No One

Well, no one any more, that is.  Oh...that's the answer to who is buried in Rowe's tomb.

But there were some folks, probably with the name Rowe, buried there at one time!

I got to digging around the historical society's research room.  They have an entire loose-leaf binder containing an enlarged copy of the book, "Research in Rowe Search"!  And yes, there is a large section devoted to Major John Rowe AND several commentaries about THE tomb.

Within, quoted from "A County in Revolution" by R. N. Tagney:
"Bridge's regiment included John Rowe's company from Gloucester.  A detachment from Rowe's company carried off some of the entrenching tools.  When news came of the (British) landing, Putnam ordered the group, including Rowe, to the extreme end of the rail-fence on the left flank near the Mystic River, where they helped reinforce the rail-fence and construct a breast-work at the river bank with stones and dirt...the two division assault group moved forthwith...one toward the rail-fence under General Howe...the brave defenders witheld their fire until the red-clad troops had advanced well within the musket range.  Then they let loose a devastating volley, which shattered the line and caused the Redcoats to fall back in confusion."

Also, found in the binder is a copy of an article from The Salem Evening News, June 17, 1965, reading in part:
"He returned home, became a major in the militia, acquired his vast farm which included Pigeon Hill, and died in 1801.  His sword is on exhibit in the Old State House in Boston.  Years ago, an individual reports, youngsters were seen kicking bones down Rowe avenue(sic).  In a tomb, unmarked and its location known by few, Major Rowe was laid to rest.  Or was he?"

A map from "Research in Rowe Search"

Noted: "(The author later learned that John Rowe died 14 June 1801, at Ballston Spa, N.Y. and is buried there.  Other bodies in the tomb were removed to the parish cemetery.)"

Huh?  Other bodies?

And in a copy of a letter, included within the binder, written by Clara Swan, who lived on Pigeon Hill in 1965:
"I don't believe that  the bones the youngsters were kicking were from the tomb.  When the Granite Co. bought the land all the bodies in the tomb were moved to the Union Cemetery in Rockport..."

Aha!  Now all I need to do is make a trip down the road to Union Cemetery to find out who all those people were that were buried in Major John Rowe's Tomb!

Who's Buried In Rowe's Tomb?

Yesterday, R and I made the last-of-the-season woods walk.  Too many nasty, illness-bearing ticks are becoming active.  Our last walk was to locate Major John Rowe's tomb.  Major John Rowe was a Revolutionary War veteran and some of our local maps...Forest Fire Department and the Eben'r Pool map are just two...mark the location of Major John Rowe's tomb.

My red mark shows the designation "Major John Rowe's tomb"

So we set out on our quest at the top of Rowe Avenue.  Our last visit to this area did not yield the discovery of the tomb.  Last time we found the remnants of a large quarry building and that was fun to explore and photograph.

Old stone building

A shot from inside the building

This time we found the tomb.  Or, at least, something very tomb-like in the area designated as THE tomb on the maps.

Tomb-like structure built into the hillside

The tomb has been opened.  And graffiti-ed inside.

Large, rectangular vault built from quarried stones and cement

Now, there is a problem with this entire tomb thing.  I did a bit of research about Major John Rowe and that research confirms the information on file at Find-A-Grave.

Birth:    Aug. 8, 1737

Rockport

Essex County

Massachusetts, USA

Death:   Jun. 14, 1801

Ballston Spa

Saratoga County

New York, USA

Revolutionary War veteran. Commanded a company of militia at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Note: Memorial stone (in Union Cemetery, Rockport). Major Rowe is buried in Briggs Cemetery, Ballston Township, New York.

Indeed.  So, if the Major is buried in New York and there is a memorial plaque at Union Cemetery in Rockport...what's up with Major John Rowe's tomb?

Who was buried in Rowe's tomb?

Stated Again

You betcha!

In the mail today was a letter address to me from the state tax folks.  What now?

They chose to inform me that I had not paid enough in estimated taxes last year.  Yep, I know that.

They chose to inform me that they had calculated that I owed $10.88 in penalties and I would be receiving an assessment and a bill.  Um, wrong!

I already figured my penalty and included it on my tax form and in the check that I sent to them.

AHA!  A toll free number to call!

Mr. DOR says, "How can I help you?"

I say, "Today I received a letter stating that I owe a penalty.  I've already paid the penalty.  It was included in the check I sent.  That amount was added, per instructions, to the amount of tax that I owed.  My check was dated 3/8/12 and that is the date of payment on which I based my penalty."

Mr. DOR replies, "That does not show on your tax form."

I reply, "Yes, it does, it's on the bottom line where the form reads 'penalty'.  I then added that amount, as instructed, to the payment amount line."

