Tag: HarborWalk

2022 GRANT OPPORTUNITIES! BRUCE J. ANDERSON AND ESSEX HERITAGE DEADLINES ARE DUE IN FEBRUARY.

Posted on by Catherine

What ideas would you submit? See below for application details and links.

DEADLINE FEBRUARY 14, 2022

We are pleased to announce the 2022 Request for Proposals for the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation, a supporting organization of The Boston Foundation. The Bruce J. Anderson Foundation has been making grants on Cape Ann and in the Nashoba Valley for over 30 years. The Bruce J. Anderson Foundation provides grants for programs, direct services and new initiatives in the fields of mental health (treatment, research and suicide prevention, with a particular interest in mental health services supporting LGBTQIA young people), environmental protection, historic and archival preservation, and the arts.  

Please review the guidelines carefully and note that the application deadline is Monday, February 14, 2022. Grant announcements will be made in mid-June.  

Applications must be submitted online. Please find the application here: https://bostonfoundation.submittable.com/submit.  

We hope you will consider taking advantage of this Bruce J. Anderson Foundation funding opportunity. Questions regarding program eligibility can be directed to the attention of Sophia Hancock at shancock@tpi.org.  

The Bruce J. Anderson Team 
Sophia Hancock
Program Associate
The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI) | The Boston Foundation

DEADLINE FEBRUARY 25

The Essex Heritage Partnership Grant Program is a reimbursable, matching grant program for municipalities and qualified non-profit organizations whose activities support our mission to preserve and enhance the historic, cultural, and natural resources of the Essex National Heritage Area (Essex County, MA). Interested applicants have until Friday, February 25, 2022, at 11:59 PM to submit applications for eligible projects focused in one of four categories:

Education: Create or further develop educational opportunities for youth 
Interpretation: Increase awareness and understanding of the region’s heritage 
Preservation: Preserve or enhance historic structures, landscapes, or cultural resources 
Access and Inclusion: Enhance access to the many resources offered within the Essex National Heritage Area through structural or programmatic updates or transportation. Examples of this category can include projects such as social justice-focused presentations, transportation for youth to access natural and cultural resources within the heritage area, or ADA improvements including wheelchair lifts, ramps, and interpretation aids.

Detailed information about the Essex Heritage Partnership Grant Program, including application materials and guidelines can be found here.

-Please email Charles Smith with questions at charless@essexheritage.org or call 978-226-8154.

Cape Ann Museum FREE for families April School Vacation Week! Artist Michael Grimaldi #GloucesterMA Sea Serpent sighting & siting adventures await!👀🐍

Posted on by Catherine

Mark your calendars for a Cape Ann Museum visit this week. I’ll follow up in a part 2 post after I visit inside. Happy sea serpent seeking!

Spring News from Cape Ann Museum

April Vacation Week Thursday, April 22 – Sunday, April 25

Free Museum entrance to all families with children under 18

Take a break from the screen and come visit the Cape Ann Museum with your kids during April Vacation Week! Reserve timed entrance for you and your family to follow the Museum’s new family-friendly guide, Cassie the Sea Serpent, by Michael Grimaldi, through the galleries. Inspired by the Cape Ann Sea Serpent, which was seen by hundreds in Gloucester Harbor between 1817-1819, Cassie poses questions and activities for students of all ages to engage with the collection. During April Vacation Week, all visitors will receive a free copy of Cassie’s Scavenger Hunt with activities and crayons included.

About the Artist: Gloucester-born artist Michael Grimaldi is a local muralist, graphic designer, and Monserrat College of Art graduate who now lives in Beverly.

For more information about the Museum, its programs, exhibits, and collections, visit www.capeannmuseum.org.

Work in progress shared by CAM on GMG

Bonus!

“In 2019, a nine-foot bronze sculpture of the Gloucester Sea Serpent was installed at the Museum’s front entrance. It was designed by Essex artist Chris Williams who has created a scaled-down version of his serpent for families to take home during the vacation week.”

– Cape Ann Museum

Chris Williams sculpture

RESULTS Week 6 1851 | #greatteacher Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt concludes #GloucesterMA #TBT

Posted on by Catherine

GHS_20190318_ c ryan.jpg

Gloucester, Mass.  A great teacher at Gloucester High School, Shaun Goulart, creates a local history scavenger hunt/trivia game for his 9th grade students that takes place weekly for 6 weeks.

ANSWERS TO SHAUN GOULART’S LOCAL HISTORY SCAVENGER HUNT TRIVIA WEEK SIX. THIS CHALLENGE IS THE FINAL WEEK IN THE SERIES. GO BACK HERE IF YOU WANT TO SEE WEEK 6 QUESTIONS ONLY.

The challenge Week 6 was to locate the historic map on Cape Ann Museum’s Fitz Henry Lane on Line and study it closely to comb through location prompts. This is a great family activity for all ages. It’s a bit eye spy or Where’s Waldo mixed with atlas map fun. The students were tasked with photographing the same sites as they appear today and creating a labeled presentation.

Visit CAPE ANN MUSEUM FITZ HENRY LANE ON LINE resource and scroll down to the correct map here

Map of the Towns of Gloucester and Rockport (detail of Harbor Village)
Henry Francis Walling (F. Walling)
1851
44 x 34 in.
Henry Francis Walling, Map of the Towns of Gloucester and Rockport, Essex Co. Massachusetts. Philadelphia, A. Kollner, 1851
Cape Ann Museum Library & Archive
“Map of the Towns of Gloucester and Rockport, Massachusetts. H.F. Walling, Civil Engineer. John Hanson, Publisher. 1851. Population of Gloucester in 1850 7,805. Population of Rockport in 1850 3,213.”
Map detail = segment of Harbor Village portion of map showing Lane-Winter property on Duncan’s Point.

