Monthly Archives: January 2011

A Bit of Rockport, Mass., 1905

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

This view of Rockport, taken from White Wharf and looking out over Old Harbor, is copyright 1905 and postmarked 1906. It was published by The Rotograph Co. of New York City. It is interesting to compare this photo on the … Continue reading →

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Rockport Granite Co. Wharf, Rockport, Mass., circa 1920

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

Here is a view of what is now called Granite Pier when it was still in active use by the Rockport Granite Company, which operated from 1865 to 1933. This postcard is not dated. It appears to come from the … Continue reading →

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Thatchers Eastern Light, near Gloucester, Mass., 1910

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

Apart from identifying this as a lighthouse, the caption of this postcard gets none of its facts straight. This, of course, is one of the famous Twin Lights, located on Thacher Island, not “Thatchers.” It is generally referred to as … Continue reading →

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Turk’s Head Inn, Rockport, Mass., 1905

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

The Turk’s Head Inn was once Rockport’s grandest getaway. As I noted in an earlier post, when the U.S. Navy fleet and visiting dignitaries came to town, this is where they came to be feted. The 2007 book, Summer by the … Continue reading →

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U.S. Life Saving Station, Rockport, Mass., 1905

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

This 1905 picture shows the life saving station that remains at Gap Cove to this day. According to a U.S. Coast Guard history, the station was built in 1889 to replace a station built at Davis Neck in 1874. It … Continue reading →

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Old Garden Beach & the Headlands, Rockport, Mass., circa 1908

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

This postcard, published by The Rotograph Company in New York City, has no date or postmark. According to a website devoted to the history of The Rotograph Company, it actively produced postcards only from 1904 to 1908. The postcard has … Continue reading →

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Harbor, Rockport, Mass., circa 1912

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

Update: I realized that I have another copy of this same card. It bears a dated postmark of July 21, 1913. So I am revising my estimate of the photograph’s date back a couple years, to 1912 (at the latest). … Continue reading →

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The Launching of the “Evelyn and Ralph”, Rockport, Mass., circa 1920

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

[Update: I first posted this as circa 1923. I then found a reference to this vessel in 1921. Thus, I have changed my estimate of the date to 1920.] Shipbuilding was a common enterprise on Bearskin Neck in the early … Continue reading →

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Winter Scene Near the ‘Old Castle,’ Pigeon Cove, circa 1930

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

With a nod to this week’s snow and cold, here is a snowy scene from the past. It shows people riding a horse-drawn sled near The Old Castle, near the intersection of Curtis Street and Granite Street. The Old Castle, … Continue reading →

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Sunrise, Sandy Bay Harbor of Refuge, circa 1906

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, warships from the U.S. Navy’s North Atlantic Squadron were regular visitors to Sandy Bay. News reports from the time suggest the squadron’s arrival was always a notable event. For example, a July 9, 1899, … Continue reading →

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