Gloucester () is a city in
Essex County,
Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on
Cape Ann and is a part of
Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census.
An important center of the
fishing industry and a popular summer destination, Gloucester consists of an urban core on the north side of the harbor and the outlying neighborhoods of
Annisquam, Bay View, Lanesville, Folly Cove,
Magnolia, Riverdale, East Gloucester, and West Gloucester.
History
The boundaries of Gloucester originally included the town of
Rockport, in an area dubbed "Sandy Bay". The village separated formally from Gloucester on February 27, 1840. In 1873, Gloucester was reincorporated as a city.
Contact period
Native Americans inhabited what would become northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to the
European colonization of the Americas. At the time of contact, the area was inhabited by
Agawam people under
sachem Masconomet.
Evidence of a village exists on Pole's Hill in the current Riverdale neighborhood.
In 1606
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain (; Fichier OrigineFor a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December 1635) was a Fre ...
explored the harbor, and produced the first known map of Gloucester harbor titling it 'le Beau port'. This map suggests substantial Native American settlement on the shores of the harbor. In 1614
John Smith
John Smith is a common personal name. It is also commonly used as a placeholder name and pseudonym, and is sometimes used in the United States and the United Kingdom as a term for an average person. It may refer to:
People
:''In chronological ...
again explored the area, identifying the indigenous inhabitants as ''Aggawom''. In 1623 men from the
Dorchester Company established a permanent fishing outpost in the area.
At the Cape Ann settlement a legal form of government was established, and from that
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
sprung.
Roger Conant was the governor under the Cape Ann patent, and as such, has been called the first governor of Massachusetts.
Life in this first settlement was harsh and it was short-lived. Around 1626 the place was abandoned, and the people removed themselves to Naumkeag (in what is now called
Salem, Massachusetts), where more fertile soil for planting was to be found. The meetinghouse and
governor's house were even disassembled and relocated to the new place of settlement.
Second English Settlement
At some point in the following years—though no record exists—the area was slowly resettled by English colonists. The town was formally incorporated in 1642. It is at this time that the name "Gloucester" first appears on tax rolls, although in various spellings. The town took its name from the city of
Gloucester in southwest England, perhaps from where many of its new occupants originated but more likely because Gloucester, England, was a Parliamentarian stronghold, successfully defended with the aid of
the Earl of Essex against the King in the
Siege of Gloucester of 1643.
This new permanent settlement focused on the Town Green area, an inlet in the marshes at a bend in the
Annisquam River
The Annisquam River is a tidal, salt-water estuary in the Annisquam neighborhood of Gloucester, Massachusetts, connecting Annisquam Harbor on the north to Gloucester Harbor on the south. The segment between Gloucester Harbor and the Newburypo ...
. This area is now the site of Grant Circle, a large
traffic rotary
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford Eng ...
at which
Massachusetts Route 128 mingles with a major city street (Washington Street/
Rt 127). Here the first permanent settlers built a meeting house and therefore focused the nexus of their settlement on the "Island" for nearly 100 years. Unlike other early coastal towns in
New England, development in Gloucester was not focused around the harbor as it is today, rather it was inland that people settled first. This is evidenced by the placement of the Town Green nearly two miles from the harbor-front.
The Town Green is also where the settlers built the first school. By
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
Law, any town with 100 families or more had to provide a public schoolhouse. This requirement was met in 1698, with Thomas Riggs standing as the town's first schoolmaster.
In 1700, the selectmen of Gloucester recognized the claim of Samuel English, grandson of Agawam sachem Masconomet, to the land of the town, and paid him seven pounds for the quitclaim.
The
White-Ellery House was erected in 1710 upon the Town Green. It was built at the edge of a marsh for Gloucester's first settled minister, the Reverend John White (1677–1760).
Early industry included subsistence farming and logging. Because of the poor soil and rocky hills, Cape Ann was not well suited for farming on a large scale. Small family farms and livestock provided the bulk of the sustenance to the population. Fishing, for which the town is known today, was limited to close-to-shore, with families subsisting on small catches as opposed to the great bounties yielded in later years. The fishermen of Gloucester did not command the
Grand Banks until the mid-18th century. Historian Christine Heyrman, examining the town's society between 1690 and 1750, finds that at the beginning community sensibility was weak in a town that was a loose agglomeration of individuals. Commerce and capitalism transformed the society, making it much more closely knit with extended families interlocking in business relationships.
Early Gloucestermen cleared great swaths of the forest of Cape Ann for farm and pasture land, using the timber to build structures as far away as Boston. The rocky moors of Gloucester remained clear for two centuries until the forest reclaimed the land in the 20th century. The inland part of the island became known as the "Commons", the "Common Village", or "
Dogtown". Small dwellings lay scattered here amongst the boulders and swamps, along roads that meandered through the hills. These dwellings were at times little more than shanties; only one was even two stories tall. Despite their size, several generations of families were raised in such houses. One feature of the construction of these houses was that under one side of the floor was dug a cellar hole (for the keeping of food), supported by a foundation of laid-stone (without mortar). These cellar holes are still visible today along the trails throughout the inland part of Gloucester; they, and some walls, are all that remain of the village there.
