Always Ready

“We’re always ready for the call … through surf and storm and howling gale…,” wrote the Coast Guard captain who, in 1922, penned the service’s official anthem, “Semper Paratus,” meaning Always Ready. These words ring true in Newburyport and Gloucester, where Coast Guard crews stand by 24-hours a day to respond to distress calls, lead search-and-rescue efforts, and enforce federal laws. The local “small boat stations” help ensure the safety of pleasure craft and fishing vessels...

Island Adventures

It’s funny how so many writers use “island” as a metaphor for something … well … lonely ... remote … invariably profound. Not I. I’ve got a Peter Pan dialogue going on in my head. Wendy: “Peter, what does Neverland look like?” Peter: “It’s an island, Wendy.” Wendy: “A large one?” Peter: “No, quite small and nicely crammed. Hardly any space between one adventure and another.” Wendy: “Oh, it sounds lovely!” (Peter Pan, 1960 NBC) Yes, it does sound appealing....

High in the Sky and Down to Earth

Within days of meeting Janice Vaughan at a dinner party, Crocker Snow was hoping for a permanent relationship. Vaughan was an arresting debutante and accomplished equestrienne who’d spent the summer of 1937 in Hamilton and was on the verge of reuniting with her husband in England. Yet, she was intrigued by Snow, a handsome, daring pilot, who’d offered to teach her to fly. As Vaughan embarked on the Queen Mary with fond thoughts of Snow...

Check Out these Libraries

Public libraries today are far from “just books.” They are centers of information, culture and community. They serve all ages, all backgrounds and all interests. Customer service reigns, even in these days of self-checkout. Public libraries, and professional librarians, have never been more needed, as citizens turn to them for free access to the Internet, resume and tax services, free entertainment you name it! Despite endless budget cuts from the state, the three...

Keeping the Faith

Places where North Shore residents have worshiped for four centuries are treasured spaces, andmany of themsurvive. The earliest meetinghouses are gone, but their architectural descendants remain. In their design, we see influences from Europe, from immigrants’ countries of origin and the ancient past. We see evolving American taste and the desire to create “heavenly,” worthy tributes to Deity. Each one was, and still is, lovingly cared for and funded by a dedicated congregation. It is no small feat...

Raising Our Barn Awareness

Castle Hill on the Crane Estate: A National Historic Landmark owned by The Trustees of Reservations, 290 Argilla Road, Ipswich, 01938. Grounds open year-round, daily, 8 a.m. to sunset; landscape tours and house tours through Oct. 9; thetrustees.org. Of special note: restoration is under way and donations are needed. “People don’t realize that this was a completely self-sustaining country estate,” Susan Hill Dolan points out during our tour of the massive Crane Estate barn. To be...

Pillars of Light

What is it about lighthouses?” I asked Jeremy D’Entremont, the author, lecturer and tour guide who is considered “Mr. Lighthouse” in these parts. I even posed that question to friends on Facebook and received dozens of stories that began with, “I LOVE lighthouses! My favorite one is….” Lighthouses are a familiar and treasured fixture of the North Shore’s landscape guiding ships, fishing boats and pleasure craft into and out of our historic ports for generations. When you consider our...

The Curtis Cup Comes Home

This is the story of an international competition that was founded by two extraordinary sisters from Manchester-by-the-Sea. A century ago, they laid the foundation for what is one of today’s most coveted trophies in amateur women’s golf. The setting is the Essex County Club, nestled into the archetypal New England landscape and shaped into 18 perfect holes by a man who ranks among the best in the business. This is the story of the Curtis Cup. THE...

A Man's Home is His Castle

'People are fascinated by living in castles,” says John Pettibone. “They have been for centuries.” And he should know. This director/curator of Hammond Castle in Gloucester’sMagnolia neighborhood leads thousands of visitors through “his” castle each year. The fascination starts with Pettibone himself. “I’ve loved castles since the age of nine,” he admits. “I couldn’t afford to own one, I once said to myself, but why not work in one?” Hammond Castle rises dramatically from a steep hillside overlooking...