Mr. DOR says, "Oh, I guess the machine didn't pick that up."

So I confirmed that I would owe nothing more.  Then I complained that they claimed my Mom hadn't filed her health care paperwork.  He said many would receive those letters...mistakenly.  So then I told him that my daughter's refund check had been sent to the wrong address.

Mr. DOR says, "You are having a time of it."

I wrote it all down, time, date, numbers, his name.........

(you can also see why I notsomuch love this state by going back a number of years to this post:
http://harmonyclubwaltz.blogspot.com/2007/03/wednesday-extremes-equal-exhaustion.html
Yep, notsomuch love)

It Seems Like Forever...

since I've written a post and it really hasn't been that long.  Maybe the weather is to blame for my confusion.  Last Thursday I sat in the sun on our deck in shorts and a tee shirt,  70°.  Saturday it snowed 4 inches!  Monday I was back on the deck in shorts and tank top.

R suffering through the harshness of Saturday morning

The pace of work has settled nicely.  Just enough keywork and plenty of tunings.  Just answered the phone to a tech wanting to come pick up the keys I did for him.  I really hate being called "hon" by someone who shouldn't be calling me hon.  Yuck.

I've started on a project for myself.  With R's help, last June I purchased a Concert Roller Organ.  I have just completed recovering the bellows and will begin work on the valve mechanism.  The crankshaft/handle needs repair by a fussy machinist.  I'm currently searching out a fussy machinist.  I've been given one name and promised another contact that very well might end up being the same as the first.  We'll see when that name comes my way.

The tax people continue to infuriate me.  I added a comment on my last post about A's refund check being addressed incorrectly.  Today the state revenue folks have done it again.  My mom got a letter from them saying that her Form HC (health care form required by the state) was not complete or not received.  Ummmm, wrong.  Anyway, they will not send her refund until they are satisfied and if not satisfied have threatened all sorts of fines and penalties.  So, nothing to do but to fill the darn thing out AGAIN and mail it with the new form that they sent asking for a signature that their letter was received!  Now...I KNOW that the original form was sent to them.  I have a copy of it and the tear-out official form is no longer in the booklet.  I reread all the instructions...just to be sure that everything was filled out as it should be...as it has been for the past umpteen years...it's not difficult...name, SS#, date of birth, income from line whatever, and two places to fill in bubbles.  That's it.  My first copy shows it all done.  I used that to copy for the original.  All tax forms get triple checked before mailing. 

Yes, I'm irritated.

We've still been walking in the woods and we've found the last of the Babson Boulders.  We had miscounted and actually had to find three instead of two.  It made for a rather strenuous 2 hour walk. 

 We also found Babson boulder Number 28.  Evidently we are the first to have discovered it!

This documentation of the well hidden Boulder Number 28 is now on display at Maria's Pizza where many photographs of Babson Boulders are hanging on the walls.

This past Sunday we walked along the path of the former incline railway that ran from Pine Pit to Bianchini Quarry.  It was a relatively short one hour round trip.  This coming Sunday we will either walk across the island, from Goose Cove Reservoir to Squam Hill or take a walk past Little and Big Pits (quarries) to find an abandoned stone house and the grave of a long ago Rockport native.

The old incline railway used for transporting cut granite from the quarries downhill (gravity) to the pier.  Empty cars were then hauled back up by oxen or locomotive.

A corner of Pine Pit.  It's hard to tell granite from water!

Next week is already filled with keys and tunings, then two historic society meetings and delivering two pieces of art work to the Rockport Art Association.  And on and on and on...

The Red, White and Blueness of Penalties

It's that taxing time of year again and I've been spending a lot of 'free' time working through three sets of taxes.  State and Federal for 'A', mom, and myself.  Mom's and 'A's are pretty straight forward.  It's just a matter of reviewing any tax changes that came up and double checking my math.

Mine, on the other hand...
I got hit hard this year.  It's not that I make a whole heck of a lot.  Actually, in the greater scheme of incomes, mine is pathetically minuscule.  However, I made more last year than I had anticipated.  That means that I didn't pay enough in estimated taxes and will be paying a minor penalty atop the amount I owe.  The totals put a bit of a crimp in my bank balance.  At least I have some in there to pay with! (I did realize, part way through the year, that I'd be owing more than usual and saved aside as much I could in preparation.)

So, I lose a customer AND get hit for tax money all within about a week.  At least my income should drop this year, back to where it normally rests at the bottom, so next year my taxes will go down!