  Question – find on 1851 historic map ANSWER- NOW (2019)
1 Duncan’s Point Maritime Gloucester / Railways (former FG Low’s & Eli F. Stacy’s whf)
2 Five Pound Island State Fish Pier
3 Front Street (present sign must be in picture) Main and Short
4 Middle Street (present sign must be in picture) Middle Street
5 High Street School Street and Proctor
6 Fort Defiance The Fort
7 Vincent’s Cove West End Main Street and Rogers section all fill / Gorton’s, Americold, etc
8 Town House Legion
9 Gloucester House Brick building corner of Washington and Main (Puritan House)
10 Two cemeteries 1)cemetery next to Amvets on Prospect 2)St. Ann’s
11 Hospital up  Granite Street veers right to Blyman
12 Town Landing Same (St. Peter’s)
13 Two bowling alleys 1)on Stacy Boulevard (see Cordage manufactury below)

2) on the Fort
14 3 schools study the map!
1)by Univ Church and Eng H& School on Church off Middle on old map
2)looks like where Central Grammar is
3)Prospect and School where apartments are now
4)corner Washington and Gould Ct.
15 Train station Roughly train platform now
16 Engine house Beyond train platform- roughly where Stop & Shop is on RR Ave
17 Canal Street Stacy Boulevard (Tavern side)
18 Cordage Manufacturing Ditto
19 Beach Street Commercial Street (behind Beauport Hotel back to water)

 

Fort Defiance the fort

Prior Posts Continue reading “RESULTS Week 6 1851 | #greatteacher Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt concludes #GloucesterMA #TBT” →

Wonderful Essex County islands IBA #ornithology talk by Chris Leahy | Straightsmouth keeper’s house gets love from Thacher Island Assoc & looks like a scene from Edward Hopper!

Posted on by Catherine

Esteemed conservationist and bird and insect authority, Chris Leahy discussed recent multi-year surveys of Essex County islands for Mass Audubon and Mass Fish & Wildlife with humor and depth as only he can having resided on the North Shore, in Gloucester, and championed this Important Bird Area for some 50 years.

The islands range in size and offer different kinds of nesting habitat. There are great shoals for fishing. Islands include familiar names like Tinkers, Straitsmouth, Thacher, Children’s, Kettle, House, Eagle, Ram, Cormorant and Ten Pound. Leahy recalled visiting some in the 1960s-70s for the first ever field counts with Dorothy “Dottie” Addams Brown, Sarah Fraser Robbins & others, and readily compares data then and now.

Some of the bird species making the count: gulls, egrets, herons, cormorants, harlequin duck, geese, loon, coots, purple arctic sandpiper, common eiders, and snowy owls. There are not a lot of songbirds due to restricted habitat although so many song sparrows he quips, “it almost feels like they’re going to attack.” Predators do and did. Gulls and rats stuck in my mind, and our ruinous plume hat trade. At that time “Snowy egrets– in FLA and elsewhere south– were slaughtered for plumage developed solely at breeding time, leaving any young to die and rot.”

Climate is partly a factor and population dispersement in the birds they find. Sometimes there are great “fallout” of migratories which are unpredicatable and awesome. Various species are easier to count especially those perched amid low tree shrubs. Guess which ones? Forgot the burrowers! Forecasts are exciting. He predicts we might see Manx shearwters maybe nesting here in the coming years.

Kindness of organizations and people with boats helps make this happen. And one steel hulled sailboat that makes access to these rocky isles a bit more possible.

Chris Leahy presented Treasure Islands for Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Public Library. Mary Weissblum has endeavored to host evenings for Leahy’s numerous publications and projects, so many that she’s lost count. “Always a treat to be educated and charmed by his incredible store of knowledge,” she writes. Look for Chris Leahy’s next talk.

Learn more about Thacher Island Association (Paul St Germain) here 

Learn more about Birdlife International here

photos below ©Linda Bosselman Sawyer Free Library- thanks for sharing Linda!

RESULTS Week 5 Police | #greatteacher Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt #GloucesterMA #TBT

Posted on by Catherine

Gloucester, Mass.  A great teacher at Gloucester High School, Shaun Goulart, creates a local history scavenger hunt/trivia game for his 9th grade students that takes place weekly for 6 weeks. We’re taking the challenge paced one week after the students.

ANSWERS TO SHAUN GOULART’S LOCAL HISTORY SCAVENGER HUNT TRIVIA WEEK FIVE

1)What year was there an ordinance to establish a Police department in Gloucester? ANSWER: 1873 (according to the Gloucester Time Line archives book and the great Gloucester police website here : “In 1799, Isaac Elwell was appointed Inspector of Police. This was a term first used in Boston 14 years earlier to describe the men appointed to keep track of the night watchmen who patrolled the city after dark watching for fires. Constables assisted Elwell and other men who followed him as Inspector of Police until about 1847 when a petition was received by the Selectmen asking for some additional policemen to assist the Inspector of Police. Around 1850 the first night police were used. Only a few of the policemen were paid as the rest either served without compensation or were only paid for working during special occasions. In 1873, a city ordinance establishing a police department was put into effect with nine officers under the leadership of City Marshal William Cronin.”)

