Tag: John I. Coggeshall

Dogtown, 1914

Posted on by Fredrik Bodin
In 1914, Dogtown was still pretty bare. What an amazing landscape. I'm sure the Lanesville photographer John I. Coggeshall, leveled his camera and this is the true contour of the land The tracks in the road look like it's used. I guess they were still raising pigs and vegetables. Nobody owned Dogtown, so why take your enterprise elsewhere, when cleared land with roads were available for free? Perhaps in our future, Dogtown may be used for a similar purpose.
In 1914, Dogtown was still pretty bare. What an amazing landscape. I’m sure the Lanesville photographer John I. Coggeshall, leveled his camera and this is the true contour of the land. The tracks in the road look like it’s used. I guess they were still raising pigs and vegetables. Nobody owned Dogtown, so why take your enterprise elsewhere, when cleared land with roads were available for free? Perhaps in our future, Dogtown may be used for a similar purpose.

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