E-Newsletter | August 21, 2020 |
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Hot Fun in the Summertime |
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Stage Island, also known as Ipswich Bluff, was a favorite destination of pleasure-seekers during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The small peninsula off the southern tip of Plum Island jutting into the Sound was an unspoiled summer excursion for residents of Newburyport, Newbury, Rowley and Ipswich.
The Bluff, though not truly an island, was accessible primarily by boat. It was located next to a deep-water channel and supported fertile grassy uplands, making it valuable land in the Colonial era. William Dodge, a wealthy 18th century merchant, owned the land and developed a lucrative fishing business. The freshly caught fish, in order to be preserved, were laid on large slatted wooden platforms and left to dry in the sun. These “stages” gave the land its name.
In 1829, a saltworks operation was established on Stage Island. At the time, there was high demand for salt as a preservative agent, due to a lack of refrigeration options.
Mr. Gilshenon, a French immigrant, built infrastructure, including canals, levies and windmills to distill salt from sea water. Unfortunately, significant rain and uncooperative wind conspired to make this a failed business venture and the land and structures were sold to the Dole family.
About this same time, "The Bluffs," as it was sometimes called, became an excursion destination. Picnickers would take their personal boats and tents to spend an enjoyable holiday out on the island. They took food and drink from local farmers, spread out on the grassy uplands and walked along attractive beaches.
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Soon the old Dole farmhouse became a small hotel, hosting overnight guests and serving dinners by the shore. By the mid-1860s, there were advertisements in the local newspapers reporting that the expanded hotel was “ready to receive Visitors and Boarders with hearty cheer and good welcome” with a new pier and improved amenities.
Popularity grew and the Bluff became a well-known tourist spot, attracting visitors from farther away. Steamships, with express purpose of ferrying folks to local islands, made Ipswich Bluffs a daily stop.
The most well-known of these was the Carlotta, pictured below dropping passengers off at the dock. The buildings expanded to include a large hotel, small cottages, a store and even a large dance hall in an old barn. It was a bustling complex that supported the livelihoods of many local men and women who worked at or supplied provisions for the numerous groups that visited the Island. Mr. and Mrs. Fowler operated the hotel complex for close to 30 years and were its most well-known proprietors.
The 1930s saw a decline in tourism to the Bluff and eventually the land and building were sold to the Massachusetts Audubon Society. It was preserved as the Annie H. Brown Sanctuary and the buildings were demolished. Today it is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation as part of the Sandy Point State Reservation. It continues to serve as an unspoiled natural escape for visitors seeking beauty on our coastal shores.
Images: View of Ipswich Bluff, from the collections of The Museum of Old Newbury (photo by Bob Watts); an 1893 advertisement from The Newburyport Daily News; and The Carlotta ferrying guests to the nearby islands.
(Editor’s note: Click here to purchase of copy of Nancy Weare’s Plum Island: The Way it Was for more stories about everyone's favorite barrier island.)
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You're invited...
The Museum's 143rd Annual Meeting goes Virtual!
Join us on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. for the Museum's annual meeting and program.
Following a brief business meeting, special guest speaker Bethany Dorau will present her program, A Glimpse of 17th Century Newbury Court Cases.
Hear the voices of the first settlers of Newbury and the surrounding towns as they give testimony in cases that scandalized their neighbors. Learn how these records offer a glimpse into the intimate lives of America’s early European settlers.
To register for this event, please click here. All those who register will receive a Zoom link to the meeting.
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Episode 8 of "Yeat Yeat, Don't Tell Me!" Today @ Noon
Newbury area's fastest half hour of historical-based trivia starts today at noon.
Laugh and learn with your hosts, Jack Santos, Custom House Maritime Museum, and Colleen Turner Secino, Museum of Old Newbury.
Santos and Secino ask eight questions, then quickly discuss the answer offering insight, humor and, occasionally, a little speculation. Special guests pop in once a month, too.
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Puzzle Me This...China Trade Tea Chest
This elaborate 19th century China Trade tea chest is a favorite object within the collections of the Museum of Old Newbury.
It belonged to Thomas Gold Appleton (1812-1884). His initials and the Appleton family crest appear on the inside lid of the chest. Appleton, a contemporary of Caleb Cushing, was a poet, artist and patron of the arts. Although he was a Harvard-trained lawyer, he rarely practiced law and spent his life traveling.
Click on the image to begin.
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Something is Always Cooking at the Museum
Pork tenderloin is the perfect summer food. You can bake it off low and slow as Kim Mack does, or fire up the grill and finish it off in about 25 - 30 minutes over indirect heat (about 7 minutes per side).
Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce
3 (3/4 to 1 pound) pork tenderloins
Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup bourbon
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Mustard Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 teaspoons chopped scallion
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Clean the pork (including removing any "silver skin" or excessive fat) and set aside. Prepare marinade. Place pork in a shallow dish and pour marinade over, coating thoroughly. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 2-3 hours, turning the meat occasionally. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, dry mustard, scallion and vinegar. Let stand at room temperature for four hours to combine flavors. Bake in preheated 325º oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Serve with sauce. Serves 6-8.
(Editor's note: we didn't leave out any ingredients, but we did forget to give you the title of the last two recipes. Sally Chandler's "Chocolate Bars" were featured in August 7's e-news, and Jean Berger's "Caper Tuna Salad" was August 14's tasty nosh.)
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During this difficult period of COVID-19, we rely on your support more than ever. We are working to reschedule many of the programs that we have had to postpone, as well as develop new, online programs for you to enjoy and keep us connected. We hope, if you are able, that you will consider a donation to the museum. Thank you for your continued support.
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Museum e-Newsletter made possible through
the generosity of our sponsors:
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Museum of Old Newbury
98 High Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
978-462-2681
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