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Cape Ann Museum

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42°36′54.1074″N 70°39′43.2318″W  /  42.615029833°N 70.662008833°W  / 42.615029833; -70.662008833

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98-617: Cape Ann Museum is an art and historical museum located in Gloucester, Massachusetts . Its collection and programming focuses on the artists and art colonies of Cape Ann , including the Rocky Neck Art Colony and the Folly Cove Designers . The museum's collection also features objects from Gloucester's fishing and maritime history, and granite quarrying history. The Cape Ann Museum was founded in 1875 as

196-541: A convent. The couple had no children, and Champlain adopted three Montagnais girls named Faith, Hope, and Charity in the winter of 1627–28. On 29 March 1613, arriving back in New France, he first ensured that his new royal commission be proclaimed . Champlain set out on May 27 to continue his exploration of the Huron country and in hopes of finding the "northern sea" he had heard about (probably Hudson Bay ). He travelled

294-527: A group of Haudenosaunee. In a battle that began the next day, two hundred and fifty Haudenosaunee advanced on Champlain's position, and one of his guides pointed out the three chiefs. In his account of the battle, Champlain recounts firing his arquebus and killing two of them with a single shot, after which one of his men killed the third. The Haudenosaunee turned and fled. While this cowed the Iroquois for some years, they would later return to successfully fight

392-655: A large Spanish fleet to the West Indies , again offered him a place on the ship. His uncle, who gave command of the ship to Jeronimo de Valaebrera, instructed the young Champlain to watch over the ship. This journey lasted two years and allowed Champlain to see or hear about Spanish holdings from the Caribbean to Mexico City . Along the way, he took detailed notes, wrote an illustrated report on what he learned on this trip, and gave this secret report to King Henry, who rewarded Champlain with an annual pension. This report

490-401: A median income of $ 41,465 versus $ 30,566 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 25,595. About 7.1% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over. Gloucester is a city, with a strong mayor-council system. The current mayor of Gloucester is Gregory P. Verga as of January 2022. The Mayor

588-467: A permanent settlement. Minor skirmishes with the resident Nausets dissuaded him from the idea of establishing one near present-day Chatham, Massachusetts . He named the area Mallebar ("bad bar"). In the spring of 1608, Dugua wanted Champlain to start a new French colony and fur trading centre on the shores of the St. Lawrence. Dugua equipped, at his own expense, a fleet of three ships with workers, that left

686-458: A public schoolhouse. This requirement was met in 1698, with Thomas Riggs standing as the town's first schoolmaster. In 1700, the selectmen of Gloucester recognized the claim of Samuel English, grandson of Agawam sachem Masconomet, to the land of the town, and paid him seven pounds (equal to £1,327 today) for the quitclaim. The White-Ellery House was erected in 1710 upon the Town Green. It

784-488: A red shrub or two to wave from a crevice, and a drip of water to flow down among gay weeds. Room for these dwellings is obtained by blasting the rocks. Formerly, people were frightened at fragments falling through the roof after a blasting: but now, it has become too common an occurrence to alarm any body. Gloucester is located at 42°37′26″N 70°40′32″W  /  42.62389°N 70.67556°W  / 42.62389; -70.67556 (42.624015, −70.675521). According to

882-414: A second expedition to New France in the spring of 1604. This trip, once again an exploratory journey without women and children, lasted several years, and focused on areas south of the St. Lawrence River, in what later became known as Acadia . It was led by Pierre Dugua de Mons , a noble and Protestant merchant who had been given a fur trading monopoly in New France by the king. Dugua asked Champlain to find

980-495: A site for winter settlement. After exploring possible sites in the Bay of Fundy , Champlain selected Saint Croix Island in the St. Croix River as the site of the expedition's first winter settlement. After enduring a harsh winter on the island the settlement was relocated across the bay where they established Port Royal . Until 1607, Champlain used that site as his base, while he explored

1078-541: A time of legally mandated church attendance this was a long way to walk—or row—on a Sunday morning. In 1718 the settlers on the opposite shore of the river split off from the First Parish community at the Green and formed "Second Parish". While still part of the town of Gloucester, the people of Second, or "West", Parish now constructed their own meetinghouse and designated their own place of burial, both of which were in

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1176-409: A village exists on Pole's Hill in the current Riverdale neighborhood. In 1606, Samuel de Champlain explored the harbor, and produced the first known map of Gloucester harbor titling it le Beau port . This map suggests substantial Native American settlement on the shores of the harbor. In 1614 John Smith again explored the area, identifying the indigenous inhabitants as Aggawom . In 1623 men from

