USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Gloucester > Gloucester (Essex County, Mass.) city directory 1957-1958 > Part 1
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ALBERT A. GRONBLAD
SEE YELLOW PAGE 9
MASON CONTRACTOR TELEPHONES 4241 -- 4301-
CARROLL K. STEELE
"SEE CARROLL"
NSURANCE
PROMPT COURTEOUS RELIABLE
TELEPHONE 5100 120 MAIN STREET - GLOUCESTER, MASS. SEE YELLOW PAGE 21
NATIONAL HOUSE FURNISHING CO.
Quality Furniture and Floor Covering 196 MAIN STREET TELEPHONE 1904.
SEE YELLOW PAGE 16
INSURANCE SPECIALISTS CUNNINGHAM & KERR
1848 Over a Century of Satisfactory Service MERVYN F. PIPER - WILLIAM R. BISHOP
111 MAIN STREET GLOUCESTER, MASS. Telephones 3280 -3281
JAMES C. GREELY FUNERAL HOME FUNERAL DIRECTORS JAMES C. GREELY, Jr. - JAMES, C. GREELY, III TELEPHONE 698 Day and Night Service 212 WASHINGTON STREET - 71 PLEASANT STREET GLOUCESTER, MASS.
CAPE ANN SAVINGS BANK
109 MAIN STREET "The Place For Your Savings" GLOUCESTER, MASS.
GLOUCESTER NATIONAL BANK
PHONE 610
MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION.
103
PHONE
CAE
ELL
C
SILVA'S TAXI
RAIN or SHINE
RADIO DISPATCHED CABS
2-WAY RADIO EQUIPPED CARS
WEDDINGS - FUNERALS
Cars are Available for All Occasions
GLOUCESTER
29
OR
4800 - 2900
297 MAIN STREET
GLOUCESTER, MASS.
MAPOF THE CITY OF GLOUCESTER
MASS. 1957
R. L. POLK & CO. 179 Lincoln St. Boston, Mass.
**** + ******************* Steam Railroad Bus Lines
Copyright 1957 by R. L. Polk & Co.
LINLEYILLE
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ROCK PORT
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Gloucester
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POLK'S
GLOUCESTER (ESSEX COUNTY, MASS.)
CITY DIRECTORY
VOL. 1957-58 XLIII INCLUDING ROCKPORT
Containing an Alphabetical Directory of Business Concerns and Pri- vate Citizens, a Directory of Householders, Occupants of Office Buildings and Other Business Places, Including a Complete Street and Avenue Guide, A Numerical Telephone Directory, A Map and Much Information of a Miscellaneous Character ; also the
YELLOW PAGES
With a Special ADVERTISING SECTION and a Complete CLASSIFIED LIST
FOR CONTENTS SEE INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL INDEX
PRICE
"The DIRECTORY IS THE COMMON INTERMEDIARY BETWEEN
$40.00
1 BUYER AND SELLER'
R. L. POLK & CO., Publishers
District Office 179 LINCOLN STREET, BOSTON 11, MASS.
DIRECTORY LIBRARY FOR FREE USE OF PUBLIC AT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Member Association of North American Directory Publishers
Copyright, 1358, by R. L. Polk & Co.
PROPERTY OF SAWYER FREE LIBRARY
1
EI
917.445
Section 28, Copyright Law In Force July 7, 1909
That any person who wilfully and for profit shall infringe any copyright secured by this act, or who shall knowingly or wilfully aid or abet such infringement, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment for not exceeding one year, or by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or both, in the discretion of the court
ASSN. OF NORTH
BONO
PUBLIco
AMERICAN
ANIZEL
1898
DIRECTORY
DIRT DIATEDIRE DIRECDIRECDIREG
PUBLISHERS
PUBLISHERS' NOTE
The information in this Directory is gathered by an actual canvass and is compiled in a way to insure maximum accuracy.
