Preserve America Community:
Gloucester, Massachusetts
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Gloucester, Massachusetts (population 30,730) is known as America’s oldest seaport. Located on Cape Ann, 30 miles northeast of Boston, the area was first settled in 1623, when men from Dorchester, England, were sent to establish a fishing and trade plantation. Over the years, as fishing declined, the economic base of the city has diversified to include manufacturing, high tech and tourism.
An ongoing project for the community has been the restoration of the 1926 Adventure, the last American dory fishing schooner left in the Atlantic. The Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center features the oldest continuously operating marine railway in the country, as well as a 19th century mill building and a former ice house. The center provides insight into the relationship between the city’s maritime industrial history and the health of the New England fisheries.
The Cape Ann Historical Museum includes exhibits on the fishing and granite industries and work by local and visiting artists. A number of historic homes on display include Beauport, built between 1907 and 1934; Hammond Castle, built between 1926 and 1929; and the Sargent House Museum, built in 1972.
The Gloucester Maritime Trail offers visitors a choice of four self-guided walking tours of the city: the Settlers Walk, Vessels View, Painters Path, and the Downtown Heritage Trail.
Gloucester’s annual Seaport Festival presents hands-on educational activities for children and adults, displays, demonstrations, and traditional music. In September, Gloucester Maritime Heritage Day includes music, children’s activities, lobster-trap construction, and a nautical flea market.
For more information:
City of Gloucester: www.ci.gloucester.ma.us
Cape Ann Historical Museum: www.capeannhistoricalmuseum.org
National Register Travel Itinerary: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/