Gloucester, Massachusetts

Hello Rodie, welcome to the real United States and welcome to Glouster Massachusetts. We are here in front of the statue of the man at the wheel, also known as the Glouster Fisherman's Memorial Cenotaph. And Glouster is important in American history because he's actually one of the oldest. English settlements in the United States were founded in 1623 as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Now I know that we were recently in Plymouth, at Plymouth Rock, the original landing site of the Mayflower pilgrims in 1620, however, Plymouth did not become an actual city. until 16 26, so Glouster predates Plymouth by three years, now Gloucester failed and many of the people here moved to Salem because it had richer soil and then the city was refounded again, but he was part of them, it was a city official since 1623 in part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony now this statue is placed here as a monument to the more than ten thousand people who have lost their lives in the Atlantic Ocean and the Glouster fishing industry now here around the Statue There is a semicircle of granite blocks with bronze plaques and on them are inscribed five thousand of the names of the people who lost their lives in the fishing industry, they ran out of space, the remaining five thousand more are actually inscribed on a plaque As I understand it, what I believe is the City Council. and then the number continues to grow, the fishing industry is still a very dangerous industry even though there have been many increases in technology and there have been increases in safety precautions and safety equipment, people still lose their lives in the Atlantic Ocean, one of the most dangerous bodies of water. in the world, but people continue to go out and make a living fishing in towns like this.

This remains to this day one of the major fishing ports in the United States and fills a great need to bring in seafood to sell to the American public. now, this is Gloucester Harbor in the background, it's a nice harbor, sheltered waters, very popular, that's why this city was founded here because it was protected by the balusters harbor, so certainly in the day, especially, it was Sailboats could be brought here, anchored, and Safe Harbor could be found during storms and mild weather, which are common here, especially in the winter months in New England. There is also a beautiful beach here along the park.

You see, they now have American flags all over this park, all along Stacy Beauregard Park. The company and men who originally found Glouster in 1623 landed in what is now a park about a mile up the harbor from here and we will take them and show them that here is now the original landing place of the group of men known as the Dorchester company are from Dorchester England under a decree from James the First this is where they landed to found Glouster for the first time here in Half Moon Bay now today there is a sign on this huge rock that is about 50 feet high they tell me and there is a plaque solid bronze inlaid in the front which in black appears to be approximately 10 feet by 10 feet or nine feet by 10 feet between this as the original landing site of the Dorchester company at the founding of Gloucester and this today is the stage park four and the stage 4 park is the public park there are facilities here for people who come for the kids to play a couple of baseball diamonds there is a paid parking here and there is also the local Glouster visitor center here but this of New is the original landing site in 1623, where Glouster was originally founded by the Dorchester company.

Now, like most small towns in the United States, especially those along the coast, they will be adorned with restaurants and diners of all kinds and again, especially along the coast because they are going to offer seafood because that's what people go to the Seaboard expecting to get, so that's what they offer and Bev and I just had lunch here at the Gloucester house, a very nice meal, but I had a good piece of haddock and Of course, I had lobster because well, I like lobster, but the interior is beautiful, a little expensive, but no, it's not crazy, you know, it's certainly comparable to a good restaurant in most metropolitan areas just in the eastern part of the United States, but they have a lot of anchors here and these are authentic, you'll see this one here on my right, the left is from a ship from 1840, so they are genuine antiques that have been recovered, stored and brought here now as display pieces for some of the premises. establishments, so I would like to thank you for joining us here in the real United States and Glouster Massachusetts for the first English settlements in the United States and still a city with a very important fishing industry here on the east coast.

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