The publishers cannot and do not guarantee the cor- rectness of all information furnished them nor the complete absence of errors or omissions, hence no responsibility for same can be or is assumed.
The publishers earnestly request the bringing to ther attention of any inaccuracy so that it may be corrected in the next edition of the directory.
R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers
III
INTRODUCTION
AND GENERAL INDEX
R. L. POLK & CO., publishers of more than 850 city, county, state and national Directories, present to subscribers and the general public, this, the 1957-1958 edition of the Gloucester City Directory, including Rockport.
Confidence in the growth of Gloucester's and Rockport's industry and wealth, and in the advancement of their civic and social activities, will be maintained as sections of this Directory are consulted, for the Directory is a mirror truly reflecting Gloucester and Rockport to the world.
The enviable position occupied by R. L. POLK & CO.'S Directories in the estimation of the public throughout the country, has been estab- lished by rendering the best in Directory service. With an unrivaled organization, and having had the courteous and hearty co-operation of the business and professional men and residents, the publishers feel that the result of their labors will meet with the approval of every user, and that the Gloucester and Rockport Directory will fulfill its mission as a source of authentic information pertaining to the cities.
Four Major Departments
The four major departments are arranged in the following order :-
I. THE MISCELLANEOUS DEPARTMENT, the first major depart- ment on white paper, presents lists of city, county and state officials, statistical review, and manufacturing, trade and civic surveys.
II. THE YELLOW PAGES constitute the second major depart- ment of the Directory. This embraces a complete list of the names and addresses of the business and professional concerns of the city, arranged in alphabetical order under appropriate headings-a catalog of all the activities of the city. Preceding this catalog, likewise grouped under appropriate headings, are the advertisements and business cards of firms and individuals desiring to present a more complete list of their products or services than is possible in the catalog itself. The Yellow Pages represent reference advertising at its best, and merit the attention of all buyers and sellers seeking sources of supply or markets for goods. In a busy and diversified communuity like Gloucester, the necessity of having this kind of information up-to-date and always im- mediately available, is obvious. The Directory is the common interme- diary between buyer and seller, and plays an important role in the daily activities of the commercial, industrial and professional world.
III. THE ALPHABETICAL LIST OF NAMES of residents and business and professional concerns, is the third major department printed on white paper. This is the only record in existence that aims to show the name, marital status, occupation and address of each adult resident of Gloucester, and the name, official personnel, nature and address of each firm and corporation in the city. A similar list for Rockport appears after the Gloucester House.
IV. THE DIRECTORY OF HOUSEHOLDERS, INCLUDING STREET AND AVENUE GUIDE, is the fourth major department on green paper. In this section the names of the streets are arranged in alphabetical order; the numbers of the residences and business concerns are arranged in numerical order under the name of eachi street, and the names of the householders and concerns are placed opposite the numbers. The names of the intersecting streets appear at their re- spective crossing points on each street. Special feature of this section
IV
are the designation of tenant-owned homes and the designation of homes and places of business having telephones. A similar department for Rockport appears after the Alphabetical Section.
Community Publicity
The Directory reflects the achievements and ambitions of the com- munity, depicting in unbiased terms what it has to offer as a place of residence, as a business location, as a manufacturing site and as an educational center. To broadcast this information, the publishers have placed copies of this issue of the Directory in Directory Libraries, where they are readily available for free public reference, and serve as per- petual and reliable advertisements of Gloucester and Rockport.
The Gloucester Directory Library
Through the courtesy of the publishers of the Gloucester City Directory, a Directory Library is maintained in the offices of the Glouces- ter Chamber of Commerce, for free reference by the general public. This is one of more than 700 Directory Libraries installed in the chief cities of the United States and Canada by members of the Association of North American Directory Publishers, under whose supervision the system is operated.
The publishers appreciatively acknowledge the recognition by those progressive business and professional men who have demonstrated their confidence in the City Directory as an advertising medium, with assur- ance that it will bring a commensurate return.
