| Anne's Tools |
| Winter weather-enforced idleness led to prodigious drinking. In 1856, as the temperance and women’s rights movements arose, the women of Rockport under the leadership of Hannah Jumper, raided the men’s alcohol reserves. In the words of Ebenezer Pool, an eyewitness, "...On finding any keg, jug, or cask having spirituous liquor in it...with their hatchets broke or otherways destroyed it...'' Today, Rockport remains a dry town. "By 1850, Pigeon Cove was a small village with a broadly-based economy. Fishing and granite quarrying were traditional mainstays, and tourism began to flourish as the Cape Ann coast became extremely fashionable and boasted numerous hotels and resorts. Several were in or near Pigeon Cove, and by 1876 steamers from New York regularly called there. Artists have also frequented the cove, capturing its beauty and spirit on canvas. Another local industry with a profound future impact was a small blacksmith shop that would eventually become the Cape Ann Tool company." "The granite that gave Rockport its name is no longer quarried but the 100 years of its history lives on in the Scandinavian communities that dot the hillsides above the coastline." Today, the "town of Rockport is known for its art galleries, fishing community, and picturesque views. Its population of 7,000 doubles in the summer as visitors flock to the town to stroll the shops on Bearskin Neck, scuba dive off the rocky shoreline, or enjoy some of the best seafood in New England |
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