ee a 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder 11 
and there was an old style brick oven which turned out 
the delicacies. for the boarders. Nearly everything was 
raised on the place and lobsters and fish were plentiful. 
The Kidders came year after year and brought more 
people with them each year. A nearby cottage was used 
to lodge the overflow from the homestead. 
The next house to receive summer boarders was that 
of Mrs. F. W. Wonson, since known as the Fairview. 
Later the Craig cottage, now Merrill hall, was opened by 
Mrs. O. A. Merrill. The opening of the Delphine, Mail- 
main, Harbor View and Beachcroft soon followed. The 
Wonson homestead (now Hawthorne Inn) was leased to 
George O. Stacy in 1890, and has been continually added 
to and improved ever since. In those days Rocky Neck 
boasted of no roadway connection, but had merely a broad 
stone wall over which one walked at high tide. The open- 
ing of the Pilgrim House and Rockaway came later. The 
little district school house stood where the Harbor View 
now stands. 
Cape'A’nn Home for Fishermen 
Tie home for Cape Ann Fishermen, opened on Jan- 
uary Ist, 1912, is one of the most worthy recent chari- 
ties of Gloucester. The agitation which led to its establish- 
ment was started a few years ago by Dr. John Dixwell 
of Boston. 
At that time several old Gloucester fishermen ap- 
peared before the district court and pleaded guilty 19 
vagrancy. They had no home and winter was coming 
on, so they took this method to secure food and shelter 
in the house of correction. ‘These facts were reported in 
one of the Boston papers and the sympathies of Dr. 
Dixwell were aroused. Immediately a fund was raised 
with the result that on the day before Christmas thirteen 
old fisherman were released from the county house at 
Ipswich and placed in a 
fishermen’s boarding 
house in Gloucester 
Dr. Dixwell started an 
agitation to establish a 
permanent home for 
these men. In this he 
was aided by Judge 
Sumner D. York of 
the Eastern District 
Court. 
The story of the 
suffering and hardships 
of these old toilers of 
the deep was read by 
John Hays Hammond 
of Washington at Glou- 
cester with the result 
that in the spring of 
1912 the Colby place on 
Eastern avenue was 
purchased by him and 
presented to a board of 
trustees as a home 
for aged or indigent 
fishermen of all Cape 
Ann. . 
The .place is‘on the 
main road to Rockport 
and is. surrounded by 
about 15, acres used for 
gardening and _ fruit 
trees. The fishermen 
take much pleasure in 
their gardens and each 
one shows some origin- 
ality in arrangement 
and choice of flowers 
surrounding the vege- 
table beds. 
TYPICAL GLOUCESTER SCENE 
The house has been furnished by friends. Dr. Wm. 
Appleton of Boston furnished the reception room and 
Cunningham and Thompson of Gloucester the  sitting- 
room for the matron. Wards have been furnished by the 
Master Mariners association, Howard Blackburn, Syl- 
vanus Smith & Co., George O. Stacy, Unity club of the 
Unitarian church and one by a Boston lady in memory 
of her mother, Helen Greenwood Powers. 
The home is supported by the voluntary contribu- 
tions of the public. It is not allied or identified with 
any other institution or charity in Gloucester. The trus- 
tees urge the public to visit the home. Small gifts as 
well as the larger ones will tbe welcomed. Gifts of 
money, clothing, articles for the home, for the rooms and 
for the men are all 
needed. Old magazines 
are very much appreci- 
ated. The superinten- 
dent will call for arti- 
cles if notified. Tele- 
phone 1095. 
The fishermen’s home 
is*one.of the charities 
which is visible to its 
donors; one can see the 
good it is doing and. does 
not have to take. a 
stranger’s word . for it 
Since its inception the 
home has done much to 
benefit the fishermen 
and it has commended 
itself to all who origin- 
ally were interested in 
it, together with many 
additional North Shore 
people who have done 
their part toward its up- 
keep. Since the home 
was purchased by John 
Hays Harmond © and 
presented bv him to the 
fisher-ren he has contin- 
ued his interest in it. 
The trustees are 
Havs Hammond, 
P.M. Tongan. Dr. John 
Dixwell, Trude Qymnoe 
Recor J eh Carenit, 
Stacy. .W™ 
G. Brown. Cant... L. B. 
Spinney and F.. W. Tib- 
bets. The superinten- 
dent of the home is 
Capt. James P. Gleason. 
| oh Nn 
George (). 
> 
