Monthly Archives: March 2011

The Twin Lights, Thatchers Island, Rockport, Mass., c. 1910

Posted on March 25, 2011 by

Here is a view of the Twin Lights on Thacher Island, taken from the Rockport shoreline. The postcard is postmarked 1911, so the picture is likely to be at least a year older, if not even more. The postcard was … Continue reading →

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Moonlight on Sandy Bay, Pigeon Cove, Mass., circa 1910

Posted on March 24, 2011 by

In honor of this week’s “supermoon,” here is a postcard of the moon over Sandy Bay from around 1910. The image is quite dramatic, with the fishing schooner in the foreground set off by the U.S. Navy warships in the … Continue reading →

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Steel Derrick Quarry, as an Active Quarry Circa 1910

Posted on March 22, 2011 by

Today, Steel Derrick Quarry is a popular swimming spot for locals. At the time this picture was taken, it was an active granite quarry, one of two owned by the Pigeon Hill Granite Co. Founded in 1870, Pigeon Hill was … Continue reading →

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Main Street, East from Post Office, Rockport, Mass., c. 1915

Posted on March 21, 2011 by

Compare this view of Main Street — which I estimate to be 1915 — with this one from 1911 and this one from 1920, all from more or less the same angle. Also compare it with this one from 1906 … Continue reading →

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The Rocky Shores in 1910, When it Was a Private Estate

Posted on March 16, 2011 by

If this grand estate looks familiar to you, it is because it still stands on Eden Road, where it is now known as the Rocky Shores Manor. At the time of this photo, which was around 1910, the estate was … Continue reading →

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Pigeon Hill: A View ‘Excelled Nowhere’ on the New England Coast, circa 1915

Posted on March 15, 2011 by

Unfortunately, the view that an author once described as “excelled nowhere on the New England coast” can no longer be seen. The summit of Pigeon Hill, the highest point in Rockport, is overgrown with vegetation that obstructs what was once … Continue reading →

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George J. Tarr School, Rockport, Mass., circa 1910

Posted on March 14, 2011 by

In 1882, fire swept through the Annisquam Cotton Mill, which had operated since 1847 on a site bordered by Main Street and Broadway in Rockport. Remarkably, although the fire destroyed the mill, the ruins remained standing there for another 22 … Continue reading →

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Long Beach, Cape Ann, Mass., 1905

Posted on March 13, 2011 by

Here is a beautiful, colorized 1905 view of Long Beach, looking much the same as it does today, except for the Victorian-era attire on the people strolling along the beach. One other difference is that the concrete retaining wall that … Continue reading →

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The Tidal Wave that Struck Rockport in 1906

Posted on March 11, 2011 by

Amid today’s horrible news from Japan, I was reminded of a news item I came across recently. On May 17, 1906, a seven-foot tidal wave struck Rockport, carrying out six fishing boats with it as it receded. The boats were … Continue reading →

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High Tide at Motif No. 1, Rockport, Mass., circa 1942

Posted on March 10, 2011 by

I am estimating this picture to be from the early 1940s, which makes it one of the most recent of any of the postcards I’ve posted here so far. The picture is by Virginia Cleaves Little, who, as I noted … Continue reading →

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