Growth
The town grew, and eventually colonists lived on the opposite side of the Annisquam River. In a time of legally mandated
church attendance this was a long way to walk—or row—on a Sunday morning. In 1718 the settlers on the opposite shore of the river split off from the First Parish community at the Green and formed "Second Parish". While still part of the town of Gloucester, the people of Second, or "West", Parish now constructed their own meetinghouse and designated their own place of burial, both of which were in the hills near the marshes behind Wingaersheek Beach. The meetinghouse is gone now, but deep in the woods on the Second Parish Road, Old Thompson road, one can still find the stone foundation and memorial altar, as well as scattered stones of the abandoned burial ground.
Other parts of town later followed suit. Third Parish, in northern Gloucester, was founded in 1728. Fourth Parish split off from First Parish in 1742. Finally, in 1754, the people of Sandy Bay (what would later be called Rockport) split off from First Parish to found Fifth Parish. The Sandy Bay church founding was the last religious re-ordering of the colonial period. All of these congregations still exist in some form, with the exception of Fourth Parish, the site of whose meeting house is now a highway.
At one time, there was a thriving
granite industry in Gloucester.
Geography and transportation
Gloucester is located at (42.624015, −70.675521).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 36.88%, is water.
Gloucester occupies most of the eastern end of Cape Ann, except for the far tip, which is the town of Rockport. The city is split in half by the
Annisquam River
The Annisquam River is a tidal, salt-water estuary in the Annisquam neighborhood of Gloucester, Massachusetts, connecting Annisquam Harbor on the north to Gloucester Harbor on the south. The segment between Gloucester Harbor and the Newburypo ...
, which flows northward through the middle of the city into Ipswich Bay. At its south end it is connected to Gloucester Harbor by the Blynman Canal. The land along the northwestern shore of the river is marshy, creating several small islands. Gloucester Harbor is divided into several smaller coves, including the Western Harbor (site of the Fisherman's Memorial) and the Inner Harbor (home to the Gloucester fishing fleet). The eastern side of Gloucester Harbor is divided from the rest of
Massachusetts Bay by Eastern Point, extending some outward from the mainland. There are several parks in the city, the largest of which are
Ravenswood Park
Ravenswood Park is a nature reserve in the western section of Gloucester, Massachusetts owned and managed by the Trustees of Reservations, which acquired the property in 1993. It can be accessed from Western Avenue, the road to Manchester through ...
,
Stage Fort Park
Stage Fort Park is a park at Stage Head in Gloucester, Massachusetts, part of the Essex National Heritage Area. It contains two beaches, a large playground, picnic benches, two baseball fields, a basketball court, a dog park and plenty of room for ...
and Mount Ann Park.
Gloucester lies between Ipswich Bay to the north and Massachusetts Bay to the south. The city is bordered on the east by
Rockport, and on the west by
Ipswich,
Essex and
Manchester-by-the-Sea to the west. (The town line with Ipswich is located across Essex Harbor, and as such there is no land connection between the towns.) Gloucester lies east-northeast of
Salem
Salem may refer to: Places
Canada
Ontario
* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
and northeast of
Boston. Gloucester lies at the eastern terminus of
Route 128, which ends at
Route 127A. Route 127A begins at
Route 127 just east of the Route 128 terminus, heading into Rockport before terminating there. Route 127 enters from Manchester-by-the-Sea before crossing the Blynman Canal and passing through downtown towards Rockport. It then re-enters Gloucester near Folly Cove, running opposite of its usual north–south orientation towards its terminus at Route 128.
Route 133 also terminates within the city, entering from Essex and terminating just west of the Blynman Canal at Route 127. Besides the bridge over the Blynman Canal, there are only two other connections between the eastern and western halves of town, the A. Piatt Andrew Memorial Bridge, carrying Route 128, and the Boston & Maine Railroad Bridge, just north of the Blynman Canal.
Gloucester is home to the
Cape Ann Transportation Authority
The Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA) is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to the Cape Ann area, consisting of the city of Gloucester and the nearby towns of Essex, Ipswich and ...
, which serves the city and surrounding towns. Two stops (in
West Gloucester and in downtown
Gloucester) provide access to the
Newburyport/Rockport Line
The Newburyport/Rockport Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running northeast from downtown Boston, Massachusetts towards Cape Ann and the Merrimack Valley, serving the North Shore. The first leg, operating via the Eastern Rou ...
of the
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track to 141 different stations, with 58 statio ...
