Dogtown - Gloucester, ma

Dogtown

In the early 1700's, a small community of farmers set up homes in the middle of Cape Ann. They learned, however, that the land was full of granite rock and not a place to farm. They began to move on to more likely areas. Fishermen moved into these homes and then they, too, moved to settlements closer to the sea. A few people lingered on, however, many of them women. They obtained dogs to protect them. Thus, the name "Dogtown". Dogtown has now gone back to nature. Beach roses, blueberries, holly, bayberry and many other types of plants and trees have taken over. Still to be found, however, are cellar holes along the paths. Much of Dogtown was donated to the City of Gloucester by Roger Babson. Mr. Babson was a local philanthropist, having achieved a large fortune on Wall Street. In Dogtown there are many boulders, on which he had stonecutters inscribe such words as "Courage" and "Industry". Many people use Dogtown for walks, blueberrying, biking and cross country skiing. It is easy to get lost so please do not go into this area without a map. They can be obtained from local visitor centers. Dogtown is located off of Cherry Street.

Have not visited yet, but this is on my list. Babson carved dozens of these sayings into boulders which are still scattered all over. Freaky.