look for part III April 7th at 6AM
Ray Witham and Joseph “Cigar Joe” Frontiero land an 18 foot basking shark after it got tangled and died in a mackerel net off Rockport.
The history behind the tapes: Someone had asked Cigar Joe for an interview for an oral history project but Cigar Joe decided to do the recording himself. At the time he was having trouble with circulation in his legs and spent most of the time at home so he bought a tape recorder. He had trouble with the tape recorder and threw all of the tapes away. His mailman took the trashed tapes, spliced them, and made copies. He gave Cigar Joe copies and kept backups (with Cigar Joe’s consent) in case the originals were lost. This occurred in 1981.
Good Morning Gloucester Exclusive
The family of Cigar Joe Frontiero brings Good Morning Gloucester these treasured recordings of smuggling liquor into the Essex River and into Annisquam in the first of a multi-part collection of recordings. I’m happy that the family entrusted GMG with these priceless recordings and am proud to be able to have the platform in which we can archive and share with the community.
Cigar Joe Frontiero born in 1898 these tapes were recorded in 1981 when he was 83 years old. Cigar Joe lived to be 96 years old and had whiskey and cigars at his nursing home every day til the day he died according to his granddaughter Josie Cary.
Click the arrow below to play the audio file
If you don’t see the arrow you can click this link to listen to the audio
Ray Witham and Joseph “Cigar Joe” Frontiero land an 18 foot basking shark after it got tangled and died in a mackerel net off Rockport.
The history behind the tapes: Someone had asked Cigar Joe for an interview for an oral history project but Cigar Joe decided to do the recording himself. At the time he was having trouble with circulation in his legs and spent most of the time at home so he bought a tape recorder. He had trouble with the tape recorder and threw all of the tapes away. His mailman took the trashed tapes, spliced them, and made copies. He gave Cigar Joe copies and kept backups (with Cigar Joe’s consent) in case the originals were lost. This occurred in 1981.
Look for part 2 of the recordings Monday April 1st at 6AM
That on the 28th of December 1658 James was granted “twelve acres of fresh meadow [at Beaver Dam] lying above the Mill, also twenty acres of upland lying by the side of it”? (Gloucester Town Records 1: 71) This was where he and his wife settled and was known as the James Babson farm. It was here that he built the little stone cooperage shop, still standing today and open to visitors every summer. The barrels he made here were taken to Good Harbor Beach, filled with fish and shipped to England, the West Indies, etc. Roger W. Babson’s research indicated that James Babson’s stone shop was the first factory on Cape Ann.
From genealogy.com
E.J. Lefavour
http://www.khanstudiointernational.com
That between 1880-1886, Alpheus Hyatt founded the directed the Annisquam Seaside Laboratory, predecessor of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, under the auspices of the Boston Society of Natural History, and with support from the Women’s Educational Association of Boston? This summer school was primarily for the training of teachers of natural science, but several of the staff and students became well-known professional scientists, contributing to research as well as to science education. Alpheus Hyatt (1838-1902), trained by Louis Agassiz at Harvard University, was primarily a paleontologist who specialized in fossil cephalopods and their evolution. He also did special research on sponges and bryozoans. Hyatt transferred his Annisquam Seaside laboratory to Woods Hole, was instrumental in raising funds, and became the first President of the Board of Trustees for the Marine Biological Laboratory in 1888. Alpheus Hyatt was the father of Anna Hyatt Huntington, who created the Joan of Arc sculpture used in the World War I Memorial in Legion Square.
Inquiring minds wanted to know, so I grabbed my shovel and went digging. This is where Hyatt’s Seaside Laboratory was located on River Road in Annisquam, prior to relocating to Woods Hole (location information courtesy of Jim Groves).