Gloucester Massachusetts archives timeline book_20190411_city hall_© Ray ed Sarah Dunlop © photo catherine ryan
Gloucester Massachusetts Historical Time-line 1000-1999 Mary Ray, ed. Sarah Dunlap Gloucester City Archives published in 2002. You can purchase this book from the Archives.

2)The original building used as a jail prior to 1889 was located on Rogers Block, take a picture of this area present day with a member in it. ANSWER: Main Street (harbor side) from Duncan to Porter

1891 walker map.jpg
Rogers block = Main Street (from Porter to Duncan) detail from 1891 Walker map

 

3)Where was the first Gloucester police station built in 1889, take a picture with a member in it at the location. ANSWER: corner of Duncan and Roger

 

former site police station at Duncan & Rogers (now lot)
detail from 1899 Stadley Map
1899 “new” police station from Pringle history

 

4)Veterans of what war had a hall for them located on the third floor of the building? ANSWER: Spanish American in the police station that was built in 1899. City Hall Read about bronze veteran tribute plaques (including Spanish American) at City Hall here

old police station.png
from Mr. Goulart Old Police station built in 1899 at the corner of Duncan and Roger (2019 = police parking lot)

1971/1973 newspaper clipping from Sawyer Free

June 1971August 20 1974 wrecking ball to police station

5)What year was the present day police station erected? Take a picture of it with a member in it. ANSWER: 1973

IMG_20190401_151154.jpg

6)Go to the exterior of the police station and take a picture with an object that would be personal to Mr. Goulart (keyword: Goulart) ANSWER: Officer Jerome G. Goulart memorial bench

Officer Jerome G. Goulart memorial bench_Gloucester Ma_police station_20190401_© c ryan.jpg

 

7)Take a picture with a Gloucester Police officer in uniform. Answ. How cool are these officer baseball cards!

 

“Kops-n-Kids” is a Gloucester Police Department (Official) initiative where officers visit Gloucester Schools to interact with students during recess & gym class

8)Ask the cop: What is the code word for “lunch break” over the radio. Submit the answer. ANSWER: 1093

9)For a brief time the “Old Stone Jug” served as a jail, take a picture in front of it with a member in it. What is this building known as? ANSWER: Fitz Henry Lane former house and studio 

old stone jug_20190401_145605.jpg

10) Where does the term cop come from? ANSWER: not definitive though according to snopes meaning “nab” closest: “Instead, the police-specific use of “cop” made its way into the English language in far more languid fashion. “Cop” has long existed as a verb meaning “to take or seize,” but it didn’t begin to make the linguistic shifts necessary to turn it into a casual term for “police officer” until the mid-19th century. The first example of ‘cop’ taking the meaning “to arrest” appeared in print around 1844, and the word then swiftly moved from being solely a verb for “take into police custody” to also encompassing a noun referring to the one doing the detaining. By 1846, policemen were being described as “coppers,” the ‘-er’ ending having been appended to the “arrest” form of the verb, and by 1859 “coppers” were also being called “cops,” the latter word a shortening of the former.”- snopes

 

Prior Posts Continue reading “RESULTS Week 5 Police | #greatteacher Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt #GloucesterMA #TBT” →

RESULTS Week 4 INVENTORS | #greatteacher Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt #GloucesterMA #TBT

Posted on by Catherine

Gloucester, Mass.  Great teacher at Gloucester High School, Shaun Goulart, creates a local history scavenger hunt trivia game for his 9th grade students that takes place weekly for 6 weeks. We’re taking the challenge paced one week after the students.

ANSWERS TO SHAUN GOULART’S LOCAL HISTORY TRIVIA WEEK FOUR

How did you do? Week two delved into Gloucester’s famous inventors. Stop here if you prefer to go back to see Week 4 questions only

Mr. Goulart’s Local History Trivia Scavenger Hunt Week 4 Inventors

1.John Hays Hammond Jr. “Jack”

  • Go to the location of his home and take a picture with a member in it.

  • What did he invent?

Answer: “Over the course of his professional career, he was awarded over 800 foreign and domestic patents resulting from over 400 of his inventions.  Many of these began in radio control before extending to electronics, naval weapons, national defense, as well as various consumer products.” – Hammond Castle

“In connection with his radio researches Jack obtained most important patents for receiving and broadcasting and these he sold to RCA…” John Hays Hammond, Sr

hammond 3109

 

Hammond first radio boat off Gloucester_The boat is run from the shore as no one is aboard_photograph Boston Public Lib

Hammond Castle – I hope that one day the Trustees and Historic New England add this as a shared property among their preservation jewels, along with the Natalie Hammond property and much of the parents’ estate, Lookout Hill, with some portion of admission for the City. At one point Hammond Castle was one of the top attractions in Massachusetts.

 

 

2.Clarence Birdseye

  • Go to the location where his company was and take a picture with a member in it.

  • What did he invent?

Answer: flash freezing

Beauport Hotel Gloucester Ma_former site Birdseye_25 March 2019_photo copyright Catherine Ryan
photo: Beauport Hotel, March 2019 ©catherine ryan 

3.Augustus H. Wonson

  • Go to the location of his grave and take a picture with a member in it.

Answer: Mt. Pleasant cemetery

  • What did he invent?

Answer: Augustus S Wonson invented antifouling copper paint to protect boats. Tarr & Wonson’s was established in 1863.  The former factory and harbor icon is now Ocean Alliance.