1274-455: A young man deliver Du Val, along with 3 co-conspirators, two bottles of wine and invite the four worthies to an event on board a boat. Soon after the four conspirators arrived on the boat, Champlain had them arrested. Du Val was strangled and hung in Quebec and his head was displayed in the "most conspicuous place" of Champlain's fort. The other three were sent back to France to be tried. During

1372-585: Is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts , United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore . The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census . An important center of the fishing industry and a popular summer destination, Gloucester consists of an urban core on the north side of the harbor and the outlying neighborhoods of Annisquam , Bay View, Lanesville, Folly Cove, Magnolia , Riverdale, East Gloucester, and West Gloucester. The boundaries of Gloucester originally included

1470-566: Is adjacent to the main museum galleries and 6 of the 12 rooms are open to the public. In order to accommodate its growing collections, the Cape Ann Museum expanded or renovated its gallery and programming space five times between 1936 and 2014. On September 17, 2020, the Cape Ann Museum opened its new campus, the Cape Ann Museum Green, located off of Grant Circle and Route 128, Gloucester, MA. This four acre green space

1568-525: Is also reserved a seat on the School Committee . City offices are elected every two years (those ending with odd numbers). In 2007, over 40 people ran for the 15 elected seats in the city's government. The city is divided into five Wards, each split into two precincts: As late as the mid-20th century, Gloucester had as many as eight wards, but they have been since reorganized into the current number. On November 7, 2005, incumbent Mayor John Bell

1666-450: Is divided from the rest of Massachusetts Bay by Eastern Point, extending some 2 miles (3 km) outward from the mainland. There are several parks in the city, the largest of which are Ravenswood Park , Stage Fort Park and Mount Ann Park. Gloucester lies between Ipswich Bay to the north and Massachusetts Bay to the south. The city is bordered on the east by Rockport , and on the west by Ipswich , Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea to

1764-805: Is home to the museum's three historic structures, the White-Ellery House (1710), a barn (c. 1740), and the Babson-Alling House (c. 1740). It is also home to the Janet and William Ellery James Center, a 12,000 square foot building that houses the museum's object and archival collections. Designed by the Boston-based firm, designLAB , part of the building includes 2,000 square feet of exhibition and programming space. The highlights include: Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester ( / ˈ ɡ l ɒ s t ər / GLOST -ər )

1862-663: Is the birthplace of Marvel character Dane Whitman whose superhero alter ego is the Black Knight . National Geographic Channel films its reality television series Wicked Tuna , documenting and chronicling the lives of commercial tuna fishermen, and the lucrative bluefin tuna industry, in Gloucester. Route 66 season 2, episode 6, "Once To Every Man" (October 27, 1961) was set and filmed in Gloucester. Bewitched season 7, episode 5, "Darrin On A Pedestal" (October 22, 1970)

1960-558: Is the location of the battle, 10 miles (16 km) south of Canastota, New York . Champlain attacked the stockaded Oneida village. He was accompanied by 10 Frenchmen and 300 Wendat. Pressured by the Huron Wendat to attack prematurely, the assault failed. Champlain was wounded twice in the leg by arrows, one in his knee. The conflict ended on October 16 when the French Wendat were forced to flee. Although he did not want to,

2058-969: The Ashcan School such as Edward Hopper , John Sloan , Robert Henri , William Glackens , Emile Gruppe, Carl W. Illig, and Maurice Prendergast . Smith Cove is home to the Rocky Neck Art Colony, the oldest art colony in the country. Folly Cove was the home of the Folly Cove Designers , influential to this day in print design and technique. Several important sculptors have lived and worked in East Gloucester, Annisquam , Lanesville and Folly Cove. They include George Aarons, Anna Hyatt Huntington , Charles Grafly , Paul Manship and his daughter-in-law Margaret Cassidy Manship, Walker Hancock , and George Demetrios. In addition, Aristides Demetrios grew up in Folly Cove. Gloucester

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2156-528: The Dorchester Company established a permanent fishing outpost in the area. At the Cape Ann settlement, a legal form of government was established, and from that Massachusetts Bay Colony sprung. Roger Conant was the governor under the Cape Ann patent, and as such, has been called the first governor of Massachusetts. Life in this first settlement was harsh and it was short-lived. The area

2254-647: The North Shore to Boston's North Station . The nearest airport is the Beverly Municipal Airport , with the nearest national and international air service being at Boston's Logan International Airport . As of the 2000 census , there were 30,273 people, 12,592 households, and 7,895 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,166.0 inhabitants per square mile (450.2/km ). There were 13,958 housing units at an average density of 537.6 per square mile (207.6/km ). The racial makeup of