E.J. Lefavour
www.khanstudiointernational.com
That the Annisquam Village Church is an interdenominational community church. The geographic area of the Annisquam Village Church, called The Third Parish, was established in 1728, and originally included the villages of Annisquam, Bay View and Lanesville. Today the community of the church extends well beyond those boundaries. In 1728, when the Third Parish was founded, the Church was Puritan in belief and Congregation in polity. Pastor Benjamin Bradstreet served for 34 years, from 1728 until his death in 1762. The church primarily relied on local supply ministers until “Father” Ezra Leonard was hired in 1804. He served until his death in 1832. He was considered a “Renaissance Man.” In addition to serving as pastor, he also served as medical doctor, teacher, and state representative. In 1811, Father Leonard had a “conversion experience” and left behind his orthodox, Puritan beliefs in favor of becoming a “Universalist.” The Third Parish became a Universalist Society and kept Father Leonard as their pastor. In 1830, a New Meeting House was constructed; this is the building that you see above. Father Leonard died in 1832. There were many pastors after his death. In 1944, the pastor had a “conversion experience” (from Universalist to Episcopalian). The Church voted to keep him as pastor, and Episcopalian doctrine was taught in Sunday school. The next pastor urged the Church to become a non-denominational, Protestant, Community Church. In 1954, the Parish voted “To conduct a Protestant interdenominational church for public worship of God.” The church remains such today. This is a really lovely old church near Lobster Cove, which you can see through the windows of Fellowship Hall where they serve refreshments after service. I found their service unique and refreshing, the organ and choir excellent, and the people of the church very welcoming. If you want to check it out, there website is http://www.annisquamvillagechurch.com/
E.J. Lefavour
www.khanstudiointernational.com
Did you know?
That millionaire philanthropist, and 10th generation Gloucester inhabitant, Roger Ward Babson (1875-1967), provided charitable assistance to unemployed stonecutters in Gloucester during the Great Depression, by commissioning them to carve inspirational inscriptions on approximately two dozen boulders in the area surrounding Dogtown Common. This boulder is the one I chose for January’s image in my 2011 Dogtown and Babson Boulders calendar because I think the message is the most important one to start out any new year with. If we all resolve to spend the New Year performing random acts of kindness, what an amazing year 2011 will be.
E.J. Lefavour
http://www.khanstudiointernational.com/gallery_dogtownandbabsonboulders.htm
Isabel Babson (1577-1661) was the first Babson in America, and she and her sons Richard and James are the progenitors of all with that name in the country. The earliest known record of her in this country is dated 25 September 1637 and appears in the Salem town records: “Isabell Babson desires admittance to become an inhabitant.” Isabel probably first settled at Salem as it was her port of disembarkation. In 1942 she moved to Gloucester where she was greatly respected as a nurse and midwife. After July 1642 Isabel purchased land at what is now 75-77 Front Street, Gloucester, and it continued in the family about a century and a half. Her dwelling on Main Street, a little to the west of Porter Street, was located at what is now 69 Main Street. She died and was buried in Gloucester, although the exact location of her grave is unknown. A simple stone has been placed in the ancient Bridge Street Burying Ground in memory of this honored and beloved citizen of Gloucester. As a tribute to her memory, Roger W. Babson established the Isabel Babson Memorial Library at 69 Main Street, which specializes in books for expectant mothers. She is also remembered through the Isabel Babson Maternity Wing at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester. Roger Babson believed that conceiving and rearing children, as well as the health and well-being of women, were critical to a stable society. All books in the library reflect this philosophy. Every challenging aspect of family living from prenatal through grandparenting and the golden years is covered. Books catering to men’s issues are also available.
Did you know that Jane “Granny” Day (#20 or #21 Dogtown Road – controversy exists over which was her actual location) was a school teacher, who worked out of the single-room schoolhouse at Dogtown Square, and that her house apparently abutted this swamp, known for swallowing sheep and other careless creatures that wandered too close. She lived to the age of 94 and died in 1814. This is a photograph of Granny Day’s Swamp, or part of it anyway, as it looks today.
The Calendars are in! And the printer did a beautiful job on them. This high quality, uniquely Cape Ann, 8.5×11″ (11×17″ open) 12 month calendar is now available to purchase, just in time for that unique last minute gift you were searching for, or that special calendar for yourself. It includes 12 stunning full size black and white photos of Babson Boulders (Kindness, Spiritual Power, Courage, Loyalty, Ideas, Use Your Head, Industry, Be On Time, Study, Work, Truth and Keep Out of Debt), along with a two-page history of Dogtown, Roger Babson and the Babson Boulders. They are available at Joncien, 25 Bearskin Neck, Rockport, Dogtown Book Shop, 132 Main Street, Gloucester, Toad Hall Bookstore, 47 Main Street, Rockport and through Khan Studio in Annisquam Village at a cost of $15 ($20 if you want it shipped). This calendar will make a great gift for anyone who loves Cape Ann, rocks, nature, Dogtown, timeless words of wisdom, history and heritage of this little slice of Heaven we inhabit. You can see it at http://www.khanstudiointernational.com/dogtown%20and%20babson%20boulders%20calendar.htm. Please email me at khanstudio@comcast.net if you would like to order one (or more), or stop by any of the above-mentioned shops. If you don’t happen to live on or near Cape Ann, you can order, pay by credit card and have one shipped to you by Joncien (call Leslie Asare at Joncien 978-546-9161, or if you can’t reach her, call EJ at 857-891-9054). Happy Holidays. EJ
Exciting little newsflash. The Sorenson Center for the Arts at Babson College just ordered 40 Dogtown and Babson Boulders calendars. I am honored to have a bunch of my calendars go to Babson College, probably the most important of the many life projects of
Roger Ward Babson.