, which extends from Rockport along the
North Shore North Shore or Northshore may refer to:
Geographic features Australia
*North Shore (Sydney), a suburban region of Sydney
**Electoral district of North Shore
**North Shore railway line, Sydney
*Noosa North Shore, Queensland
* North Shore, New So ...
to Boston's
North Station. The nearest airport is the
Beverly Municipal Airport, with the nearest national and international air service being at Boston's
Logan International Airport.
Demographics
As of the
2000 census,
there were 30,273 people, 12,592 households, and 7,895 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,166.0 people per square mile (450.2/km
2). There were 13,958 housing units at an average density of 537.6 per square mile (207.6/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.99%
White, 0.61%
African American, 0.72%
Asian, 0.12%
Native American, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.50% from
other races, and 1.03% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population. 22.6% were of
Italian, 16.2%
Irish, 11.1%
English, 8.5%
Portuguese and 7.1%
American ancestry according to
Census 2000.
There were 12,592 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $58,568, and the median income for a family was $80,970 from a 2007 estimate. Males had a median income of $41,465 versus $30,566 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $25,595. About 7.1% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Gloucester is a city, with a strong mayor-council system. The current mayor of Gloucester is Gregory P. Verga as of January 2022. The
Mayor is also reserved a seat on the
School Committee. City offices are elected every two years (those ending with odd numbers). In 2007 over 40 people ran for the 15 elected seats in the city's government.
The city is divided into five Wards, each split into two precincts:
* Ward 1: East Gloucester – includes Eastern Point and Rocky Neck
* Ward 2: Downtown and the Harbor area
* Ward 3: The western edge of the "island" from Stacy Boulevard to Wheeler's Point – includes the Heights at Cape Ann and Pond View Village.
* Ward 4: North Gloucester – includes Riverdale, Annisquam, Bay View, and Lanesville.
* Ward 5: The entirety of West Gloucester west of the Annisquam River and Blynman Canal to Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex – includes the Wingaersheek area and village of Magnolia.
As late as the mid-20th century Gloucester had as many as eight wards, but they have been since reorganized into current number.
On November 7, 2005, incumbent Mayor John Bell was re-elected to a third term in office. He stated his intention not to run for reelection and stepped down in January 2008.
On November 6, 2007, Carolyn Kirk was elected as the Mayor of Gloucester. Kirk resigned in December 2014 to take a position in the administration of Massachusetts governor
Charlie Baker. Sefatia Theken was then voted to be the interim mayor of Gloucester by the City Council. Theken was elected to serve a full two-year term on November 2, 2015, and re-elected again in 2017 and 2019. She was defeated for re-election in 2021 by Gregory P. Verga.
Education
The following schools are located within the Gloucester Public Schools District:
*
Gloucester High School (9–12)
* O'Maley Innovation Middle School (6–8)
* East Gloucester Elementary School (K–5)
* Plum Cove Elementary School (K–5)
* Beeman Elementary School (K–5)
* Veteran's Memorial School (K–5)
* West Parish Elementary School (K–5) (site of the
West Parish Elementary School Science Park
The West Parish Elementary School Science Park is an interactive community science park, one of the first in the US, that is located on the site of the West Parish Elementary School in Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA. It is used as an integral part ...
)
* Gloucester Preschool
Economy
Gorton's of Gloucester, Mighty Mac, Gloucester Engineering, Good Harbor Consulting, Para Research, Aid-Pack, Cyrk, and
Varian Semiconductor are among the companies based in Gloucester.
Gloucester and the sea
The town was an important
shipbuilding center, and the first
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
was reputedly built there in 1713. The community developed into an important fishing port, largely due to its proximity to
Georges Bank and other
fishing banks off the east coast of
Nova Scotia and
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. Gloucester's most famous (and nationally recognized) seafood business was founded in 1849 as John Pew & Sons. It became Gorton-Pew Fisheries in 1906, and in 1957 changed its name to
Gorton's of Gloucester. The iconic image of the "Gorton's Fisherman", and the products he represents, are known throughout the country and beyond. Besides catching and processing seafood, Gloucester is also a center for research on marine life and conservation ;
Ocean Alliance
Ocean Alliance, Inc., is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1971 as one of the world's first organizations dedicated to protecting cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises). The organization is headquartered in the iconic Tarr & Wonson Paint Manu ...
is headquartered in the city.
In the late 19th century Gloucester saw an influx of
Portuguese and
Italian immigrants seeking work in the town's flourishing fishing industry and a better life in America. Some present-day fishermen of Gloucester are descendants of these early immigrants. The strong Portuguese and Italian influence is evident in the many festivals celebrated throughout the year. During the Catholic celebration, St Peter's Fiesta, relatives of fishermen past and present carry oars representing many of the fishing vessels which call Gloucester their home.
Saint Peter is the
patron saint of the fishermen. Gloucester remains an active fishing port, and in 2013 ranked 21st in the United States with respect to fish landings. In that year 62 million pounds of fish were caught bringing in an estimated $42 million.
