Gloucester, Ma and north 9/28/1998

I arrived in Gloucester, known as America's oldest seaport where Samuel de Champlain had arrived in 1603. He later was followed by settlers from Plymouth. It is still a major fishing port on the North Shore. After driving along the shore I located the Cape Ann Campground. I camped on a hill where I could look across the bay.

Along the coastal area there were large rocks and boulders, woods, marsh areas, beaches, seaports, houses in a variety of styles and colors, many with an English influence, a drawbridge, a lighthouse, and radiant colors of flowers blooming. It was a delight even on a cloudy morning to take a stroll along the beach.

On to Rockport on 127 and what a surprise greeted me! If this is only one star in my AAA book I should perhaps retrace my steps and do the two's. I wandered right through town and ended up on a wharf and there to my left was the Motif #1, a red fisherman's shack that stands out over the water and was rebuilt following the Great Blizzard of 1978. It is the ultimate artist's subject of the New England coast and was originally built in 1884. It was purchased by the Town in 1945 as a monument to Rockporters in the armed services. It is supposedly the most painted/photographed building in America.

From there I wandered into Bearskin Neck which is on a narrow peninsula jutting into the water at Dock Square, the town's main square, and filled with artisans and seafood shops. Never have I seen a cuter cluster of small shops in a such a small area. The town is small with a population of under 8,000 and indeed it was a fun hour well-spent. There are several scenic walking tours of the town.

I came to another rotary, which I really like now that I am used to them. I took the wrong turn I think and the next thing I knew I was back in Gloucester but what a treat. This time I was in a really old part with narrow streets, businesses, and more old houses. I wandered around some more and then headed up 133.

Essex is another quaint town as they all seem to be now, with a population of under 4,000. Essex was founded as a shipbuilding center and 4,000 schooners have been built in the area. They have an abundance of antique shops for a small town along the salt marshes and tidal creeks. There are 57 clam flats. To me their claim to fame was Woodman's where I ate a clamcake, slaw, and fried clams for lunch. After a hearty meal it was on to Rowley, a few miles down the road.

Rowley was founded in 1639 and has a population of 5,050 or "fifty fifty" as someone in the town hall mentioned. I went over to the Town Hall which was surrounded by a cemetery with many of the original settlers of the town.

Newburyport is another town with many big old houses. The dates I saw ranged from 1797 to 1815. The town with a population of 16,000 and an elevation of 39' was a shipbuilding center and the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard. It is at the mouth of the Merrimack River. Many federal period houses are in the historical area around High Street. Nearby is Plum Island, a portion of a national wildlife refuge.

(It was several years before I learned so many of my Burbank ancestors and related families came from these towns.)

Many of the small towns I passed through had stations for the T, the transit system to Boston, and I realized how easy it would be to go to an outlying area with little or no traffic and catch the T into Boston. Here I got on 1 from 1A so that we could all cross the Merrimack River together that would lead me along New Hampshire's coast.