Monthly Archives: November 2011

Main St., Showing Poole’s Drugs, Rockport, Mass., c. 1914

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

This postcard was published by J. Sidney Poole and shows Poole’s Pharmacy, the drugstore he operated at the corner of Main and Beach streets. I believe he lived upstairs from the pharmacy. Poole was a descendant of John Pool, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Rising Sun Behind the Twin Lights, Rockport, Mass., c. 1906

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

This view of the Twin Lights on Thacher Island appears on several postcards from the early 1900s. This particular one is unique for the publisher’s addition of the rays of the rising sun emanating from behind the island. Something else … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Billingsgate, Rockport, Mass., circa 1912

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

The home shown in this postcard still stands, as you can see in the picture below, which I took just this week. It is located at the southern end of South Street, just past Penzance Road. Note how much the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Driftwood Farm, Rockport, Mass., c. 1937-1940

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

Driftwood Farm was the home of J. Raymond Smith, a man well known in Rockport for the lumber yard and hardware store he operated, and his wife, Edna L. Smith. Driftwood Farm was also operated as a guest house, managed … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Railroad Station, Rockport, Mass., c. 1911

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

Compare this view of the Rockport railroad station with this other one from the same time period. They focus on pretty much the same view, but from opposite sides of the depot house. I assume the dirt-covered lot in front … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

The House of the Whispering Pines, Phillips Ave., c. 1912

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

During the summer of 1912, the Boston School Committee was hoping to convince Franklin B. Dyer to become the city’s new superintendent of schools. Dyer, then superintendent of schools in Cincinnati, was not eager to come to Boston. But by … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

‘Our Cape Ann Home’: Manning’s Words and Music

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

Earlier today I mentioned the lecture tomorrow about William Manning. Besides being an inventor, a manufacturer and a musician, Manning was also a songwriter. The sheet music for one of his songs, “Our Cape Ann Home,” is included in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Historical Society Presents Manning Lecture Tomorrow

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

I’ve had a couple of posts here about William N. Manning, the Rockport resident in the 1800s who once operated a factory in Millbrook Meadow manufacturing melodeons, a type of organ popular in the 19th century. Tomorrow night, Nov. 8, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

The New Oakdene, Pigeon Cove, Mass., 1905

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

The New Oakdene was a hotel on Phillips Avenue in Pigeon Cove operated by Mrs. J.J. Dean. An advertisement in a 1903 magazine described the New Oakdene as “built and furnished new 1900; all modern improvements.” It also said the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Sea View Farm, Rockport, Mass., circa 1912

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Robert Ambrogi

Seaview Farm, at 38 South St. in Rockport, is known today as a boarding stable. It has been home to seven generations of the Lane family, who established it in 1838 as a dairy farm. In the 1970s, Charles L. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment