Description: In the War of 1812, during the British blockade of the east coast, two British frigates, HMS Junon and HMS Tenedos, chased the USS Constitution into Marblehead Harbor and the safety of Fort Sewall. "When the USS Constitution, 'Old Ironsides,' was preparing for its 200th anniversary in 1997, the crew from Ralph W. Stanley was called in to help determine if it was seaworthy. So Ralph, Richard and his brother-in-law, Tim Goodwin, went to Boston to conduct a survey of the old warship. 'I went all over that ship,' Richard Stanley said. 'She was really in good shape. She could have sailed.' They made some suggestions, although he said he didn't know what the Navy did with the ship. It did sail again, he added." - from 'Stanley Boat Leaving Southwest Harbor' by Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News, August 24, 2009. July 1997, in honor of the 200th anniversary of USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides," commissioning, Capt. William Harland Kelley was chosen to sail the famous 204', 3-masted wooden frigate out of Boston, into Marblehead Harbor and back to Boston. This was her first independent sail in 116 years. [show more]
Description: In 1890 Abby and John MacDuffie took over the Misses Howard’s school and founded the MacDuffie School for Girls in Springfield, Massachusetts, serving together as principals of the school for over forty years.
Description: The home of Thomas and Frances Wakefield, and later of their son John. Frances Lathrop Wakefield was the aunt of the photographer Henry L. Rand.
Description: "The Fairbanks House is believed to be the oldest surviving timber frame house in North America. It was built for a family of Puritan immigrants from Yorkshire in England, Jonathan and Grace Fairebanke and their six children. Dendrochonology (tree ring dating) has confirmed a construction date of the late 1630s-early 1640s. The house was passed down to succeeding generations of the family until the early twentieth century. In all, eight generations of the Fairbanks family lived in the house. Through the Fairbanks Family in America, Inc., the extended Fairbanks family still owns the property." - “The Oldest Timber Frame House,” The Fairbanks House Historical Site, Accessed online 01/02/09; http://www.fairbankshouse.org/ Visit this site for the history of the house and how to visit it. [show more]
Description: Eastern Point Light Station is located on a rocky promontory overlooking Dog Bar Reef at the eastern entrance to Gloucester Harbor in Gloucester, Massachusetts. "Eastern Point Light Station was established in 1832. Following the arrival of the railroad in Gloucester in 1847 the fishing business exploded and the importance of Eastern Point Light increased. A new light tower replaced the poorly constructed original tower in 1848. American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910) lived at Eastern Point Light in 1880. Homer's works depicting the scenery and everyday life of this maritime community are among his most famous. The third and present tower was built in 1890 on the masonry foundation of the 1832 tower. The 36-foot tall, conical brick tower is painted white. An enclosed passageway and covered walkway connect the tower to the two-story double keepers' quarters, which was built in 1879. Eastern Point Light Station consists of the 1890 tower, keepers' quarters, walkway, oil house and bell tower. Also located on the site is a secondary keeper's dwelling (1908), a radio beacon (1931) and a foghorn (1951)." - National Park Service, Maritime History of Massachusetts, Eastern Point Light Station, Accessed online 02/05/08; http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/ept.htm [show more]
Description: "The first reservation established by the Metropolitan Parks Commission (later the MDC) in 1893, Beaver Brook Reservation is 59 acres of open fields, wetlands and woodlands. Ponds, fields, marsh, and a cascading waterfall make the park's north section a delightful place to walk or picnic. The more developed south section features ballfields, a wading pool, and a tot lot. Beaver Brook's historic significance includes reminders of its past; the remains of a 19th century fulling mill, the historic Robert Morris Copeland House (c.1835) and a monument to the Waverly Oaks, perhaps the most famous trees of the 1890's." - “Beaver Brook Reservaton”, Massachusetts Government Department of Conservation and Recreation, Accessed online 03/30/10; http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/beaver.htm [show more]
Description: “Occupying the major portion of Cape Ann is the nationally renowned fishing and tourism city of Gloucester, its rugged, scenic southern coastline extending from Magnolia Point to Gloucester Harbor, Eastern Point, Bass Rocks, and Cape Hedge. Thirty-one miles from Boston, initially on the Eastern and then the Boston & Maine railroads, this venerable community, including Magnolia Point…, became the North Shore’s most significant summer resort center in the mid to late nineteenth century, boasting numerous single-season residences and the largest concentration of resort hotels between Boston and the southern coastline of Maine.” - “Summer By The Seaside: The Architecture of New England Coastal Resort Hotels, 1820-1950” by Bryant F. Tolles, Jr., p. 102-3, University Press of New England – 2008 [show more]