History from the Water

These are some of the sites you will see during your trip on the Lannon.

Ten Pound Island:

Where did the name come from? Option 1: Early settlers bought the island from the Indians for ten British pounds. Option 2: In the early days, the settlers let sheep graze on the island. There was room for 10 paddocks or 'pounds' on the island. Nobody knows the real story for sure, but Option 2 seems the more likely. 

Ten Pound Island Lighthouse: 1881. Once a center of Coast Guard activity and known as "Base 7," there were seaplanes based on the island that were used for search and rescue operations. Most of the missions flown by the Coast Guard were actually in search of the notorious and elusive "rum-runners" during the days of Prohibition. One such boat, known as the "Black Duck" was known for its rum-running. Often the Coast Guard planes would follow the "Black Duck" continuously, circling overhead until it pulled into port where police had been notified to make arrests and confiscate the liquor. After the Coast Guard vacated the island, it was used for a fish hatchery.

Winslow Homer: one of the island's most famous occupants. Homer spent a summer there, renting a room from the lighthouse keeper and painting harbor scenes.

The English Ship 'Falcon' anchored just off Ten Pound Island and sent sailors and marines to burn the town of Gloucester down. The colonists got the better of them and took the landing party prisoners.

Five Pound Island: This island is no longer visible, as the water around it has been filled in by what is now the site of the State Fish Pier.

The Fort:

Original name: Watch House Point. Built 1743 to protect ships in the inner harbor from enemy warships and pirates. Not to be confused with Stage Fort Park.

Unitarian Universalist Church:

Rev. John Murray started the faith here in Gloucester and built the first church in 1807. Its landmark steeple is still visible from afar.

Stacy Boulevard:

"The Boulevard" was completed in 1923, for Gloucester's 300th anniversary. Before work was started on the new boulevard, there were houses on the water side of the street. Some of them were moved across the street and put onto land that was formerly neighbors' yards. If you take a stroll on the boulevard, take a look at the houses and notice how close together they are .

Fisherman at the Wheel:

Gloucester's most famous landmark, this bronze statue was sculpted by Leonard Craske in 1923. It is located on Stacy Boulevard, overlooking Gloucester Harbor. The statue of a Gloucester fisherman, dressed in oilskins and standing at the wheel of his schooner was designed in heroic size: 1 ½ scale. It is dedicated to the over 10,000 Gloucester fishermen lost at sea since the early 1600's. The base of the statue quotes Psalm 107, "They that go down to the sea in ships."

In September of 2000, the Wall of Remembrance was added to the Fishermen's Memorial. It consists of bronze tablets on granite slabs with the names of approximately 5400  Gloucestermen who were lost at sea and whose remains were not found.

The Cut:

The Blynman Bridge, or the "Cut Bridge" is named for Reverend Blynman, the political and religious leader of early Gloucester. Rev. Blynman supervised the cutting of the first canal at the harbor end of the Annisquam River. The first bridge was built on this location so that fishing boats would have a safer passage home if they fished north of Gloucester. Now it is the source of long delays to summertime motorists who must wait for boat traffic to pass under the draw bridge. Annisquam is the Indian word for "river with two mouths."

Stage Fort Park:

The Dorchester Company of Merchant Adventurers sent out a company of fishermen from England in 1623. They founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Here, they set up stages to dry the fish before it was sent back to England. The same location was later a fort. Cannons were set up in the hills to protect Gloucester's fishing fleet from invading pirates and enemy warships during the war of 1812. The cannons remain.

Hammond Estate:

John Hays Hammond Sr. was a mining engineer who made his fortune in the diamond mines of Africa. He used this estate, located overlooking Gloucester Harbor on the Magnolia coast, as a summer mansion. When he died, he willed it to the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Boston. Known as Cardinal Cushing Villa, it became a convent and retirement home for priests. When Cardinal Cushing died, the property was put up for auction and purchased by a second party for the Reverend Moon and his "Moonies," a religious group from Korea. They continue to own the property today. From the water, the stone tower of the mansion is often mistaken for Hammond Castle.

Hammond Castle:

John Hays Hammond Jr. was a prolific inventor who worked for the U.S. military. Probably the most famous of  his inventions was remote control, a technology he tested by operating "ghost ships" in the harbor and scaring local fishermen. Hammond also worked with a British scientist on the invention of radar. Rumor has it that his parents did not approve of his wife-to-be so he felt he had to build an even bigger castle than his parents owned just down the road. Hammond Jr. and his wife moved into the castle on their wedding day. Hammond traveled throughout Europe collecting artifacts. The castle is filled with 13th, 15th, and 17th century furnishings with an amazing collection of Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance art. Hammond died in 1965. A bit of an eccentric, Hammond and his cat are buried together. He stipulated in his will that his entire burial site be surrounded by poison ivy so that no one would go near him. He did not invent the Hammond organ. The Hammond Castle today is operated as a museum and is open to the public. It is definitely worth a visit.

Eastern Point Light:

The first lighthouse was built on the current site in 1831 and began shining on January 1, 1832. President Andrew Jackson authorized the construction of this 30 foot lighthouse. The combined cost of the lighthouse and a small keeper's quarters was $2,450. In 1848, the original lighthouse was torn down and rebuilt. The new lighthouse was 34 feet high and had a steady red light that sailors fondly referred to as "ruby light." An automatic foghorn was installed in 1857. In 1890, the current lighthouse was built for an outrageous $4,300. In 1897, a two-ton steam operated fog bell was installed: the only one in the world. The keeper's house was one of the first to have all of the modern conveniences: telephone-1896, electricity-1897, running water-1901. The lighthouse became automated in 1986 and no longer needs a keeper for either the tower or the light at the end of the breakwater.

