Issues → May/June 2007 → Travel →
Cape Ann, Massachusetts: The Other Cape
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Rockport once had its own art colony on Bearskin Neck, which has since been overrun with high-priced galleries and T-shirt shops. It's worth taking a walk out to the end, however, for cinematic crashes of waves on the breakwater and a glimpse of what might be the world's most famous fish shack. A vermilion structure festooned with nets and lobster buoys, the building was dubbed "Motif No. 1" for the frequency with which it was painted by early art students. It's since become a virtual symbol of Rockport -- so much so that after it washed out to sea during a blizzard 29 years ago, town fathers quietly built an exact replica in its place on Bradley Wharf. (Perhaps it should be called "Motif No. 2"?)
West of Gloucester, you'll find the little town of Essex, a former shipbuilding center on the Essex River that supplied all of those schooners that made the cape's fishing industry famous. At its height in the mid-1800s, the village launched a ship a week from its yards, with whole families scrambling from vessel to vessel to lay keels, steam planks, and caulk seams in what might be considered one of the first assembly lines. "It's a story of Yankee ingenuity and cooperation," says Tom Ellis, president of the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, which now occupies one of the former shipyards. One of the last historic Essex schooners sits picturesquely on stocks in the yard, while up the hill, a dusty schoolhouse displays a collection of tools, ship models, and photographs. Not that shipbuilding here is a thing of the past. A decade ago, Ellis sold his antiques business to build a two-masted schooner, the Thomas E. Lannon, right in the museum yard and now gives schooner tours out of Gloucester Harbor.
Essex's modern claim to fame is as the birthplace of the fried clam, invented in 1916 when Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman spontaneously dropped a bivalve into a kettle of potato chip oil. Salt-covered beachgoers still stop by Woodman's of Essex to squeeze into wooden booths and dip breaded-to-order clam bellies into homemade tartar sauce. Another local favorite is the Portside Chowder House on Rockport's Bearskin Neck, which dishes out steaming cups of clam chowder and local swordfish steaks grilled with Cajun seasoning from a vantage overlooking the water.
Not all of the food on Cape Ann comes with a view, however. Despite its location perched above Rocky Neck, the intimate Duckworth's Bistrot has no windows facing the harbor. That's a clue to the emphasis here, which is all on the food. The menu runs to classic bistro fare such as fresh salade Niçoise with seared yellowfin tuna and savory roasted-garlic red wine dressing, and Black Angus rib eye topped with a flavorful wild-mushroom sauce. The restaurant is the child of chef Ken Duckworth, formerly of Boston's acclaimed Maison Robert. In keeping with his love of experimentation, all of the entrées are available as half portions so diners can mix and match according to their own creative desires.
After all, inspiration comes in many forms.
What the Locals Know
Searching through her grandfather's attic, local graphic designer Seania McCarthy discovered a clipping about a deserted village in the heart of Cape Ann called Dogtown Common (or Commons). A prosperous farming and mill community in the 1600s and 1700s, it was finally abandoned, literally, to the dogs in the mid-19th century. Now she, partner Dee McManus, and McManus's dog, Cooper, give hiking tours of the area, complete with tales of former villagers. Hidden among the trees, in addition to old cellar holes, are huge boulders carved with quirky inspirational messages such as "Never Try Never Win" that were commissioned by a philanthropist during the Depression. 978-546-8122; walkthewords.com
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