R. L. POLK & CO., Publishers
HOW TO USE YOUR CITY DIRECTORY SEE PAGE XXIV
V
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
PAGE NUMBERS BELOW REFER TO THE BUYERS' GUIDE SECTION, THE YELLOW PAGES
Babson-Elwell & Davis Inc PAGE
right top corner cards and A Beverly Motor Sales Co Inc Z
Brown William G Company back cover, right top lines and 11
Burgess Elmer F Inc back cover, left top lines and 14
Butman A Carl left top corner cards and 22
Cameron C Floyd
right top corner cards and 27
Cape Ann Anchor & Forge Co
left top corner cards and
13
Cape Ann National Bank back cover, right top lines and 3
Cape Ann Savings Bank front cover, right top lines and 4
Chick George P & Son 28
Cooper-Bessemer Corp The
Corliss Bros Inc right top lines and 12
left top corner cards and 26
Cunningham & Kerr ... front cover and 19
Cunningham Paint Co Inc
right top corner cards and
27
Rogers Louis A Agency
Curtis Russell M left top corner cards and 9
Day John W ... right top lines and 9
Dodge C Furniture Co
17
Sears, Roebuck and Co
Faulk Bros Inc left top lines and 8 Favazza Salvatore J 22 Frost D O Company
right bottom lines and 7
Gloucester Building Supply Co Inc 25
Gloucester Daily Times 25 Gloucester Marine Railways Corp
right top lines and 25
Gloucester National Bank of Gloucester front cover and 5
Gloucester Safe Deposit and Trust Co .. insert at Rockport Section
Gloucester Supply Company 18 Gray Charles J & Sons Inc left top lines and 18 Greely James C Funeral Home . front cover and 15
Gronblad Albert A
front cover, left top lines and
9
Henderson & Johnson Inc
left bottom corner cards and 26 John Alden-Griffin Co
Julian Bros
right bottom lines and
7
9
"Les" Malloch's Auto School
right top corner cards and
Mahony G Everett Inc
2
McCarthy Edward L
22
Nally and Alves
.
. left top lines and
10
Nally Oil Co
. right top lines and
26
National House Furnishing Co
.1 ..
front cover and 16
Nauss L B & Sons Inc
.
. back bone,
top, bottom and front stencils and
24
Peterson Lawrence N
left top corner cards and
28
Pratt Don
.right top lines and
29
Rockport National Bank
Rogers Geo K Store
back cover and 6 22
right top corner cards and
29
Roland's for Flowers
back cover, 7 and
13
right top corner cards and
12
Silva's Taxi
C and
30
Somers James V Co Inc
23
Steele Carroll K
front cover and
21
Swett William A Jr
left top corner cards and
27
Thurston George W Inc
left top corner cards and
2
Thurston Real Estate Agency
28
right top corner cards and
Tompkins C F Co
right top corner cards and
17
West Gloucester Cab
right top lines and
Y
Yellow Cab Co
front cover and
B
PAGE
ribbon book mark and 20
VI
- 1956
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"Vital Information at Your Fingertips"-The City Directory ..
"A Real Necessity in Every Office"-The City Directory U P F
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GLOUCESTER
" The Fish City"
(Courtesy Gloucester Chamber of Commerce)
Statistical Review
Form of Government: Plan E (PR) with
City Manager
Normal Population: 25,866.
Summer Population: 40,000 estimated.
Area: Thirty-six square miles.
Altitude: Fifty-seven feet.
Assessed Valuation : Personal $4,082,125.00 (1957); Real Estate $44,443,560.00 (1957); Automobile $4,898,870.00 (1957); Vessels $2,104,300.00 (1957) with $63.80 (1957) tax per $1,000.
White Population: 25,866. Colored Population: None. Native Born Population:
85 percent of
whole population:
Predominating Nationalities in City: Native American, Italian, Portuguese, Finnish, English.
Parks and Playgrounds : Sixteen with 700 acres.