Dog Bar Breakwater:

This granite breakwater covers a dangerous reef known as Dog Bar. The auxiliary light at the end of the wall had to be turned on nightly by the keeper by hand - often a challenging feat if seas were crashing over the breakwater. The breakwater is about ½ mile long and made up of heavy granite slabs from Rockport, each weighing 12 to 13 tons. It is a popular spot for fishing and walking. To get there, follow East Main St., through the stone pillars just past Niles Beach onto Eastern Point Blvd. to its end, where there is a small parking lot.

A. Piatt Andrew:

A Gloucester resident, A. Piatt Andrew started the American Field Service during World War I, a few years before the Americans entered the war. Andrew's organization took donated Ford trucks to the front lines to act as an ambulance service for wounded French and English soldiers. In appreciation, after the war, the French government presented a statue of  Joan of Arc on horseback (one of three in the world) to the city of Gloucester. It stands in front of the American Legion building on Washington Street.  After the war, A. Piatt Andrew went on to help start the American Legion. The bridge that you drive over if you come into Gloucester via Rt. 128 was named in Andrew's honor.

Beauport Museum:

Beauport is the home of Henry David Sleeper, an interior decorator and collector of antiques. Each of the 40 rooms (26 are open to the public) depicts a different era of American history with appropriate antiques. Situated on Gloucester Harbor at Eastern Point, Beauport offers a fine view of the Lannon as she sails in and out of the harbor. Open to the public Monday-Friday for the summer season, it is a fascinating place to explore.

Inner harbor:

The inner harbor is protected by Rocky Neck and Ten Pound Island.

Outer harbor:

The outer harbor, formerly called "Southwest Harbor," is protected by Dog Bar Breakwater built in 1904.

Schooner:

Capt. Andres Robinson was the designer and builder of the first schooner, launched in Gloucester in 1713. A bystander remarked, "See how she schoons!" (as a stone skips on water). Robinson said, "Then, a schooner let her be," and broke a bottle of rum on her bow. Before long, most of Gloucester and Essex shipbuilding was confined to schooners. Schooners are defined as vessels with two or more masts with the mainmast the same height or taller than the foremast. The age of sail began to end (until the Lannon) when gasoline-burning engines were introduced here in 1909.

Discovery:

The first Europeans to land on Cape Ann were the French. Samuel de Champlain led an expedition in 1605 and anchored briefly. The next year, Champlain led a second expedition, entering Gloucester harbor and calling it "le beau port," or "beautiful harbor." The party stayed about two weeks, making maps of the area. When they ran into 200 Indians and thought them hostile, they quickly left the area. Captain John Smith sailed by Cape Ann in 1614, but did little more than give the Cape names like "Cape Tragabigzanda" that didn't stick. Prince Charles of England finally coined the name "Cape Ann" in 1684 for his mother Queen Anne.

Howard Blackburn

Perhaps the greatest tale of a dory separated from its schooner is the story of Gloucester fisherman Howard Blackburn. On January 25, 1883, Blackburn and his dorymate Tom Welch set off to fish from the Schooner Grace L. Fears. They had no sooner left the ship when a fog set in so thick that Blackburn could hardly see Welch. When they finally saw the riding lights from the Fears, several hours had passed. A blowing gale stopped them from reaching the ship and they lay adrift in the cold overnight. Blackburn lost his mittens overboard that night. His exposed hands soon became frostbitten. He wrapped his fingers around the oars, so that as his hands froze, they would hold on to the oars. He began the pull for land. The oars literally rubbed the frozen flesh off his fingers, but he kept at it. He finally made it to shore in Newfoundland a few days later. His mate Tom Welch did not survive. Blackburn lost most of his fingers, but survived to become a Gloucester tavern keeper and legend. The original Blackburn's Tavern is now the Halibut Point Restaurant on Main Street. Stand across the street and you can see Blackburn's name etched in the stone above the door. His cash register is still at the bar inside. The harbor used to go right up to the back door of the tavern. Now progress (aka "urban renewal") has brought blacktop there instead! Joe Garland, Gloucester historian, wrote a book about Blackburn's tale of survival called Lonesome Voyager. It is available in local bookstores.

Smuggling

In part because of the tariffs the British imposed, and in part out of capitalistic greed, much of the trade in early Gloucester was smuggling. One story is told that a schooner arrived in the inner harbor and pulled up to a wharf in the night. Everyone, including the owner, a Colonel Joseph Foster, wanted to get the cargo, much of which was illegal, unloaded that night because a customs officer from Salem was to arrive in Gloucester the next morning. The men unloaded the boat all night long, but by daybreak, the hold was still half full (or only half empty) of smuggled goods. In those days, there was a cottage where the Blynman (cut) bridge is today. An Irishman named John M'Kean had stood guard there when there was a smallpox scare to stop all strangers on their way into Gloucester and to "fumigate them" for the good of the town. When the customs officer landed in Gloucester, M'Kean was waiting for him and marched him off to be fumigated. The officer spent the entire day in smoke and did not peer out until after dusk. By this time, all the merchandise from Foster's schooner and was safe from detection. After the hour of danger had passed, M'Kean allowed the officer to go on his way, "thoroughly smoked and cleansed." The officer found everything in fine shape and returned to Salem.

Falcon:

The Revolutionary War came all the way into Gloucester harbor. During the war, the British sloop of war Falcon sent a barge of 50 men to Coffin's Beach in West Gloucester. Coffin and a few men repelled the barge by firing upon it from behind the sand dunes. The next day, the Falcon tried without success to seize a schooner in the harbor. Three days later, the Falcon tried to capture another schooner, but to no avail. Finally, the Falcon attacked Gloucester and tried to burn down the fish flakes at Stage Fort Park. Although they lodged a cannon ball in the First Universalist Church, they still could not win their battle, and returned to England.

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