2352-626: The Ottawa River , Lake Nipissing , and Georgian Bay , and with Algonquin and Wendat . He agreed to provide assistance in the Beaver Wars against the Iroquois . He learned and mastered their languages. Late in the year of 1615, Champlain returned to the Wendat and stayed with them over the winter, which permitted him to make the first ethnographic observations of this important nation,

2450-516: The Ottawa River , later giving the first description of this area. Along the way, he apparently dropped or left behind a cache of silver cups, copper kettles, and a brass astrolabe dated 1603 (Champlain's Astrolabe) , which was later found by a farm boy named Edward Lee near Cobden, Ontario . It was in June that he met with Tessouat , the Algonquin chief of Allumettes Island , and offered to build

2548-691: The Rivière des Iroquois (now known as the Richelieu River ), and became the first European to map Lake Champlain . Having had no encounters with the Haudenosaunee at this point many of the men headed back, leaving Champlain with only 2 Frenchmen and 60 natives. On 29 July, somewhere in the area near Ticonderoga and Crown Point, New York (historians are not sure which of these two places, but Fort Ticonderoga historians claim that it occurred near its site), Champlain and his party encountered

2646-551: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 41.5 square miles (107.5 km ), of which 26.2 square miles (67.8 km ) is land and 15.3 square miles (39.6 km ), or 36.88%, is water. Gloucester occupies most of the eastern end of Cape Ann, except for the far tip, which is the town of Rockport. The city is split in half by the Annisquam River , which flows northward through

2744-409: The " Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial Cenotaph "), dedicated to "They that go down to the sea in ships", which is a quote from Psalm 107:23–32. Gloucester's largest annual event is St. Peter's Fiesta , sponsored by the local Italian-American community. It is held the last weekend in June, which is typically the weekend closest to the saint's feast day . Preceded by a nine-day novena of prayers,

2842-414: The "Big River" in small boats bringing the men and the materials. Upon arriving in Quebec, Champlain later wrote: "I arrived there on the third of July, when I searched for a place suitable for our settlement; but I could find none more convenient or better suited than the point of Quebec, so called by the savages, which was covered with nut-trees." Champlain ordered his men to gather lumber by cutting down

2940-460: The "Compagnie des Marchands de Rouen et de Saint-Malo" and "Compagnie de Champlain", which bound the Rouen and Saint-Malo merchants for eleven years. He returned to New France in the spring of 1615 with four Recollects in order to further religious life in the new colony. The Roman Catholic Church was eventually given en seigneurie large and valuable tracts of land, estimated at nearly 30% of all

3038-648: The Atlantic coast. Dugua was forced to leave the settlement for France in September 1605, because he learned that his monopoly was at risk. His monopoly was rescinded by the king in July 1607 under pressure from other merchants and proponents of free trade, leading to the abandonment of the settlement. In 1605 and 1606, Champlain explored the North American coast as far south as Cape Cod , searching for sites for

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3136-476: The Blynman Canal and passing through downtown towards Rockport. It then re-enters Gloucester near Folly Cove, running opposite of its usual north–south orientation towards its terminus at Route 128. Route 133 also terminates within the city, entering from Essex and terminating just west of the Blynman Canal at Route 127. Besides the bridge over the Blynman Canal, there are only two other connections between

3234-565: The Caen brothers. After some tense negotiations, it was decided to merge the two companies under the direction of the Caens. Champlain continued to work on relations with the natives and managed to impose on them a chief of his choice. He also negotiated a peace treaty with the Iroquois. Champlain continued to work on the fortifications of what became Quebec City, laying the first stone on 6 May 1624. On 15 August he once again returned to France where he

3332-545: The Cape Ann Historical Association. At this time, it expanded its collection of American fine and decorative arts, maritime and fishing objects, and other historical collections relating to the culture, life, and industries of Cape Ann. In 1937, Alfred Mansfield Brooks became curator and president of the Cape Ann Historical Association. During his thirty-year tenure, he compiled the largest collection of Fitz Henry Lane paintings and printed matter in

3430-705: The Cape Ann Scientific and Literary Association. Dr. Herman E. Davidson was the association's first president, a position he held until 1878 when he left Gloucester. In 1923, the association moved to its current location in the Captain Elias Davis House at 27 Pleasant Street. During this period, the association acquired the collection of the Gloucester Historical Society, becoming the Cape Ann Scientific, Literary, and Historical Society, which it later shortened to

3528-664: The Catholic celebration, St Peter's Fiesta, relatives of fishermen past and present carry oars representing many of the fishing vessels which call Gloucester their home. Saint Peter is the patron saint of the fishermen. Gloucester remains an active fishing port, and in 2013 ranked 21st in the United States with respect to fish landings. In that year, 62 million pounds of fish were caught bringing in an estimated $ 42 million. Gloucester's scenery, active fishing industry, and arts community have attracted and inspired painters since