Mt Pleasant grave_20190325_© c ryan

Paint Factory Past/Present

574209pv

Paint Factory Ocean Alliance_20180928_ Goetemann artist Deborah Redwood Whale in process public art_Glouc MA©catherine ryan

Paint Factory Ocean Alliance_2018 09 28_ Goetemann artist Deborah Redwood public art – whale’s tail in process_Gloucester, MA © catherine ryan

4.William Nelson Le Page

  • Go to the location where his company was after it moved from Rockport and take a picture with a member in it.

  • What did he invent? 

Answer: Le Page’s glue from fish waste (established 1876)

  • Go to the location of Le Page’s company co-founder Ruben Brooks’ manor and take a picture with a member in it.

Answer: Castle Manor Inn

lepage now_20190325_Gloucester MA © c ryan

 

Castle Manor Inn_20190325_© catherine ryan

 

Prior Posts Continue reading “RESULTS Week 4 INVENTORS | #greatteacher Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt #GloucesterMA #TBT” →

RESULTS WEEK 3 #Gloucester Ma FIRSTS| try Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt Throwback Thursday

Posted on by Catherine

Gloucester High School_20190318_photo © catherine ryan.jpg

Gloucester, Mass.- Great teacher at Gloucester High School, Shaun Goulart, creates a local history scavenger hunt trivia game for his 9th grade students that takes place weekly for 6 weeks. We’re taking the challenge one week after the students. Good luck!

ANSWERS TO SHAUN GOULART’S LOCAL HISTORY TRIVIA WEEK THREE

How did you do? Week three was all about some famous Gloucester FIRSTS and there were many locations.   Stop here if you prefer to go back to see Week 3 questions only.

1)The location of Gloucester’s first “Four Year High School” 

Principal Albert Bacheler CENTRAL GRAMMAR

Central Grammar first four year high school Principal Albert Bacheler_20180505_photo copyright © catherine ryan.jpg

2)The location of Gloucester’s first Brick Building?

PURITAN HOUSE built in 1810 by Col. James Tappan* is a historic house at 3 Washington Street and 2 Main Street. Also known as: Tappan’s Hotel, Gloucester Hotel (“Tappan’s Folly”), Atlantic House, Mason House, Community House, Capt Bills (1960s-70s), Puritan House & Pub (1977), Blackburn Tavern (1978-00s) *Tappan was taught by Daniel Webster

Excerpt from prior GMG post (read it here) about scenic tours by bike 1885: “And now let’s take our wheel for a short run along our harbor road to East Gloucester, and note the many points of interest on the way. The start is made at the Gloucester Hotel–the headquarters of all visiting wheelmen in the city–at the corner of Main and Washington streets; from thence the journey takes us over the rather uneven surface of Main street, going directly toward the east. In a few minutes we pass the Post Office on the left, and soon leave the noisy business portion of the street behind us, then, e’re we are aware of it, we reach and quickly climb the slight eminence known as Union Hill…” This brick building at Main and Washington now features Tonno Restaurant. Notice the chimneys and same stairs as when it was the Gloucester Hotel. The Blackburn Tavern sign was just marketing; this building has no connection. Blackburn’s Tavern is now Halibut Point restaurant at the other end of Main Street.

 

3)The first schoolmaster and town clerk’s house. (private property do not trespass)

“RIGG’S HOUSE” 27 Vine Street (Annisquam) Thomas Riggs House purchased in 1661

oldest house on Cape Ann, Gloucester, MA

Oldest House on Cape Ann.jpg

Fredrik D. Bodin.jpg

 

4)A list of the first recorded Gloucester fishermen lost at sea. (Hint: 1716)

Look under the year on cenotaph surrounding Man At Wheel

annual fishermans memorial service_Mayor Romeo Theken_20160827_fisherman at wheel cenotaph gloucester© catherine ryan.jpg
Mayor Romeo Theken, annual Fisherman’s Memorial Service, 2016

5)The location of the first carillon built in America.

Our Lady of Good Voyage – read more http://gloucester.harborwalk.org/story-posts/sp-20/

Subshop with a view- through Destinos window

view from destinos subss 2017

6)The location of Gloucester’s oldest surviving burial ground for the First Parish.

1644! – 103 Centennial Drive – top of Centennial Drive near the train bridge

 

7)The location of Gloucester’s first town hall.

Continue reading “RESULTS WEEK 3 #Gloucester Ma FIRSTS| try Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt Throwback Thursday” →

RESULTS WEEK 2 Defending #GloucesterMA | try Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt Throwback Thursday #TBT

Posted on by Catherine

Gloucester High School_20190318_photo © catherine ryan.jpg
Gloucester, Mass.- Great teacher at Gloucester High School, Shaun Goulart, creates a local history scavenger hunt trivia game for his 9th grade students that takes place weekly for 6 weeks. We’re taking the challenge one week after the students. Good luck!

