   thumb|right|landsat satellite photo of cape ann cape ann is a rocky cape in northeastern massachusetts on the atlantic ocean. it is located approximately 30 miles northeast of boston and marks the northern limit of massachusetts bay. cape ann includes the city of gloucester, and the towns of essex, manchester-by-the-sea, and rockport. it also includes the easternmost part of beverly. ==etymology== cape ann was first mapped by the explorer john smith. he had given it the name cape tragabigzanda, after his mistress in constantinople. he had been taken as a prisoner of war and enslaved in the ottoman empire. his mistress had fallen in love with him, but smith later escaped in russia. when smith presented his map to charles i, he suggested that charles should feel free to change any of the "barbarous names" (meaning the many native american place names he had adopted) into english ones. the king made many such changes, but only four survive today. one was cape ann, which charles named in honor of his mother anne of denmark. ==colony history== the english colony at cape ann was first founded in 1623. it was the fourth colonizing effort in new england after popham colony, plymouth colony and nantasket beach. two ships of the dorchester company brought 32 in number with john tylly and thomas gardner as overseers of a fishing operation and the plantation, respectively. this colony predated massachusetts bay charter and colony. for that reason, members of the colony were referred to as "old planters". the first great house in new england was built on cape an
Gloucester,_Massachusetts Landforms_of_Essex_County,_Massachusetts Peninsulas_of_Massachusetts Regions_of_Massachusetts Rockport,_Massachusetts