3626-630: The French and Algonquin for the rest of the century . The Battle of Sorel occurred on 19 June 1610, with Samuel de Champlain supported by the Kingdom of France and his allies, the Wendat people , Algonquin people and Innu people against the Mohawk people in New France at present-day Sorel-Tracy , Quebec . Champlain's forces armed with the arquebus engaged and slaughtered or captured nearly all of

3724-462: The French port of Honfleur . The main ship, called Don-de-Dieu (French for Gift of God ), was commanded by Champlain. Another ship, Lévrier ( Hunt Dog ), was commanded by his friend Du Pont. The small group of male settlers arrived at Tadoussac on the lower St. Lawrence in June. Because of the dangerous strength of the Saguenay River ending there, they left the ships and continued up

3822-577: The GSC, was also its artistic director from 1979 to 2006. Over the years, plays developed at the Gloucester Stage Company have gone on to critical acclaim, on and off Broadway , nationally and internationally. The group draws theatre-goers from Gloucester, neighboring North Shore districts, and the greater Boston area, as well as seasonal residents and tourists. The city has much significant architecture , from pre-Revolutionary houses to

3920-551: The Iroquois. The party passed Lake Ontario at its eastern tip where they hid their canoes and continued their journey by land. They followed the Oneida River until they arrived at the main Onondaga fort on October 10. The exact location of this place is still a matter of debate. Although the traditional location, Nichols Pond, is regularly disproved by professional and amateur archaeologists, many still claim that Nichols Pond

4018-516: The King in the Siege of Gloucester of 1643. This new permanent settlement focused on the Town Green area, an inlet in the marshes at a bend in the Annisquam River . This area is now the site of Grant Circle, a large traffic rotary at which Massachusetts Route 128 mingles with a major city street (Washington Street/ Rt 127 ). Here the first permanent settlers built a meeting house and therefore focused

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4116-494: The Mohawks. The battle ended major hostilities with the Mohawks for 20 years. One route Champlain may have chosen to improve his access to the court of the regent was his decision to enter into marriage with the twelve-year-old Hélène Boullé. She was the daughter of Nicolas Boullé, a man charged with carrying out royal decisions at court. The marriage contract was signed on 27 December 1610 in presence of Dugua, who had dealt with

4214-522: The Savages: or travels of Samuel Champlain of Brouages, made in New France in the year 1603"). Included in his account were meetings with Begourat , chief of the Montagnais at Tadoussac, in which positive relationships were established between the French and the many Montagnais gathered there, with some Algonquin friends. Promising to King Henry to report on further discoveries, Champlain joined

4312-410: The United States in the mid-1830s, commented on the ubiquity of granite there: It has great wealth of granite and fish. It is composed of granite; and almost its only visitors are fish. **** The houses look as if they were squeezed in among the rocks. The granite rises straight behind a house, encroaches on each side, and overhangs the roof, leaving space only for a sprinkling of grass about the door, for

4410-538: The United States. In 2007 the Board voted to change the name of the Cape Ann Historical Association to the Cape Ann Museum to reflect its current collecting and programming mission. The Captain Elias Davis House, built in 1804 by a successful sea captain, contains much of the museum's furniture and decorative arts collection. Many of the objects in the house belonged to Elias Davis and his descendants. The house

4508-410: The Wendat country and returned to Quebec before heading back to France on 2 July. Champlain returned to New France in 1620 and was to spend the rest of his life focusing on administration of the territory rather than exploration. Champlain spent the winter building Fort Saint-Louis on top of Cape Diamond. By mid-May, he learned that the fur trading monopoly had been handed over to another company led by

4606-419: The Wendat insisted that Champlain spend the winter with them. During his stay, he set off with them in their great deer hunt, during which he became lost and was forced to wander for three days living off game and sleeping under trees until he met up with a band of First Nations people by chance. He spent the rest of the winter learning "their country, their manners, customs, modes of life". On 22 May 1616, he left

4704-419: The age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under

4802-399: The age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 58,568, and the median income for a family was $ 80,970 from a 2007 estimate. Males had

4900-447: The city was 96.99% White , 0.61% African American , 0.72% Asian , 0.12% Native American , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.50% from other races , and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population. 22.6% were of Italian , 16.2% Irish , 11.1% English , 8.5% Portuguese and 7.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000 . There were 12,592 households, out of which 27.6% had children under

4998-456: The city. In the late 19th century, Gloucester saw an influx of Portuguese and Italian immigrants; they were seeking work in the town's flourishing fishing industry, and a better life in America. Some present-day fishermen of Gloucester are descendants of these early immigrants. The strong Portuguese and Italian influence is evident in the many festivals celebrated throughout the year. During