Arts
Painting and printmaking
Gloucester's scenic beauty, active fishing industry, and renowned arts community have attracted and inspired painters since the early 19th century, as they do today. The first Gloucester painter of note was native-born
Fitz Henry Lane, whose home still exists on the waterfront. The premier collection of his works is in the
Cape Ann Museum, which holds 40 of his paintings and 100 of his drawings. Other painters subsequently attracted to Gloucester include
William Morris Hunt,
Winslow Homer,
Childe Hassam,
John Twachtman
John Henry Twachtman (August 4, 1853 – August 8, 1902) was an American painter best known for his impressionist landscapes, though his painting style varied widely through his career. Art historians consider Twachtman's style of American Impr ...
, Frederick Mulhaupt,
Frank Duveneck,
Cecilia Beaux,
Jane Peterson, Gordon Grant, Harry DeMaine,
Emile Gruppe,
Stuart Davis,
Joseph Solman,
Mark Rothko,
Milton Avery,
Barnett Newman
Barnett Newman (January 29, 1905 – July 4, 1970) was an American artist. He has been critically regarded as one of the major figures of abstract expressionism, and one of the foremost color field painters. His paintings explore the sense o ...
,
William Meyerowitz
William Meyerowtiz (1887–1981) was an American artist known for his paintings and etchings. William Meyerowitz was born in Ekaterinoslav on July 15, 1887. He and his father immigrated to New York City in 1908, and they settled in the Lower East ...
, Joan Lockhart,
Theresa Bernstein, and
Marsden Hartley, and artists from the
Ashcan School such as
Edward Hopper,
John Sloan,
Robert Henri,
William Glackens, and
Maurice Prendergast.
Smith Cove is home to the Rocky Neck Art Colony, the oldest
art colony in the country. Folly Cove was the home of the
Folly Cove Designers, influential to this day in print design and technique.
Sculpture
Several important sculptors have lived and worked in East Gloucester,
Annisquam, Lanesville and Folly Cove. They include George Aarons,
Anna Hyatt Huntington,
Charles Grafly,
Paul Manship and his daughter-in-law Margaret Cassidy Manship,
Walker Hancock, and George Demetrios. In addition,
Aristides Demetrios grew up in Folly Cove.
Literature
*''
Captains Courageous'' (1897) by
Rudyard Kipling was set in Gloucester, and adapted as a 1937 movie starring
Spencer Tracy.
*
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...
(1888–1965) summered at the family house near Eastern Point in his early years. This house is now owned by the TS Eliot Foundation and used as a writer's retreat. Eliot drew great inspiration from Gloucester, and his early poems were collected in a notebook purchased from Procters on Main Street, and now part of the Berg Collection at the
New York City Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
. One of his ''
Four Quartets'' is entitled ''
The Dry Salvages'', the rocks off the N.E. coast of Gloucester.
*
Charles Olson (1910–1970), a poet and teacher at
Black Mountain College in North Carolina, composed a 635-page poem known as ''
The Maximus Poems
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
,'' which centered on Gloucester.
*Gloucester is often referred to in the works of horror writer
H. P. Lovecraft. The fictional town of
Innsmouth in Lovecraft's ''
The Shadow Over Innsmouth'' is believed partially based on Cape Ann as a whole and Gloucester in particular.
*The book, ''
The Perfect Storm'', which recounted a massive
storm of 1991, had figures based in the town. Scenes from the
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
by the same name were filmed there.
*Gloucester and its coast guard station are the center of the land action in
Michael J. Tougias
Michael J. Tougias (born 1955 in Longmeadow, Massachusetts) is an American writer who writes about maritime, travel, and adventure topics.
Career
Michael J. Tougias is a N.Y. Times Bestselling author of 25 books.
An avid fisherman, Tougias ...
' 2005 book ''
Ten Hours Until Dawn'', recounting the loss of the pilot boat ''
Can Do Can do is a motto of the U.S. Navy Naval Construction Battalions, popularly known as the Seabees. Since March 5 1942, the Seabees have provided numerous construction work and services, in Navy facilities and operations around the world.
Their o ...
'' and its crew during the
blizzard of 1978.
* ''Gloucesterbook'', ''Gloucestertide'', and ''Gloucestermas'' are three novels in the ''Gloucesterman'' series by Gloucester novelist
Jonathan Bayliss
Jonathan Bayliss (September 7, 1926 in Arlington, Massachusetts – April 15, 2009 in Gloucester, Massachusetts) was an American novelist and playwright who lived and wrote in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was a close friend of poet Charles ...
set in Gloucester, fictionalized as "Dogtown" on "Cape Gloucester".
* ''Hersenschimmen'' (''Out of Mind''), a 1984 novel by
J. Bernlef, is set in Gloucester.
*
Anita Diamant has set two novels in Gloucester, ''The Last Days of Dogtown'' and ''Good Harbor''.
Comics
Gloucester is the birthplace of Marvel character Dane Whitman whose superhero alter ego is the
Black Knight.