ANSWERS TO SHAUN GOULART’S LOCAL HISTORY TRIVIA WEEK TWO

How did you do? Week two delved into scenes of historic battles. I’ve added some background. Stop here if you prefer to go back to see Week 2 questions only from 3/17/19 

WEEK 2: DEFENDING GLOUCESTER Location #1

  • Who was the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony? ANSWER –  ROGER CONANT
    • Go to the location of the fort named after him and take a picture with a member in it. *Stage Fort Park “Fisherman’s Field”

*“In 1623, 14 English fishermen set up the first European colony on Cape Ann here in what was then Fisherman’s Field and is now Stage Fort Park. These ramparts overlook the harbor, first built during the Revolutionary War, renewed for the War of 1812, the Civil War and the Spanish American War. Alas, those first settlers, sent across the ocean by the Dorchester Company, were unable to live off the sea and these rock-bound fields. They moved a few miles south to what is now Salem in 1626. Then, within a decade, there were enough permanent settlers on Cape Ann to incorporate the town of Gloucester. The first meetinghouse was built on the Town Green in 1642 near what is now the Grant Circle rotary of Route 128. The City set this land aside as a public park in 1898 and its Tablet Rock was dedicated by Henry Cabot Lodge in 1907.  James R. Pringle was designated to write the inscription for the bronze plaque. The execution of the design was by Eric Pape. “The nautical scheme of decorative framework and embellishment was the composite suggestion” of various committees dating as far back as the 1880s.” *see Gloucester HarborWalk Stage Fort Park marker #42  photo on marker ©Sharon Lowe. See also Stage Fort Park then/now photos in prior GMG post

Bronze tribute plaques embedded in Tablet Rock at Stage Fort Park detail the site’s history and were commissioned and unveiled at different times. The monumental and stunning Founders plaque from 1907 on Tablet Rock itself is in fantastic condition. Two DAR plaques were inlaid on the glacial outcroppings past half moon beach on the way to the cannons. The Fisherman’s Field (ca.1930) is so worn it’s nearly indecipherable, though that’s part of its charm. The plaque compels close inspection, lingering and discovery. It’s a fun family activity for anyone who likes a challenge. For those who want help reading the content, I transcribed it back in 2010. Scroll down below the “read more” break in this post to open.

Stage Fort Fisherman’s Field plaque honoring all actions. My attribution is Harriet Hyatt_plaque refers to restoration of area 1930 by DAR
Revolutionary War tribute commissioned by DAR and installed 2013

 

  • During which war did it receive this name? ANSWER – FORT CONANT during the Civil War 

detail-battery-k
When you zoom in on this 1901 photograph, you can see the big ‘Battery K’-  for the Spanish American War (Camp Hobson) Fort conant during Civil War

 

Scrutiny
1901 before the Tablet
Gloucester vs Plymouth / Captain John Hewes vs Miles Standish
DAR plaques marvelous glacial outcroppings Stage Fort Park
Founders Plaque
Gloucester HarborWalk #32

Location #2

location 2 courtesy photos

 

  • Take a picture at Fort Point with the former location of the Coast Guard Aviation Station behind you (must be visible in the picture) ANSWER – TEN POUND ISLAND
  • What was the fort called on Fort Point? ANSWER – FORT DEFIANCE Fort Point Hill, Fort Lillie (Lily)
  • Name a war it was utilized in. ANSWER – Efforts to fortify as early as 1703 (see Pringle) ATTACK OF CAPTAIN LINDSAY (OR LINZEE) 1775 –population about 5000 –REVOLUTIONARY WAR, WAR OF 1812, CIVIL WAR

“In 1743, what is known as the old fort on Commercial Street, now encroached upon and surrounded by buildings, was completed. On this point, well selected strategically, is a hill which effectually commands the inner harbor. In 1742 and 1742, the General Court appropriated 527 pounds to defray the cost of fortification. Breastworks were thrown up and eight 12-pounders placed in position in the fort. The immediate cause of its erection was the fear of French incursions, but these fears were never realized. An effort had been made as early as 1703 to fortify the place, but the petition of the selectmen to the General Court for an appropriation for the purpose was refused. The petition shows that he harbor, even at that early date was extensively frequent for shelter, and was “very seldom free from vessels.”

“In order to be better prepared for future assaults breastworks were thrown up at Stage Fort, the Cut, Duncan’s Point and Fort Point. This, however was the last attack by sea or land that the people experienced.”

Location #3

  • From Fort Point go to the location of the seven-gun earthwork battery and barracks in ramparts field. Take a picture with the old towers in the background (do not go on private property) ANSWER –  EASTERN POINT FORT by eminent domain, Ramparts Field Road Fort Hill 
  • Name a war it was utilized in  ANSWER –  CIVIL WAR

“Immediate action was taken toward the erection of fortifications. Land at Eastern Point, belonging to Thomas Niles was acquired by the government, and earthwork fort erected and manned…”

Screenshot

  • Screenshot Google Earth with all three above locations in it and circle them. Submit the image.

map.jpg

Continue reading “RESULTS WEEK 2 Defending #GloucesterMA | try Mr. Goulart’s local history hunt Throwback Thursday #TBT” →

Happy President’s Day: FDR in Gloucester, Carrancho family and FSA photos

Posted on by Catherine

 

FDR in Gloucester MA.jpg

2015 Manny and Joanna Carrancho, Trib and Ken Joyce and extended family visiting from VA and elsewhere for reunion stop at the HarborWalk exhibition Fishermans Wharf to see manny panel.jpg

You can find a historic panel about Roosevelt’s visit included as part of the HarborWalk Fisherman’s Wharf display. I’m posting this in tribute to Manny Carrancho. The photographs and history shared by Manny Carrancho (1923-2017), Ken Joyce and their family for the Fisherman’s Wharf exhibit make the FDR plaque incredible. The 2015 photograph above shows the beautiful Carrancho family at Fisherman Wharf by the historic plaque vastly improved by his photos, knowledge and stories.