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5096-401: The companies based in Gloucester. The town was an important shipbuilding center, and the first schooner was reputedly built there in 1713. The community developed into an important fishing port, largely due to its proximity to Georges Bank and other fishing banks off the east coast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland . Gloucester's most famous (and nationally recognized) seafood business

5194-756: The early 19th century. The first Gloucester painter of note was native-born Fitz Henry Lane , whose home still exists on the waterfront. The premier collection of his works is in the Cape Ann Museum , which holds 40 of his paintings and 100 of his drawings. Other painters subsequently attracted to Gloucester include William Morris Hunt , Winslow Homer , Childe Hassam , John Twachtman , Frederick Mulhaupt, Frank Duveneck , Cecilia Beaux , Jane Peterson , Gordon Grant, Harry DeMaine, Emile Gruppe , Stuart Davis , Joseph Solman , Mark Rothko , Milton Avery , Barnett Newman , William Meyerowitz , Joan Lockhart, Theresa Bernstein , and Marsden Hartley , and artists from

5292-809: The eastern and western halves of town, the A. Piatt Andrew Memorial Bridge, carrying Route 128, and the Boston & Maine Railroad Bridge, just north of the Blynman Canal. Gloucester is home to the Cape Ann Transportation Authority , which serves the city and surrounding towns. Two stops (in West Gloucester and in downtown Gloucester ) provide access to the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail , which extends from Rockport along

5390-503: The end of 1594). By 1597 he was a "capitaine d'une compagnie" serving in a garrison near Quimper . In year 3, his uncle-in-law, a navigator whose ship Saint-Julien was to transport Spanish troops to Cádiz under the Treaty of Vervins , allowed Champlain to accompany him. After a difficult passage, he spent some time in Cádiz before his uncle, whose ship was then chartered to accompany

5488-559: The events of which form the bulk of his book Voyages et Découvertes faites en la Nouvelle France, depuis l'année 1615 published in 1619. In 1620, Louis XIII of France ordered Champlain to cease exploration, return to Quebec, and devote himself to the administration of the country. In every way but formal title, Samuel de Champlain served as Governor of New France , a title that may have been formally unavailable to him owing to his non-noble status. Champlain established trading companies that sent goods, primarily fur, to France, and oversaw

5586-555: The father, and the couple was married three days later. Champlain was then 43 years old. The terms of the contract called for the marriage to be consummated two years later. Champlain's marriage was initially quite troubled, as Hélène rallied against joining him in August 1613. Their relationship, while it apparently lacked any physical connection, recovered and was apparently good for many years. Hélène lived in Quebec for several years, but returned to Paris and eventually decided to enter

5684-697: The festival highlights include the blessing of the fleet and the greasy pole contest. Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain ( French: [samɥɛl də ʃɑ̃plɛ̃] ; 13 August 1574 – 25 December 1635) was a French explorer, navigator, cartographer, draftsman, soldier, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He made between 21 and 29 trips across the Atlantic Ocean, and founded Quebec City , and New France , on 3 July 1608. An important figure in Canadian history , Champlain created

5782-477: The firearms of his time: he acquired this practical knowledge when serving with the army of King Henry IV during the later stages of France's religious wars in Brittany from 1594 or 1595 to 1598, beginning as a quartermaster responsible for the feeding and care of horses. During this time he claimed to go on a "certain secret voyage" for the king, and saw combat (including maybe the Siege of Fort Crozon , at

5880-419: The first accurate coastal map during his explorations and founded various colonial settlements. Born into a family of sailors, Champlain began exploring North America in 1603, under the guidance of his uncle, François Gravé Du Pont . After 1603, Champlain's life and career consolidated into the path he would follow for the rest of his life. From 1604 to 1607, he participated in the exploration and creation of

5978-632: The first permanent European settlement north of Florida, Port Royal , Acadia (1605). In 1608, he established the French settlement that is now Quebec City. Champlain was the first European to describe the Great Lakes , and published maps of his journeys and accounts of what he learned from the natives and the French living among the Natives . He formed long time relationships with local Montagnais and Innu , and, later, with others farther west—tribes of

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6076-501: The great rapids of Sault Ste. Marie , where Lake Superior enters Lake Huron, some of which was recorded by Champlain. Champlain continued to work to improve relations with the natives, promising to help them in their struggles against the Iroquois. With his native guides, he explored further up the Ottawa River and reached Lake Nipissing . He then followed the French River until he reached Lake Huron . In 1615, Champlain