Wayne Soini a Gloucester native wrote a book about the Gloucester Sea Serpent – Book signing will be held Saturday October 16th 6:00 PM at River’s Edge Fine Gifts Ipswich Ma.
Also Serving Wine and Cheese
Yours truly also contributed to the book with current photos of Gloucester and Roseanne Cody provided from her old postcard collection, areas where the Sea Serpent was spotted.
View Slide_show of people already enjoying the book.
NOTE: Gloucester’s Sea Serpent by History Press tells the story of the sea serpent that came into Gloucester Harbor in August, 1817. Gloucester’s Justice of the Peace Lonson Nash gathered affidavits for a book edited by an ambitious, serious committee composed of Judge John Davis of the Federal District Court in Boston, president of the Linnaean Society of New England, Francis Calley Gray, former diplomat and member of the Massachusetts Bar, and Dr. Jacob Bigelow, M.D., a University of Pennsylvania graduate who taught at the Harvard Medical School. Their book was universally rejected because they concluded that a mutant, rumplebacked black snake found in September, 1817 in a hay-field off of Loblolly Cove in Gloucester (today: Rockport) was the sea serpent’s baby.
As promised here is part II of my conversation with Melissa Smith Abbott
I’m pretty sure we could have easily done parts III IV and V as Melissa has so much to say.
You can visit her website here-http://www.anadamabreadbook.com/
The Mrs read through it on the beach yesterday and said it was very cool and noted that for someone who grew up around here it would be extremely interesting.
You can visit her website here-http://www.anadamabreadbook.com/
The Legacy of Three Melissas: Authentic & Original Cape Ann Recipes
is now available in Rockport at Toad Hall Bookstore, in Gloucester at The Bookstore on Main Street,
The Cape Ann Museum Bookstore, Harbor Loop Gifts at The Building Center
Tons of rich local history here
Here is part I of our two part interview-
Part II comes tomorrow at 6PM
Here’s a little History of Gloucester that you would’nt hear about anywhere else.
From Larry Dahlmer;
http://www.ladarts.com/ladarts.com/Welcome_-_L.A.Dahlmer.html
For an Interesting Timeline, Beautiful Paintings and Prints by Larry Dahlmer and on the History of Gloucester
Visit Larrys Gallery on Rocky Neck and Check out Larrys Website
by clicking the link below;
http://www.ladarts.com/ladarts.com/Welcome_-_L.A.Dahlmer.html
Thanks to Linn Parisi for the tip-
The church’s 31 bells were cast by the Taylor Bell Foundry in England and installed during the summer of 1922, and restored by Meek, Wilson & Company.
Bill Meeks was on site directing the operations, photo of him strapping a Bell.
Each bell has a Saints Name in Portuguese, and a name of a person. There is a story for each bell, I am sure. The first Reverend, a Captain, and A. Piatt Andrew are the names on the bells shown. On A. Piatt Andrew’s bell is the inscription in Portuguese “The Heart of Jesus”, as he was instrumental in getting the bells brought to the church in 1922.
An elderly man stood watching them being re-installed, he said to me “I am so glad they are back, I thought I would never hear them ring again, but my prayers were answered.”
John Morris came by to talk about his new book a 448 page documentation of Gloucester Fishing in the age of sail (1623-1939).
John spent 10 years of his life writing and researching this book. Watch the video and see some of the incredible pictures and details within this masterpiece.
June 10th book signing and reading at Sawyer Free Library.
Read Gail McCarthy’s Gloucester Daily Times piece with John here
Good Morning Gloucester 