Manny Carrancho on Fisherman s Wharf exhibition Gloucester MA
Photo caption UL: 1933 En route to ME, President Roosevelt visits Gloucester Harbor.  Ben Pine and others on board the yacht, Amberjack, present an Emile Gruppe painting of the racing schooner, Gertrude L Thebaud, to commemorate their advocacy sail to Washington DC just two months prior. Photo caption UR 1942 Ben Pine’s vessel, Old Glory, at Fisherman’s Wharf. Some of the crew continued with Pine’s vessel the Puritan. Credit: Howard Liberman, September 1942, FSA/OWI photograph collection, Library of Congress.  Photo caption LR: 1943 On a first voyage, young deckhand, Manuel “Manny” Carrancho, mends nets with twine man, first mate Mario Vagos on Ben Pine’s vessel, Old Glory.  Captain Oscar Riberio and Manny became close friends; the Captain and his wife, Irene, were Best Man and Maid of Honor at the wedding of Manny and Joanna Carrancho, née Cecilio. Manny Carrancho helped identify the Howard Liberman photographs in the Library of Congress after a GMG post I wrote in March 2014!

you can click thumbnails to enlarge

 

 

Last chance: FREE & FUN Essex Trails & Sails Friday thru Sunday only

Posted on by Catherine

Essex National Heritage Trails & Sails 

is Essex National Heritage’s Essex County pep rally-  annual back to back weekends packed with 150+ FREE, fun, and family friendly events. Here’s the working list of the 2017 Trails & Sails events in Gloucester September 22-24th. Don’t forget to sign in! The count helps your favorite organization and locale, and you might win a prize like $150 from Dick’s Sporting Goods. 

2017 Essex National Heritage Trails and Sails #TrailsAndSails

 

2nd of two annual weekends is big in Gloucester this year

GLOUCESTER GUIDE

Continue reading “Last chance: FREE & FUN Essex Trails & Sails Friday thru Sunday only” →

WWII Navy ship’s bell mystery and news from Capt Lester S Wass American Legion Post 3

Posted on by Catherine

Commander Mark Nestor welcomed the city’s Tourism Commission to the Capt. Lester S Wass American Legion Post 3, Gloucester, MA. Gloucester Congressman A. Piatt Andrew (1873-1936) founded the American Field Service and was instrumental in forming the National American Legion at this post. It’s the third oldest in the country, and its 100th anniversary in 2019 is fast approaching.

The Legion has a new website http://www.post3.org/

It was pushed along by the requests for an on line drive to support  legionnaires suffering as a result of recent hurricane Harvey/Irma.

The building and legion accommodate thousands of visitors annually. The building itself was constructed ca.1844 and is one of the greatest examples of residents crowd sourcing together to purchase a municipal building. The architecture serves an enduring patriotic role: first as a Town Hall, then school, and since WW1  the Legion Post 3.

Nestor expressed gratitude for the city. This past summer they restored the wood floors, which brightened the space from the everyday black/brown grime of the past 20 years. They’ve greatly improved the space and display. A museum mount for the handwritten contemporaneous Official City Clerk copy of the WW1 army and navy register is a high light. A writer has already relied on it for original research.

20170912_172829

The Legion is open to the community and rented for private events. There is a private recreation room for veterans which is under renovation. Upkeep and care of the building is ongoing.

CAN YOU HELP SOLVE THE WW II  SHIP’s BELL MYSTERY?

Can you help identify the WWII naval vessel? The bell belonged to Reverend John J. Sheehan who was a Navy Chaplain. “It’s believed the bell was from the vessel he served on, but the ship remains unknown.” Sheehan’s cousin donated the ship bell to the Post. From the Legion’s plaque:

“After World War I, Reverend Sheehan served as Director at Camp Stella Maris for more than 40 years. It was a summer camp for youth located in West Gloucester. Its name is inscribed on the bell. Reverend Sheehan was also the National Chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He also served as Pastor in a number of Catholic parishes on the north shore. The bell was dedicated to a Stephen Chamberlin. Stephen Chamberlin was a Ret. Lieutenant General who served in the army during WWII and was the Asst. Chief of Staff,G-3 in General Douglas Macarthur’s General Headquarters in the southwest Pacific area. His relationship to Reverend Sheehan is unknown.”

 

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Thanksgiving deliveries Nov 2015
Mark Nestor Thanksgiving Nov 2015

The commemorative coin celebrating the Capt Lester S Wass Post No. 3 100th anniversary and the Cape Ann Veterans Services coin are for sale.

Adam Curcuru, Director Cape Ann Veterans Services, attended the meeting and remarked how great it was “to see our Veterans organizations being utilized to support our great communities.”

Adam Curcuru at the Legion for the Gloucester Tourism Commission meeting

Boston Globe on T.S. Eliot family home in Gloucester MA at last a writers retreat

Posted on by Catherine

“…UK-based T.S. Eliot Foundation purchased the home for $1.3 million, announcing its plan to transform the residence into a writers retreat. Two years of planning and construction later, the foundation has made good on its promise, quietly welcoming its first cohort of poets, writers, and editors this summer…”

Link to Malcolm Gay article

http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2017/08/24/gloucester-eliot-finally-comes-home/9sSycB8jYOMKCRtGxm1QzO/story.html

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Great crowd for Quentin Callewaert & Safety Gloucester Harbor Loop concert

Posted on by Catherine

Different musicians every Thursday, 6-9PM sponsored by Pratty’s, Go Spring Water, Seacoast, Rhumb Line, Noble Electric and Maplewood Car Wash 

These photos are scenes from the Quentin Callewaert & Safety concert August 3, 2017.

