Hi Dear Folk,
Sunday afternoon I visited the Essex Shipbuilding Museum. The history of boat building in Essex, almost goes back to the time of the first European settlers. It's a rich interesting history. They built more two masted fishing schooners than anywhere else in the world and you've probably never heard of it. This is the history they never teach you in school.
I was fortunate to have an excellent tour guide from a family of fisherman. He was Sicilian, Jason. They did not come until the early 1900s which is when his great or maybe great, great grandfather came over to Gloucester, MA. They too have added to the rich culture of boats and fishing in this area.
The boats are launched when the tide is high, and most times launched sideways.
This is Jason with a small dory which they used to send out from the fishing schooner. Some local high school students are building this. It was quite dangerous to be out in the dory as they would be quite a distance from the main fishing boat. They were quite cheap to build and the fisherman found it cheaper to eventually buy them from Canada, than to make them locally.
Here is the Evelina Goulart one of the seven Essex built schooners to survive. It is in pretty bad disrepair, but can be used as a model of the workmanship.
This is a little walk from the main museum, housed in the old school house. These are the original half hull models, to scale, of the boats that were built in the Essex boat yard. They were originally at the Smithsonian, but since 1976 the bicentennial they are on permanent loan to Essex, where they originated from.
These fisherman have so many stories, Jason befriended an old fisherman who died recently in his nineties. During WWII he ran the route from North America to Russia, carrying anything the Russians needed for the war effort. After the war he stayed for an extra two years, courtesy of Stalin, mine sweeping the Baltic Sea. Well at least he didn't go to a gulag and did come back. He says he wants to write a book, based on his stories of fishing and more.
Here is some history
Such a great afternoon here.
Christine
Sunday afternoon I visited the Essex Shipbuilding Museum. The history of boat building in Essex, almost goes back to the time of the first European settlers. It's a rich interesting history. They built more two masted fishing schooners than anywhere else in the world and you've probably never heard of it. This is the history they never teach you in school.
I was fortunate to have an excellent tour guide from a family of fisherman. He was Sicilian, Jason. They did not come until the early 1900s which is when his great or maybe great, great grandfather came over to Gloucester, MA. They too have added to the rich culture of boats and fishing in this area.
The boats are launched when the tide is high, and most times launched sideways.
This is Jason with a small dory which they used to send out from the fishing schooner. Some local high school students are building this. It was quite dangerous to be out in the dory as they would be quite a distance from the main fishing boat. They were quite cheap to build and the fisherman found it cheaper to eventually buy them from Canada, than to make them locally.
Here is the Evelina Goulart one of the seven Essex built schooners to survive. It is in pretty bad disrepair, but can be used as a model of the workmanship.
This is a little walk from the main museum, housed in the old school house. These are the original half hull models, to scale, of the boats that were built in the Essex boat yard. They were originally at the Smithsonian, but since 1976 the bicentennial they are on permanent loan to Essex, where they originated from.
These fisherman have so many stories, Jason befriended an old fisherman who died recently in his nineties. During WWII he ran the route from North America to Russia, carrying anything the Russians needed for the war effort. After the war he stayed for an extra two years, courtesy of Stalin, mine sweeping the Baltic Sea. Well at least he didn't go to a gulag and did come back. He says he wants to write a book, based on his stories of fishing and more.
Here is some history
Such a great afternoon here.
Christine
What a great tour, a wonderful place to visit.
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