Film
* ''
Author! Author!'' had scenes shot on Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester.
* In ''
The Bostonians'', oceanfront scenes were filmed on rocks at Rafes Chasm Park, off Hesperus Avenue.
* ''
Captains Courageous'' was set in Gloucester.
*
The Gloucester 18' is a documentary film that investigates the Gloucester pregnancy pact, and was filmed entirely in Gloucester.
* ''
The Good Son'' was filmed in Gloucester and other
Cape Ann communities.
*''
Grown Ups''
*''
Manchester by the Sea'' much of which was filmed in Gloucester.
* ''
Mermaids'' had scenes shot in the Magnolia area of Gloucester.
* ''
Moonlight Mile'' was filmed almost entirely in Gloucester, with some shots in
Marblehead.
* ''
The Perfect Storm'' was filmed and set in Gloucester.
* ''
Polis is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place'' is a one-hour documentary about the poet
Charles Olson which the ''
Boston Phoenix'' called "the best film about an American poet ever made."
* Portions of ''
Stuck on You'' were filmed in Gloucester and in neighboring Rockport. (The rink scenes were filmed at the O'Maley School.)
*''
The Women'' was partly filmed in Annisquam.
* ''
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming'' film takes place on a fictional Gloucester island but was filmed in
Mendocino, California.
* ''
One Step Beyond'' Episode 19, "The Captain's Guests", takes place on "Cape Ann Road" set in Gloucester.
* ''
Clear History'' takes place on an island in New England, but was filmed in Gloucester and around Cape Ann.
*The 2021 film ''
CODA
Coda or CODA may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* Movie coda, a post-credits scene
* ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television
*''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...
'' is based and was shot in Gloucester.
Television
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...
films its reality television series ''
Wicked Tuna'', documenting and chronicling the lives of commercial tuna fishermen, and the lucrative bluefin tuna industry, in Gloucester.
''
Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
'' season 2, episode 6, "Once To Every Man" (October 27, 1961) was set and filmed in Gloucester.
''
Bewitched
''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typic ...
'' season 7, episode 5, "Darrin On A Pedestal" (October 22, 1970) was set and partially filmed on Gloucester.
''
Spenser: For Hire'', season 2, episode 1, "Widow's Walk" (October 4, 1986) was set and filmed in Gloucester.
Theater
The Gloucester Stage Company stages five to eight plays each season, primarily in the summer months. Located in East Gloucester, the theatre sits at water's edge overlooking Smith's Cove. It was founded in 1979 by local arts and business leaders to encourage
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
s and their new works.
Israel Horovitz, who founded the GSC, was also its artistic director from 1979 to 2006. Over the years, plays developed at the Gloucester Stage Company have gone on to critical acclaim and popular success, on and off
Broadway, nationally and internationally. The group draws theatre-goers from Gloucester, neighboring
North Shore North Shore or Northshore may refer to:
Geographic features Australia
*North Shore (Sydney), a suburban region of Sydney
**Electoral district of North Shore
**North Shore railway line, Sydney
*Noosa North Shore, Queensland
* North Shore, New So ...
districts, and the greater Boston area, as well as seasonal residents and tourists.
Architecture
The city has much significant
architecture, from pre-Revolutionary houses to the hilltop 1870 City Hall, which dominates the town and harbor. It also has exotic waterfront homes now converted to museums, including
Beauport, built 1907–1934 by designer Henry Davis Sleeper in collaboration with local architect Halfdan Hanson, said to raise
eclecticism to the level of genius. In addition, it has
Hammond Castle
Hammond Castle is located on the Atlantic coast in the Magnolia area of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The castle, which was constructed between 1926 and 1929, was the home and laboratory of John Hays Hammond, Jr., an inventor and pioneer in the st ...
, built 1926–1929 by inventor
John Hays Hammond, Jr.
John Hays Hammond Jr. (April 13, 1888 – February 12, 1965) was an American inventor known as "The Father of Radio Control". Hammond's pioneering developments in electronic remote control are the foundation for all modern radio remote cont ...
, as a setting for his collection of
Roman,
medieval and
Renaissance artifacts. Gloucester was also the home of feminist writer
Judith Sargent Murray and
John Murray, the founder of the first
Universalist Church in America. Their house still exists as the
Sargent House Museum
The Sargent House Museum is a historic house museum located at 49 Middle Street, Gloucester, Massachusetts. The museum is open on weekends from Memorial day to Columbus day, and offers guided tours of the historic home, a small gift shop, and rot ...
. Many museums are located in the main downtown area, such as the Cape Ann Museum, and the museum/aquarium Maritime Gloucester.
Points of interest
* The schooner ''
Adventure''
*
Annisquam
*
Cape Ann Museum
*
Dogtown Common
*
Norman's Woe
Norman's Woe is a rock reef on Cape Ann in Gloucester, Massachusetts, about 500 feet offshore.
