Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-07-31
GLOUCESTER TOWN
Founding of Township in 1912
Begins Authentic History
Fishing Became Chief Industry mt Be-
ginning of 18th Century--sea Tras-
edies and Quaint Customs Pre-
served in Verse

likely to be restored to it's one time mari
time glory" says a bulletin from the Ma
tiona Geographic society
Gloucester, long fishing city of world
! Importance which once had a thriving
international trade, is described in bull
letin dealing with these harbors which
may recover the trade Of bygone days.
Almost as conspicuous as Cape Cod,
the gaunt half-clenched fist to the south.
is the knob protruding from the north
east corner of Massachusetts, known as
Cape Ann, where Gloucester grew
Though the latter furnished bleaker
| and more barren haven for adventurous
explorers. temporary settlement was
made there only three years after the
Mayfower arrived at Plymouth.
| Some evidence indicates that Thor
! wald's Cape of the Cross. which he
/ thought to he projection Of Greenland.
was the bleak Cape Ann. Gosnod. Pring.
| and Weymouth, to mention only few.
| voyaged about the region. and Capt John
Smith explored the coast within two de-
cades before the Pilgrims came. Smith
landed on what now is Cape Ann. and
called it Traga bgzanda. in honor Of a
Turkish Pocahontas who did not risk
her head, but who fed him while he was
, A prisoner.
Whether the dozen or so sailors drop
ued off a Cape Ann In 1923 by an Eag-
lish fishing vessel all moved on later to
| Salem or whether a few remained. is
in dispute. Within Il wears Gloucester's
authenticated history begins in 1642 a
township was formed which, in 1915 raised.
by draft it's quota for the Indian war.
In 1858 six acres Of land were allotted
TO every able-bodied native male and in
that same year the sturdy pioneers Avin-
| ced that snirit which birth a
fury later to a free nation by declining
to pay certain taxes levied by the royal
governor, Sir Edwin Andres.
Though reports like that of Capt John
Smith Of angling with hook, and cross
ing the sweet air from isle 10 isle at
itracted many English fishing vessels, early
settlers seem To have sought subsistence
largely from the barren soil Not until
! a bout 100 was Gloucester Identified par
ticulary with fishing. From that time
the story of Gloucester's fisher folk
| would I'll books-and has, in fact-such
/ books as those of James 3. Connolly,
Mrs. Wards Old Maids Paradise and
Kiplins's Captains Courageous
! Farther and farther asea went the
} doughty fishermen, discovering the Cape
! Sable grounds, off Nova Scotia the Grand
Bank off Newfoundland: and the ST.
Georges bank. 100 miles to the southeast
} of the headland. 1t was off the ST
Georges banks that the big storm Of
1867 carried 10 schooners and 16s men
to the bottom
Epic of numerous deep sea tragedies
of this sort is Longfellows Wreck of the
Hesperus,' of which Normans Woe. off
Gloucester is the scene. though that par
ticular story is only traditional Thach-
er's Woe marks the wreck of a vessel
| IpS ion hou orhl
J rying a clergyman and his six children.
a son-in-law, and his four children. When
I the vessel was battered to pieces on
: rock the only survivors were this SON.
D n-law. Anthony Thatcher. and his wife.
THE fishing banks lie between the At
lantic shores and the gulf stream. The
theory of their formation is that ice
= masses float southwark until they en-
counter the streams warm currents. AS
= they melt the earth and sand they carry
5 is deposited to form the banks and hol-
lows where FISH are spawn.
"Schooners are said to have originated
o in Gloucester and to have been so nam
b ed by a Gloucester shpwrght who, when
: he launched a vessel heard a spectator
:. eXclaim. oh, how she sCoons.' That
i | EXPRESSION was used to describe the
= bounding of a pebble thrown sidewise in
n TO the water.
:. The cooperative arrangements of the
r fishermen. making each voyage a part
r nership enterprise, has Interested stu
e dents of economics. Except for such au-
g thoritv as the commander needs to di-
rect the vessel the crews are as demo-
r cratic as the town meetings. Hence the
5 fishing industry of Gloucester is almost
It unique for its record Of nearly three CEN
# turtles without labor troubles.
\ INT family records of
It Gloucester afford priceless records OF
d early colonial customs, Aostemious for
k their time, some said squeamish, it merely
a proves that times change to note that at
k an all-day session of the Gloucester Sc
l. lectmen in 1740 the municipal expense &C
1t count was more than three English
= pounds for Ticker at the house of Mr..
I. James Stevens, Intoxicants were served
y freely at funerals and gloves were pre-
1. scented to the bearers
J. Many facts about Gloucester, Is OF
other early New England communities.
are derived from such naive verses as
T those left by Thomas Fuller, an early
!. settler, who wrote
f. I'm thrty-eight, | set my foot
- Upon New England's shore
: NV thoughts were then to stay one year.
9 And here to stay no more.
il But, by the preaching of Gods word
n BY famous Shepard he.
= In what a woful state l was
N l then began to see,
~ Tax records too, have their historic
/. sdelights. especially biographical, such as
II the lists of exemptions with items like
70 these:
!. Capt. Haskell hath been sick almost
y this half-year. and still remains.
"a Richard Dixie being distempered in
n We head.
a Mr.. Henry Walker very aged, not
IS able to do nothing.
" Thomas Riggs, Senior, is decrept in
o. his Inns.
ot "In ITO book by the Rev, James Reilly,
al found among the effects of an English
lie sailor fell in the hands of Gloucester cit
al liens They agreed with the views there.
AZ in expressed, and in order that they
H. might be preached regularly the first
We Cniversalist Church in the new world
ID was founded,
err Gloucester has among Its rocky cliffs
re and lodges one floral curiosity Of great
IL beauty and fragrance the magnolia glau-
r Gus, which grows In the swamps near the
or city.
t. Rates chasm, where tho pounding
er waves churn and rumblei the rocking
o. stone Facilitated for an inch or 50 by