City's Bonded Debt: $2,486,000.00 (June 30, 1957).
Financial: Two National banks, One Trust Company, with total deposits of $16,928,- 385.25; resources $18,718,540.71. One sav- ings bank with total deposits of $13,330,- 581.49, resources $15,003,616.11. One co- operative bank with total resources of $9,363,082.91.
Post Office Receipts : $253,295.18. Telephones in Service: 16,533. Church Buildings: Twenty-two.
Trade: Territory (Retail) serves 40,000 peo- ple within the trading area covering a ra- dius of thirteen miles.
Hotels: There are two commercial hotels open all year, with total of fourty rooms; also thirteen hotels which operate only in the summer months. There are motels, motor courts, light housekeeping cottages, guest homes, and other facilities to accom- modate summer guests.
City Served By: Boston & Maine railroad. Amusements: There are two theatres, with a total seating capacity of 2,132 people, also a drive-in theatre off Route 128 at Exit 3, car capacity, 663.
Hospital : One presently with eighty-five beds, fifteen bassinets. Expansion program now under way will increase this number to 127 beds and twenty bassinets.
Education: Number of schools, 13, including 1 high school, 2 parochial schools. Number of pupils in public schools, 4,450. Total of all teachers is 199. Value of all school property, private and public, approximately $5,458,000.00.
Libraries: There are 39,374 volumes in the library of the city. ›
City Statistics: Total street mileage two hundred eighty, with one hundred twenty miles paved, seventy miles semi-public, gravel, oiled; and ninety miles unim- proved. Miles of gas mains laid, fifty-nine, of sewers, twenty miles main lines (ap- prox). Capacity of water works (munici- pal) 917,178,000 gallons, daily average pump of 2,616,000 gallons with 112 miles of mains and value of plant estimated at $3,725,000.00. New distributing reservoir has been built at Bond's Hill, with a 6,000,000 gallon capacity in place of old 3,000,000 gallon capacity.
Fire Department: Employs 81 men includ- ing a chief, three deputy chiefs, a motor supervisor, 6 permanent captains, 47 per- manent men, 12 reserve men, 11 callmen, with the following equipment: 7 pumping engines (2 in reserve), 2 ladder trucks, 1 combination hose and water truck, 1 squad wagon, a chief's car, and 1 combination police and fire boat, 1 forestry truck and 1 jeep truck. There are 4 fire stations. Value of fire department property $300,- 300.00.
City Electrician: Has 1 car and 1 truck in service.
Police Department : Has 37 regular men, 8 superior officers and 6 reserve men with 1 station and 10 pieces of motor equipment and 1 combination police and fire boat, 5 pieces of apparatus and the police boat are equipped with two way radios.
GEOGRAPHY
Gloucester is located about thirty miles northeast of Boston, Massachusetts. The orig- inal town of Gloucester occupied the whole northern promontory of Massachusetts Bay, known as Cape Ann and was bounded on the north by Ipswich Bay, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Massachu- setts Bay and on the west by the towns of Manchester, Essex and Ipswich.
Cape Ann is divided into two nearly equal sections by the Annisquam River, an arm of the sea extending from Ipswich Bay about four miles towards and into Gloucester Har- bor. Gloucester of today retains practically its same boundaries and includes the follow ..
VIII
ing districts: Magnolia, Annisquam, River- dale, West Gloucester, East Gloucester, Bay View and Lanesville. The northeastern por- tion of the Cape, however, which was in- cluded in the territory of the original town of Gloucester, is separated into what is known as the town of Rockport, the extreme end being known as Pigeon Cove.
The principal harbor is on the south side of the city and is formed by Eastern Point- a strip of unequal width extending in a south- westerly direction about three miles-a rock bound coast that defies the violence of surg- ing waves dashing almost constantly against it, and affording within a safe shelter and anchorage for a large fleet.