6174-425: The growth of New France in the St. Lawrence River valley until his death in 1635. Many places, streets, and structures in northeastern North America today bear his name, most notably Lake Champlain . Champlain was born to John Pork Champlain (also written "Anthoine Chappelain" in some records) and Marguerite Le Roy, in either Hiers-Brouage , or the port city of La Rochelle , in the French province of Aunis . He

6272-511: The hills near the marshes behind Wingaersheek Beach. The meetinghouse is gone now, but deep in the woods on the Second Parish Road, Old Thompson road, one can still find the stone foundation and memorial altar, as well as scattered stones of the abandoned burial ground. Other parts of town later followed suit. Third Parish, in northern Gloucester, was founded in 1728. Fourth Parish split off from First Parish in 1742. Finally, in 1754,

6370-491: The hilltop 1870 City Hall, which dominates the town and harbor. It also has exotic waterfront homes now converted to museums, including Beauport , built 1907–1934 by designer Henry Davis Sleeper in collaboration with local architect Halfdan Hanson, said to raise eclecticism to the level of genius. In addition, it has Hammond Castle , built 1926–1929 by inventor John Hays Hammond, Jr. , as a setting for his collection of Roman , medieval and Renaissance artifacts . Gloucester

6468-414: The island became known as the "Commons", the "Common Village", or " Dogtown ". Small dwellings lay scattered here amongst the boulders and swamps, along roads that meandered through the hills. These dwellings were at times little more than shanties; only one was even two stories tall. Despite their size, several generations of families were raised in such houses. One feature of the construction of these houses

6566-452: The king's annual pension, gave the young explorer a great deal of independence, as he did not need to rely on the financial backing of merchants and other investors. From 1601 to 1603 Champlain served as a geographer in the court of King Henry IV. As part of his duties, he traveled to French ports. He learned much about North America from the fishermen that seasonally traveled to coastal areas from Nantucket to Newfoundland to capitalize on

6664-544: The king's assent. Champlain's first trip to North America was as an observer on a fur-trading expedition led by François Gravé Du Pont . Du Pont was a navigator and merchant who had been a ship's captain on Chauvin's expedition, and with whom Champlain established a firm lifelong friendship. He educated Champlain about navigation in North America, including the Saint Lawrence River . In dealing with

6762-478: The lands granted by the French Crown in New France. In 1615, Champlain reunited with Étienne Brûlé , his capable interpreter, following separate four-year explorations. There, Brûlé reported North American explorations, including that he had been joined by another French interpreter named Grenolle with whom he had travelled along the north shore of la mer douce (the calm sea), now known as Lake Huron , to

6860-617: The middle of the city into Ipswich Bay. At its southern end, it is connected to Gloucester Harbor by the Blynman Canal. The land along the northwestern shore of the river is marshy, creating several small islands. Gloucester Harbor is divided into several smaller coves, including the Western Harbor (site of the Fisherman's Memorial) and the Inner Harbor (home to the Gloucester fishing fleet). The eastern side of Gloucester Harbor

6958-538: The natives there (and in Acadia after). The Bonne-Renommée (the Good Fame ) arrived at Tadoussac on March 15, 1603. Champlain was anxious to see all of the places that Jacques Cartier had seen and described sixty years earlier, and wanted to go even further than Cartier, if possible. Champlain created a map of the Saint Lawrence on this trip and, after his return to France on 20 September, published an account as Des Sauvages: ou voyage de Samuel Champlain, de Brouages, faite en la France nouvelle l'an 1603 ("Concerning

7056-547: The nexus of their settlement on the "Island" for nearly 100 years. Unlike other early coastal towns in New England , development in Gloucester was not focused around the harbor as it is today, rather it was inland that people settled first. This is evidenced by the placement of the Town Green nearly two miles from the harbor-front. The Town Green is also where the settlers built the first school. By Massachusetts Bay Colony Law, any town with 100 families or more had to provide

7154-484: The nut-trees for use in building habitations. Some days after Champlain's arrival in Quebec, Jean du Val, a member of Champlain's party, plotted to kill Champlain to the end of securing the settlement for the Basques or Spaniards and making a fortune for himself. Du Val's plot was ultimately foiled when an associate of Du Val confessed his involvement in the plot to Champlain's pilot, who informed Champlain. Champlain had

7252-493: The people of Sandy Bay (what would later be called Rockport) split off from First Parish to found Fifth Parish. The Sandy Bay church founding was the last religious re-ordering of the colonial period. All of these congregations still exist in some form, with the exception of Fourth Parish, the site of whose meeting house is now a highway. At one time, there was a thriving granite industry in Gloucester. English writer Harriet Martineau , who visited Gloucester during her travels in