It has been the site of a number of ship wrecks including the ''Rebecca Ann'' in March, 1823 during a snowstorm. Another was the wreck of the schooner ...
, known for several shipwrecks, including
The Wreck of the Hesperus
*
Ravenswood Park
Ravenswood Park is a nature reserve in the western section of Gloucester, Massachusetts owned and managed by the Trustees of Reservations, which acquired the property in 1993. It can be accessed from Western Avenue, the road to Manchester through ...
* Rocky Neck Art Colony, America's oldest working art colony
*
Sargent House Museum
The Sargent House Museum is a historic house museum located at 49 Middle Street, Gloucester, Massachusetts. The museum is open on weekends from Memorial day to Columbus day, and offers guided tours of the historic home, a small gift shop, and rot ...
*
Stage Fort Park
Stage Fort Park is a park at Stage Head in Gloucester, Massachusetts, part of the Essex National Heritage Area. It contains two beaches, a large playground, picnic benches, two baseball fields, a basketball court, a dog park and plenty of room for ...
*
White-Ellery House
Gloucester's most noted landmark is the harborside ''Man at the Wheel'' statue (also known as the "
Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial
Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial (also known as: "Man at the Wheel" statue or "Fishermen's Memorial Cenotaph") is a historic memorial cenotaph sculpture on South Stacy Boulevard, near entrance of Stacy Esplanade in Gloucester, Massachusetts, built ...
Cenotaph"), dedicated to "They that go down to the sea in ships", which is a quote from Psalm 107:23–32.
Gloucester's largest annual event i
St. Peter's Fiesta sponsored by the local
Italian-American community. It is held the last weekend in June, which is typically the weekend closest to the
saint's feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
. Preceded by a nine-day
novena of prayers, the festival highlights include the blessing of the
fleet and the
greasy pole contest.
Notable people
*
Sylvester Ahola
Sylvester Ahola (May 24, 1902 – February 13, 1995), a.k.a. Hooley, was a classic jazz trumpeter and cornetist born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. His parents, Sophia and John Ahola, were born in Finland. He became most popular in England rath ...
, jazz trumpeter and cornetist
*
Willie Alexander, singer and keyboard player, formerly of the Lost, the Bagatelle, the Grass Menagerie and the Boom Boom Band, before briefly becoming a member of The Velvet Underground, was raised and is based in Gloucester; much of his later work involves collaborations in various media with area's rich arts community
*
A. Piatt Andrew, congressman, Assistant Treasury Secretary, and
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
professor; The Route 128 bridge connecting the island and mainland portions of Gloucester was named after him
*
Roger Babson, founder of
Babson College
Babson College is a private business school in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Established in 1919, its central focus is on entrepreneurship education. It was founded by Roger W. Babson as an all-male business institute, but became coeducational i ...
and presidential candidate for
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party ...
in 1940
*
Walworth Barbour, diplomat, lived for many years in Gloucester
*
Thomas P. Barnett
Thomas P. Barnett (February 11, 1870 – September 23, 1929), also known professionally as Tom Barnett and Tom P. Barnett, was an American architect and painter from St. Louis, Missouri. Barnett was nationally recognized for both his work in ar ...
, painter
*
Jonathan Bayliss
Jonathan Bayliss (September 7, 1926 in Arlington, Massachusetts – April 15, 2009 in Gloucester, Massachusetts) was an American novelist and playwright who lived and wrote in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was a close friend of poet Charles ...
, novelist and playwright
*
Cecilia Beaux, painter and society portraitist
*
Howard Blackburn, fisherman and adventurer
*
Nell Blaine, painter
*
Clarence Birdseye, founder of modern
frozen food
Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved grains and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows decompositi ...
industry
*
Kyle Bochniak, MMA Fighter
*
Phil Bolger, prolific 20th-century boat designer with 668 designs to his credit, designed Canadian-built tall ship HMS ''Rose'' later renamed for use in ''
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World''
*
Hugo Burnham, drummer and founding member of British post-punk band
Gang of Four
The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...
*
Virginia Lee Burton
Virginia Lee Burton (August 30, 1909 – October 15, 1968), also known by her married name Virginia Demetrios, was an American illustrator and children's book author. She wrote and illustrated seven children's books, including ''Mike Mulligan and ...
(1909–1968), children's book author and illustrator (''
The Little House'' and ''
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
''Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel'' () is a children's book by Virginia Lee Burton. First published in 1939, in the wake of the Great Depression, it features Mike Mulligan, a steam shovel operator, and his steam shovel Mary Anne. It is consid ...
''), founder of the
Folly Cove Designers group
*
Roger Conant, first governor of the Cape Ann colony, moved the colony's center from the Gloucester area to Salem
*
Carleton S. Coon
Carleton Stevens Coon (June 23, 1904 – June 3, 1981) was an American anthropologist. A professor of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, lecturer and professor at Harvard University, he was president of the American Association of ...