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Maritime Gloucester’s aquarium sign mural looks good!

 

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August 3 2017 Thursday nights Harbor Loop summer concert series Gloucester MA

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Exquisite Virginia Lee Burton art exhibition @GalleryA4 Takenaka Corporation Foundation in Tokyo Japan | loans from Cape Ann Museum and Sawyer Free Library

Posted on by Catherine

Watch this beautiful video tour to see a world class exhibition design in Tokyo for Virginia Lee Burton worthy of her legacy. The creative and smart installation looks stunning! The temporary summer show will be up through August. Gallery A4 is a public foundation established by Takenaka Corporation. Photos from Gallery A4 web site. 

There’s also an exhibition featuring the Art of Eric Carle up through July at the Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan. 

Gallery A4 Tokyo exhibit Virginia Lee Burton

a ‘must-see’ video of the installation

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Virginia Lee Burton in Gloucester

video caption: Virginia Lee Burton, children’s book author/illustrator, Folly Cove textile designer and founder, resided and worked in Gloucester, MA, where she created some of America’s most popular children’s books. She received the Caldecott medal in 1943 for The Little House. Other books include Katy and the Big Snow and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. Excerpts from her Caldecott speech. Music: The Little House, 1926, by Carrie Jacobs-Bond. 

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Find the link to PDF print out of Burton’s wonderful Caldecott speech

Virginia Lee Burton display at Cape Ann Museum 2011.

Virginia Lee Burton display at CAM 2011

Earth day every day- off the mark by Mark Parisi

Posted on by Catherine

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Mark Parisi’s off the mark comic panel has been published since 1987. Parisi has been nominated for the National Cartoonists Society Best Newspaper panel 4x and won twice (2009 and 20012). He grew up in Gloucester. We bought the desk calendar at The Weathervane.

Earth Day Volunteer Today– link to Donna Ardizonni’s reminder about the Great Gloucester Cleanup.

Treat yourself tonight to the art of music on Middle Street: Joonho Park’s all-Bach organ double concert. The doors open at 7PM at the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church; following intermission and a stroll, the recital continues at St. John’s Episcopal Church!

Next week Cape Ann Sustainability Fair and Gloucester Pride Stride.

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Trailblazers and Scenes from Essex National Heritage 20th Anniversary Gala at Peabody Essex Museum

Posted on by Catherine

Secretary John Kerry reconnected with Mayor Romeo-Theken before he took to the podium to address more than 300 guests attending the Essex National Heritage 20th Anniversary gala at the Peabody Essex Museum. They go way back. Essex National Heritage was designated in 1996 with key support from John Kerry and Ted Kennedy.

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20th Anniversay Gala at Peabody Essex Museum L-R: Mayor Romeo-Theken, Gloucester; Secretary John Kerry; Annie Harris CEO Essex National Heritage

Here’s a star, Emily Levin from Essex National Heritage. Everyone who hosts programs over Essex National Heritage fabulous annual Trails & Sails enjoys working with Emily.

The temporary Essex National Heritage illumination is projected above the Halo sculpture by Anish Kapoor.

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Emily Levin, Essex National Heritage (20th Anniversary Gala Peabody Essex museum)

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ANNOUNCING THE TRAILBLAZERS

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4000 votes helped select a few Trailblazer nominees for a special champagne toast representing their mission and all the wonderful cultural resources across 34 towns. Kim Smith was in good company! We toasted the following 2017 Essex National Heritage Area Trailblazers:

1)PRESERVING THIS SPECIAL REGION
1st place | Essex County Greenbelt Association
2nd place | Ipswich River Watershed Association
3rd place | The Cabot

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2)CONNECTING PEOPLE TO PLACE
1st place | The Trustees of Reservations
2nd place | Mass Audubon
3rd place |Essex Agricultural Society

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surprised Pilar !

3)BUILDING & GROWING OUR FUTURE
1st place — Peabody Essex Museum
2nd place — YMCA of the North Shore
3rd place — Valley View Farm

4)ADVANCING OUR EDUCATIONAL MISSION
1st place (tie) | Lowell’s Boat Shop and The House of Seven Gables
2nd place | Maritime Gloucester
3rd place | Essex Shipbuilding Museum

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sailing at the same table: Mayor Romeo Theken, Mary Kay Taylor Schooner Ardelle, Graham Mckay Lowell’s Boatshop Amesbury; Stefan Edick Schooner Adventure. Bill Steelman presenting award to Graham.

Nice detail: the second festive beverage for the reception featured the trio of colors in the Essex National Heritage logo.

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Gloucester organizations and partners were featured in the slide loop including: City Hall for Community Preservation, Discover Gloucester, Lannon, Rocky Neck, Schooner Adventure, HarborWalk, Cape Ann Museum.

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from Essex National Heritage printed matter:

On April 5 2017 we’re celebrating all of the incredible organizations and people that we’ve spent the last two decades working with to preserve and enhance the significant historic, cultural, and natural places that make Essex County like nowhere else. We are also THRILLED that Secretary John Kerry will joining as the celebrate. Secretary Kerry played a key role in the federal legislation designating the Essex National Heritage Area in 1996!

Who are the Trailblazers and which will receive a toast?
The public nominated 131 Trailblazers.  While all Trailblazers will be recognized at the Gala, only a few will be honored with a special toast!  The public was invited to vote for which Trailblazers will receive a toast, and the results will be revealed only at the event; toasts will be made at the Gala!