7350-407: The rich fishing grounds there. He also made a study of previous French failures at colonization in the area, including that of Pierre de Chauvin at Tadoussac . When Chauvin forfeited his monopoly on the fur trade in North America in 1602, responsibility for renewing the trade was given to Aymar de Chaste . Champlain approached de Chaste about a position on the first voyage, which he received with

7448-404: The society, making it much more closely knit with extended families interlocking in business relationships. Early Gloucestermen cleared great swaths of the forest of Cape Ann for farm and pasture land, using the timber to build structures as far away as Boston. The rocky moors of Gloucester remained clear for two centuries until the forest reclaimed the land in the 20th century. The inland part of

7546-617: The summer of 1609, Champlain attempted to form better relations with the local First Nations tribes . He made alliances with the Wendat (called Huron by the French) and with the Algonquin , the Montagnais and the Etchemin, who lived in the area of the St. Lawrence River . These tribes sought Champlain's help in their war against the Iroquois , who lived farther south. Champlain set off with nine French soldiers and 300 natives to explore

7644-545: The town of Rockport , in an area dubbed "Sandy Bay". The village separated formally from Gloucester on February 27, 1840. In 1873, Gloucester was reincorporated as a city. Native Americans inhabited what would become northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to the European colonization of the Americas . At the time of contact, the area was inhabited by Agawam people under sachem Masconomet . Evidence of

7742-612: The tribe a fort if they were to move from the area they occupied, with its poor soil, to the locality of the Lachine Rapids. However, Champlain's ownership of the astrolabe has been questioned by modern scholars. By 26 August, Champlain was back in Saint-Malo . There, he wrote an account of his life from 1604 to 1612 and his journey up the Ottawa river, his Voyages and published another map of New France. In 1614, he formed

7840-557: The west. (The town line with Ipswich is located across Essex Harbor, and as such there is no land connection between the towns.) Gloucester lies 16 miles (26 km) east-northeast of Salem and 31 miles (50 km) northeast of Boston . Gloucester lies at the eastern terminus of Route 128 , which ends at Route 127A . Route 127A begins at Route 127 just east of the Route 128 terminus, heading into Rockport before terminating there. Route 127 enters from Manchester-by-the-Sea before crossing

7938-499: The work probably was authored by Champlain. On Champlain's return to Cádiz in August 1600, his uncle Guillermo Elena (Guillaume Allene), who had fallen ill, asked him to look after his business affairs. This Champlain did, and when his uncle died in June 1601, Champlain inherited his substantial estate. It included an estate near La Rochelle , commercial properties in Spain, and a 150-ton merchant ship. This inheritance, combined with

8036-410: Was abandoned around 1626, and the people removed themselves to Naumkeag (in what is now called Salem, Massachusetts ), where more fertile soil for planting was to be found. The meetinghouse and governor's house were even disassembled and relocated to the new place of settlement. At some point in the following years (though no record exists), the area was slowly resettled by English colonists. The town

8134-537: Was also the home of feminist writer Judith Sargent Murray and John Murray , the founder of the first Universalist Church in America. Their house still exists as the Sargent House Museum . Many museums are located in the main downtown area, such as the Cape Ann Museum, and the museum/aquarium Maritime Gloucester. Gloucester's most noted landmark is the harborside Man at the Wheel statue (also known as

8232-475: Was born about 1580 in Brouage, France." Liebel asserts that some authors, including the Catholic priests Rainguet and Laverdière, preferred years when Brouage was under Catholic control (which include 1567, 1570, and 1575). Champlain claimed to be from Brouage in the title of his 1603 book and to be Saintongeois in the title of his second book (1613). He belonged to a Roman Catholic family in Brouage which

8330-672: Was born on or before 13 August 1574, according to a recent baptism record found by Jean-Marie Germe, French genealogist. Although in 1870, the Canadian Catholic priest Laverdière, in the first chapter of his Œuvres de Champlain , accepted Pierre-Damien Rainguet's estimate of Champlain's birth year as 1567 and tried to justify it, his calculations were based on assumptions now believed, or proven, to be incorrect. Although Léopold Delayant (member, secretary, then president of l'Académie des belles-lettres, sciences et arts de La Rochelle ) wrote as early as 1867 that Rainguet's estimate

8428-474: Was built at the edge of a marsh for Gloucester's first settled minister, the Reverend John White (1677–1760). Early industry included subsistence farming and logging. Because of the poor soil and rocky hills, Cape Ann was not well suited for farming on a large scale. Small family farms and livestock provided the bulk of the sustenance to the population. Fishing, for which the town is known today,

