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Edward Potthast, Portrait of a Fisherman,1900 |
The Museum’s fisheries and
maritime galleries reflect Cape Ann’s preeminence in seafaring
pursuits. Gloucester’s deep water harbor attracted a group of
Englishmen from the Dorchester Company, who landed here in 1623 to
fish and to establish a settlement. Gloucester thus became the
country’s first fishing port. By the late 19th century, Gloucester
was a record-setting port for fisheries under sail.
The city remained a fishing center as waves of immigrants –
primarily Nova Scotian, Sicilian and Portuguese – came to fish the
waters off Cape Ann. Fishing remains an important part of the
local economy. Fishing also remains one of the most dangerous
professions, as demonstrated by Sebastian Junger in his book
The Perfect Storm. (The movie by the same name was filmed in
Gloucester.)
Trade was conducted with Surinam, China, Europe and India. The
most lucrative was the trade with the Dutch colony Surinam. It
made fortunes for many sea captains, but it also brought shame to
some local families because slaves were part of the trade along
with rum, molasses and dried fish.
Gloucester boasts three sailors who braved the Atlantic in solo
sails – Alfred Johnson in 1876, Howard
Blackburn in 1899 and 1901, and newspaper publisher Philip
Weld in the 1970s. Other
colorful characters have punctuated the history of this
port, on land and at sea. |