, physical anthropologist and president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists
*
Roger Cressey, former member of
United States National Security Council, terrorism analyst for
NBC News, president of Good Harbor Consulting, and adjunct professor at
Georgetown University
*
Thomas Dalton, abolitionist leader
*
Aristides Demetrios, sculptor, grew up in Gloucester as son of Virginia Lee Burton
*
James Elliot, author and
United States Representative from
Vermont
*
Henry Ferrini, critically acclaimed independent filmmaker, nephew of Vincent Ferrini
*
Vincent Ferrini
Venanzio Ugo "Vincent" Ferrini (June 24, 1913 – December 24, 2007) was an American writer and poet from Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Early life
Vincent Ferrini was born in Saugus, Massachusetts on June 24, 1913. Vincent's parents, John and Rita ...
, poet, first Poet Laureate of Gloucester
*
Thomas Gardner, landed in 1624 at Cape Ann to form colony at what is now known as Gloucester
*
Gregory Gibson, author of ''Goneboy: a Walkabout'', ''Demon of the Waters'' and ''Hubert's Freaks''
*
Raymond Greenleaf, actor
*
Emil Gruppe, painter
*
John Hays Hammond, Jr.
John Hays Hammond Jr. (April 13, 1888 – February 12, 1965) was an American inventor known as "The Father of Radio Control". Hammond's pioneering developments in electronic remote control are the foundation for all modern radio remote cont ...
, inventor known as "The Father of Radio Control", built
Hammond Castle
Hammond Castle is located on the Atlantic coast in the Magnolia area of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The castle, which was constructed between 1926 and 1929, was the home and laboratory of John Hays Hammond, Jr., an inventor and pioneer in the st ...
as his home and laboratory
*
Halfdan M. Hanson
Halfdan Marinius Hanson (November 30, 1884 – September 12, 1952) was a Norwegian-born American architect.
He was born in Tønsberg in Vestfold, Norway. He emigrated as an infant to Gloucester, Massachusetts, where his father was a ship's ri ...
, architect, most noted for collaboration with
Henry Davis Sleeper on
Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House
Beauport, also known as Sleeper–McCann House, Little Beauport, or Henry Davis Sleeper House, is a historic house in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Background
Beauport was built starting in 1908 as the summer home of interior decorator and antique ...
*
Walker Hancock, sculptor
*
Sterling Hayden, actor and writer
*
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...
, actor, spent her summers in Annisquam
*
Winslow Homer, landscape painter and printmaker, lived and painted in Gloucester in 1870s
*
Israel Horovitz, playwright and father of
Adam Horovitz of
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
*
Alpheus Hyatt, naturalist and paleontologist
*
Anna Hyatt Huntington, animalier sculptor and daughter of Alpheus Hyatt
*
Elliott Jaques, psychoanalyst, social scientist, known for coining term "mid-life crisis"; moved to Gloucester in 1991 and lived there until death in 2003
*
Alfred "Centennial" Johnson
Alfred "Centennial" Johnson (1846–1927) was a Danish-born fisherman from Gloucester, Massachusetts. In 1876, in a 20-foot (6.1 m) sailing dory, he made the first recorded single-handed crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, landing at Abercastle ...
, first recorded single-handed crossing of Atlantic Ocean
*
Hilton Kramer, art critic and essayist, was born in, and grew up in, Gloucester
*
Fitz Henry Lane,
Luminist painter, born and lived in Gloucester
*
Paul Manship, sculptor
*
Stuffy McInnis, Major League Baseball player and manager, Harvard baseball coach
*
Tony Millionaire, artist and animator best known for comic strip ''
Maakies'' and
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
's ''
Drinky Crow Show
''The Drinky Crow Show'' is an American adult computer-animated cel-shaded animated television series created by Eric Kaplan and Tony Millionaire, based on the latter's comic strip ''Maakies''. The pilot episode aired on Adult Swim on May 13, 200 ...
''
*
Shawn Milne, Cyclist
*
William Monahan, Academy Award-winning screenwriter
*
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon (; born Yong Myung Moon; 6 January 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a Korean religious leader, also known for his business ventures and support for conservative political causes. A messiah claimant, he was the founder of the Unif ...
, leader of the
Unification Church, spent a great deal of time in Gloucester, and the Unification Church at one time owned a large amount of waterfront property
*
Richard Murphy, schooner captain
*
John Murray, founder of
Universalist denomination in the United States
*
Judith Sargent Murray, feminist, essayist, playwright, and poet
*
Laura Nyro, singer and songwriter, lived in Gloucester for a number of years
*
Charles Olson,
Black Mountain College poet
*
Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn (born May 16, 1969) is a journalist, military expert, and former news anchor. He worked at CNN Headline News from 2001 to 2004 as an anchor, and specialized in military issues. He has worked as a reporter for KSTP-TV in Minneapolis and ...