8526-508: Was elected to serve a full two-year term on November 2, 2015, and re-elected again in 2017 and 2019. She was defeated for re-election in 2021 by Gregory P. Verga. The following schools are located within the Gloucester Public Schools District: Gorton's of Gloucester , Mighty Mac, Gloucester Engineering, Good Harbor Consulting, Para Research, Aid-Pack, Cyrk, and Varian Semiconductor are among

8624-521: Was encouraged to continue his work as well as to continue looking for a passage to China, something widely believed to exist at the time. By July 5 he was back at Quebec and continued expanding the city. In 1627 the Caen brothers' company lost its monopoly on the fur trade, and Cardinal Richelieu (who had joined the Royal Council in 1624 and rose rapidly to a position of dominance in French politics that he would hold until his death in 1642) formed

8722-402: Was escorted through the area that is now Peterborough, Ontario by a group of Wendat. He used the ancient portage between Chemong Lake and Little Lake (now Chemong Road) and stayed for a short period of time near what is now Bridgenorth. On 1 September 1615, at Cahiagué (a Wendat community on what is now called Lake Simcoe ), he and the northern tribes started a military expedition against

8820-466: Was formally incorporated in 1642. It is at this time that the name "Gloucester" first appears on tax rolls, although in various spellings. The town took its name from the city of Gloucester in southwest England, perhaps from where many of its new occupants originated but more likely because Gloucester, England, was a Parliamentarian stronghold, successfully defended with the aid of the Earl of Essex against

8918-416: Was founded in 1849 as John Pew & Sons. It became Gorton-Pew Fisheries in 1906, and in 1957 changed its name to Gorton's of Gloucester . The iconic image of the "Gorton's Fisherman", and the products he represents, are known throughout the country and beyond. Besides catching and processing seafood, Gloucester is also a center for research on marine life and conservation; Ocean Alliance is headquartered in

9016-512: Was limited to close-to-shore, with families subsisting on small catches as opposed to the great bounties yielded in later years. The fishermen of Gloucester did not command the Grand Banks until the mid-18th century. Historian Christine Heyrman, examining the town's society between 1690 and 1750, finds that at the beginning community sensibility was weak in a town that was a loose agglomeration of individuals. Commerce and capitalism transformed

9114-748: Was most of the time a Catholic city, Brouage was a royal fortress and its governor, from 1627 until his death in 1635, was Cardinal Richelieu . The exact location of his birth is thus also not known with certainty, but at the time of his birth his parents were living in Brouage . Born into a family of mariners (both his father and uncle-in-law were sailors, or navigators), Samuel Champlain learned to navigate, draw, make nautical charts , and write practical reports. His education did not include Ancient Greek or Latin , so he did not read or learn from any ancient literature. As each French fleet had to assure its own defense at sea, Champlain sought to learn to fight with

9212-676: Was published for the first time in 1870, by Laverdière, as Brief Discours des Choses plus remarquables que Samuel Champlain de Brouage a reconneues aux Indes Occidentalles au voiage qu'il en a faict en icettes en l'année 1599 et en l'année 1601, comme ensuite (and in English as Narrative of a Voyage to the West Indies and Mexico 1599–1602 ). The authenticity of this account as a work written by Champlain has frequently been questioned, due to inaccuracies and discrepancies with other sources on some points; however, recent scholarship indicates that

9310-636: Was re-elected to a third term in office. He stated his intention not to run for reelection and stepped down in January 2008. On November 6, 2007, Carolyn Kirk was elected as the Mayor of Gloucester. Kirk resigned in December 2014 to take a position in the administration of Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker . Sefatia Theken was then voted to be the interim mayor of Gloucester by the City Council. Theken

9408-483: Was set and partially filmed on Gloucester. Spenser: For Hire , season 2, episode 1, "Widow's Walk" (October 4, 1986) was set and filmed in Gloucester. The Gloucester Stage Company stages five to eight plays each season, primarily in the summer months. Located in East Gloucester, the theatre sits at water's edge overlooking Smith's Cove. It was founded in 1979 by local arts and business leaders to encourage playwrights and their new works. Israel Horovitz , who founded

9506-470: Was that under one side of the floor was dug a cellar hole (for the keeping of food), supported by a foundation of laid-stone (without mortar). These cellar holes are still visible today along the trails throughout the inland part of Gloucester; they, and some walls, are all that remain of the village there. The town grew, and eventually colonists lived on the opposite side of the Annisquam River. In

9604-428: Was wrong, the books of Rainguet and Laverdière have had a significant influence. The 1567 date was carved on numerous monuments dedicated to Champlain and is widely regarded as accurate. In the first half of the 20th century, some authors disagreed, choosing 1570 or 1575 instead of 1567. In 1978 Jean Liebel published groundbreaking research about these estimates of Champlain's birth year and concluded, "Samuel Champlain

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