The surface of the town is uneven; and its peculiar character strikes every beholder at first sight with astonishment. Bald, rocky hills, bold and precipitous ledges of rock, with acres of bowlders of various sizes, in many places scattered thickly over the sur- face, combine to present a rare scene of naked ruggedness. The small tracts and patches of clear land, by which this view of barrenness is occasionally relieved, are cov- ered with a strong and fertile soil, suited to the growth of most of our New England agri- cultural products.
The rocks of Cape Ann are granite, of a beautiful, dark color and are easily wrought into blocks of any needed size. Quarries formerly operated in different localities, sev- eral at Rockport, at the lower extremity of the Cape; others at Lanesville and at Bay View-suburban districts of Gloucester prop- er. The products of these quarries in the form of monuments, decorative ornamenta- tions, paving blocks, etc. have been shipped to every part of the world.
In all, Cape Ann is picturesque. It is truly typical of the rock bound coast of our north- ern Atlantic States. A drive around the shore road from which an open view of the ocean is afforded practically throughout the entire route, presents a picture of rugged rocks dashed over with spray, these interposed with as many as forty beaches of various sizes around the entire Cape. The drives around Cape Ann are pretty. The inland roads through wooded sections of hard-wood growth give a touch of country life in sharp contrast to the rugged scenery along the shore.
HISTORY
From the time of the early explorers Gloucester, Mass., has occupied a large place in the history of New England and the na- tion. It is claimed that the Norsemen in 1001 skirted the New England Coast, which they called New Vineland and landed here. It has also been said that they called the place "Kroasnes", the Cape of the Cross; that they were attacked by the Indians, their chieftain, Thorwald, being killed and buried on shore. In 1605, as authentically recorded, Cham- plain, on a voyage of exploration and discov- ery sailed about the cape which he named CAPE AUX ISLES.
The next year in early September he founded what is now Eastern Point and came
to anchor in the inner harbor between Five and Ten Pound Islands-so named for the sums for which they were purchased from the Indians in Colonial times. Champlain was charmed with the place and made a pro- longed stay. His name for it was singularly appropiate, "Le Beau Port", the Beautiful
Harbor.
After Champlain's departure came Captain John Smith and Miles Standish with his com- pany of followers. The honor of making the first settlement, however, which was also the first permanent settlement in Massachusetts Bay, belongs to the Dorchester Colony, a company formed by the Rev. John White, a Puritan minister, rector of StPeter's church of Dorchester, England. His colony sailed for and reached what is now Gloucester in 1623, not, as had been supposed, for the purpose of escaping religious persecution. Its real ob- ject was the pursuit of the fisheries which had been successfully carried on off the New England Coast since 1606. The site of the first settlement was at Stage Fort, now a public reservation known as "Stage Fort Park", where their landing is suitably com- memorated with a bronze tablet which bears an inscription telling the story of their orig- inal landing.
In 1624 Roger Conant was appointed Gov- ernor and the Colony attracted much atten- tion. Its interests were concerned entirely in fishing and farming. The fisheries were successfully pursued and good catches sent to Balboa, Spain, but the arable land of the Cape was exceedingly limited. This latter fact resulted in the agricultural part of the colony moving to Salem. Those remaining, however, were joined by others from time to time, among them being a colony from Ply- mouth in 1630. In 1632' the first church was built and services held. In 1639, the General Court was asked to incorporate the town. A charter was granted in 1642, the town taking the name of Gloucester from the ca- thedral city in England, whence many of the early settlers came.
The history of Gloucester is entwined with events of national importance. It tells us the story of the expedition against Louisburg, the Gibraltar of America,-how these men, in a craft commanded by Captain Sanders an in a land company under Captain Byles, gave splendid service in reducing that stronghold; they were with Wolfe at Quebec and were in the foreground when the flag of France was lowered for the last time on the American Continent. In the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, in the Spanish American War and in the World War, the call to arms has ever been answered by the population of this fish- ing city. Their services have been rendered on land and sea and they have left behind a record of which any community may well be proud.
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