, former CNN commentator and current columnist for various military industry blogs
*
Mark Parisi, author of syndicated comic strip ''Off the Mark'', was born in Gloucester
*
Cy Perkins
Ralph Foster "Cy" Perkins (February 27, 1896 – October 2, 1963) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball most notably for the Philadelphia Athletics. Perkins batted and ...
, Major League Baseball catcher
*
Herb Pomeroy,
jazz musician, born in Gloucester
*
Jessie Ralph, actress
*
Marc Randazza
Marc J. Randazza (born November 26, 1969) is an American First Amendment attorney and a commentator on Infowars and CNN on legal matters.
Early life and education
Randazza was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He graduated from Gloucester High ...
, First Amendment lawyer, legal news commentator, columnist (Fox News and CNN)
*
Russ Russo
Russ Russo (born December 2, 1975) is an American film actor. His work includes Catch Hell, ''Williamsburg'', and the thriller ''An Act of War''.
Early life
Russo was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. However, he was quickly uprooted and spen ...
, actor
*
Daniel Sargent, merchant, politician
*
Epes Sargent, editor, poet and playwright
*
Henry Sargent
Henry Sargent (baptized November 25, 1770 – February 21, 1845), American painter and military man, was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Early life
He was one of seven children born to Daniel Sargent Sr. and Mary (née Turner) Sargent (174 ...
, painter and military man
*
Paul Dudley Sargent, Revolutionary War hero, one of founding overseers of
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...
*
Winthrop Sargent, patriot, governor, politician, writer; member of Federalist party
*
Ben Smith, Olympic ice hockey coach, son of Benjamin A. Smith II, born in Gloucester
*
Benjamin A. Smith II
Benjamin Atwood Smith II (March 26, 1916 – September 26, 1991) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States Senate from December 1960 until November 1962.
Early life and education
Smith, who was named for his grandfat ...
,
U.S. senator from Massachusetts (1960–1962), Mayor of Gloucester (1954–1955)
*
William Stacy (1734–1802), Revolutionary War officer, pioneer to Ohio Country
*
Vermin Supreme, performance artist, anarchist, politician, and activist (perennial presidential candidate)
*
Martin Weitzman
Martin Lawrence Weitzman (April 1, 1942 – August 27, 2019) was an economist and a professor of economics at Harvard University. He was among the most influential economists in the world according to Research Papers in Economics (RePEc). His l ...
, economist, lived in Gloucester
*
Martin Welch Martin Leander Welch (1864–1935) was a fishing schooner captain out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was captain of the Esperanto in 1920 when it defeated the Canadian schooner Delawana in the first International Fishing Schooner Championship Ra ...
, schooner captain, winner of first International Fishing Schooner Championship Races
*
Philip Saltonstall Weld, famed sailor and newspaper publisher
*
Anna Maria Wells
Anna Maria Wells (née Foster; 1795–1868) was a 19th-century poet and a writer of children’s literature. The poet and editor Sarah Josepha Hale wrote that Wells, as a child, had a "passionate love of reading and music," and began to write vers ...
, poet and writer for children
References
Further reading
*Anastas, Peter and Parsons, Peter. ''When Gloucester Was Gloucester: Toward An Oral History Of The City'' (1973), Harvard University Press. Published for the 350th Anniversary Celebration of the City
* Clark, Margaret Elwyn. "Managing uncertainty: Family, religion, and collective action among fishermen's wives in Gloucester, Massachusetts." in Jane Nadel-Klein and Dona Lee Davis, eds. ''To Work and to Weep: Women in Fishing Economies'' (1988) pp: 261–278.
* Connolly, James Brendan. ''The Port of Gloucester'' (1940)
* Heyrman, Christine. ''Commerce and Culture: The Maritime Communities of Colonial Massachusetts, 1690–1750'' (1986)
* Meltzer, Michael. ''The world of the small commercial fishermen: their lives and their boats'' (1980)
* Miller, Marc L., and John Van Maanen. "'Boats Don't Fish, People Do': Some Ethnographic Notes on the Federal Management of Fisheries in Gloucester." ''Human Organization'' 38.4 (1979): 377–385.
* Otto, Peter, and Jeroen Struben. "Gloucester fishery: insights from a group modeling intervention." ''System Dynamics Review'' 20.4 (2004): 287–312
online*Thomas, Gordon W. ''Fast and Able: Life Stories of Great Gloucester Fishing Vessels'' (1952)
External links
City of Gloucester official website*
1872 Map of Gloucesterplate 80–81 Atlas of Essex County published 1872.
1872 Map of Gloucester Center – Inner Harborplate 83 Atlas of Essex County published 1872.
*
Gloucester's Civil War monumentsa
Massachusetts Civil War Monuments Project
{{Authority control
1623 establishments in Massachusetts
Articles containing video clips
Cities in Essex County, Massachusetts
Cities in Massachusetts
Populated coastal places in Massachusetts
Populated places established in 1623
Port cities and towns in Massachusetts