Art and planning: save the dates creative Placemaking, Smart Cities, Sustainable cities, cultural districts, Smartgrowth

Posted on by Catherine

small sample of arts and planning save the dates:

February 15th, 2017:

Massachusetts Commonwealth Awards at the State House hosted by the MCC

February 23, 2017:

Placemaking workshop hosted by MA Smartgrowth and A Better City

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Register for the February 23 Routes to Placemaking Workshop,  Boston

MA Smartgrowth is hiring

Join our #SmartGrowth team and apply to our open position, Director of Local Leadership! More info here: http://ow.ly/bvwh307LgRG  #mapoli

March 16, 2017:

Cultural districts regional convening (Beverly) MCC

March 21, 2017:

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Northeast meeting will be March 21st, location and agenda is not posted yet. MassMoves “Help bring 21st century transportation to Massachusetts, part of Commonwealth conversations” https://malegislature.gov/cc

March 25, 2017

Mass Land Conservation Conference Worcester
Scaling Up: Meeting New Challenges
Convened by the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition

May 3, 2017

worldwide conference comes to the US for the first time.

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Worldwide conference comes to the US for the first time

http://smartcitiesnyc.com/

May 5, 2017 – third annual National Consortium for Creative Placemaking Leadership summit

May 18, 2017

MA Smartgrowth annual conference Worcester, MA. I want it to come to Gloucester Beauport Hotel next year. See Smartgrowth Amercia Dangerous by Design 2016 report for MA state ranking

June 20, 2017

Have ideas for Boston Mobility Summit hosted by Microsoft with the support of the Barr Foundation apply to attend there’s only 120 international mobility leaders to be selected

August 1, 2017

Deadline! The Massachusetts Office on Disability is holding a call for art through August 1 for a juried art exhibition with the theme of “Breaking Barriers.”

FEBRUARY 2018

Hey Gloucester — let’s come up with a list of possible projects needed in Gloucester and pick one that art and culture can help be part of and apply together for next year’s application! MA connections in the video:  Javier was born and raised in Holliston. Art and Culture to strengthen social, economic fabric in communities. ArtPlace grants: For more information see the video NCPF Announcement 2017 from ArtPlace America on Vimeo.

Anna Be Bela Judith Morgan

Posted on by Catherine

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Morgan Faulds Pike Gloucester Fishermens Wives Memorial

http://morganfauldspike.com/

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Morgan Faulds Pike 

Art at Peabody Essex Museum: Hasten to Hassam! Last day

Posted on by Catherine

American Impressionist: Childe Hassam and the Isle of Shoals at the Peabody Essex Museum closes today. It’s one of the best exhibitions I saw this year. Go  — there’s still time today. You will come nearly as close as any observer can to feeling the rapturous meeting of an artist’s take with the shimmering world.

Hassam’s paintings don’t reproduce well in books, or photography. They need to be addressed– sized up, walked towards. Inhaled.

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This approach is beneficial even if you study just one. But my, what luxury seeing so many in one place at one time.  Again and again, the show brought forth connections and insight.”Funny, I hadn’t seen that before,” I found myself thinking. Artists Howard Hodgkin and Lucian Freud came to mind.

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The exhibition features more than 40 Hassam oil paintings and watercolors of the eastern seaboard dating from the late 1880s to 1912–an Isle of Shoals painting reunion, with secrets revealed. The Peabody Essex Museum and the North Carolina Museum of Art co-organized and partnered with marine scientists at Shoals Marine Laboratory, Cornell University, and the University of New Hampshire. Their new research examined all the sites on the island, and Hassam’s painting process. I liked the research, the pacing of the installation, and the thoughtful viewshed. Besides the two museums, loans came from near and mostly far such as: private collections from coast to coast (which I’d never see);  the Portland Museum of Art; Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis; Yale (Sinclair Lewis gifted that one to Yale!); Wichita Art Museum; Toledo Museum of Art; Smith; Smithsonian; and the National Gallery of Art. Basically all painting is abstraction: I relished the chance to study so many in one spot.

I was not a fan of the piped in sound, nor all the wall paint choices as my senses were already acutely challenged by observation. My disdain for the canned ambient sound was so distracting, I had to leave. On my second visit, the scent of coconut wafted out the entrance. My goodness, have they piped in fake scent like a boutique hotel or experiential attraction, too? They hadn’t. It was my overreaction in the wake of another visitor’s adornment, a lingering fragrance, perhaps sunscreen on a summer day.

Tucked away within the Hassam exhibit was a good photo installation of Alexandra de Steiguer’s work as the Isles winter keeper– for 19 years! For anyone who wondered more about life as a keeper after reading The Light Between Oceans, de Steiguer wrote about her real experiences here, http://connected.pem.org/alone-on-an-island/. It’s beautiful!

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More photos of the Hassam installation at the Peabody Essex Museum Continue reading “Art at Peabody Essex Museum: Hasten to Hassam! Last day” →

Live Blogging: Scaling Up conservation conference at Peabody Essex Museum

Posted on by Catherine

Annie Harris Essex National Heritage opens Scaling Up conference

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Artists Leslie Bartlett and Susan Quateman on the program–their exhibit at the NPS Salem visitor center through the end of November). Local attendees include Essex Shipbuilding Museum, Patti Amaral Clean  City and Gloucester Cape Ann Trail Stewards.

More to come!

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About the conference