And while I do hate having to pay out from the meager bank balance, I hate even more the hassle of figuring out the dollar amount of the penalty.  The Feds aren't too bad about it....took only 5 minutes or less to discover that I only owed in-the-neighborhood of a $10 penalty.  The State is vicious.  It's bordering on cruel and unusual punishment to fill out the form!

It works like this: With four columns of due dates...(each line below will have 4 entries)

Line 13. Enter the date you paid the amount in Line 12 or the 15th day of the 4th month after the close of the taxable year, whichever is earlier.

Line 14. Number of days from the due date of installment to the date shown in Line 13.

Line 15. Number of days in Line 14 after 4/15/11 and before 7/1/11.

Line 16. Number of days in Line 14 after 6/30/11 and before 10/1/11.

Line 17. Number of days in Line 14 after 9/30/11 and before 1/1/12.

Line 18. Number of days in Line 14 after 12/31/11 and before 4/16/12.

Line 19. Underpayment in Line 12 X (number of days in Line 15/365) X 5%.

Line 20. Underpayment in Line 12 X (number of days in Line 16/365) X 5%.

Line 21. Underpayment in Line 12 X (number of days in Line 17/365) X 4%.

Line 22. Underpayment in Line 12 X (number of days in Line 18/365) X 4%.

Line 23. Penalty.  Add the amounts shown in lines 19 through 22. (16 figures)  Enter this amount on Form 1, line 47......

Yep, all that to find out I owed a $9 penalty.

Time to take the rest of the day off.

Cat Lovers in Dogtown - Trip Six

The advantage of having no snow this winter is that we've been able to do a lot of woods exploring.  The generally freezing, or below, temperatures have kept the nasty bugs (ticks) population to a non-existent level...another good thing.

Our path from Summit Ave to Raccoon Ledges

So we've been making numerous treks woods-ward.  Recently we've explored the ways in to Dogtown from the Rockport side.  From the top of Squam Road and from the top of Summit Avenue we've become familiar with the terrain...on and off path!

The little boardwalk to get to the Ledges ( in background)

Raccoon Ledges  The picture doesn't do justice to the size of this pile of boulders.  Think 2 - 3 story office complex!

I've even managed to take 'A' to see some of the Babson Boulders and, yesterday, to take my Mom to see the same.

It's been interesting to venture into unknown-to-us territory for "R' and me and we've found some interesting sites (and things) along the way.  Mostly it's just relaxing and pretty. 

An old foundation and fireplace northeast of Goose Cove Reservoir

We've decided that we have three major woods adventures to complete before Spring thaw.  One will be to capture our last two Babson Boulders.  We know where they are, we just haven't gotten back that way.  Then we want to walk across the island from Rockport to Gloucester using the paths of Dogtown.  And finally, hoping that we do not get lost in the maze of paths, we'd like to walk from Rockport, near Whale's Jaw, northwestward in to the Norton Memorial Forest.

The reddish bog water

In other news....work is still good, even with the loss of one client.  Every year he tried to work special pricing...as in "I shouldn't have to pay that much for the work".  This year he decided to take his business elsewhere.  So be it.  Some things I can't change and if he hadn't done it this week, he wouldn't have been around much longer as I'm thinking there will be a price increase in the Fall.  Not sure yet.  It won't be much if I do it, but that would have just thrown him over the edge!  Today a box of keys arrived.  No name, no instructions, no payment!  I've sent an email out to clients in the area of the city it was shipped from inquiring as to the sender.  I guess I can take the rest of the day off.

Not really.  I've got a reed organ repair to finish.

A Not So Dogtown Trip

I'm sort of posting this as a companion to Scribb's post today.  Instead of trekking over the snow covered irregular terrain (read: you can't really guess where those rocks will be underfoot) of Dogtown, 'R' and I headed around Goose Cove Reservoir on the service road.  The service road was covered with about 5 inches of new snow trodden in some areas by dogs and owners.  As 'R' commented when we were about 3/4 around the 4 mile route, "It's like hiking 4 miles of sand dunes."  Uh huh.

The section where Commons Road got submerged.

When the Goose Cove Reservoir was formed by the building of 4 earthen dams, a section of Commons Road in Dogtown was submerged. So...it was nearly a Sunday hike in Dogtown.  I suppose it took us just over an hour to complete the loop around the reservoir.  It was chilly out but the exercise soon kept us warm.  There were some pretty views along the way.  Some spots were almost comfy warm in the sunshine and others a startling windswept cold. 

Today was plenty of hiking after a yesterday of snow shoveling.

In the Post

So this guy was using up extra stamps?

The box of keys that arrived last Thursday

Thievery

I haven't written a whiny, complaining post in some time.  So what better time to air something that has been spending far too much time bouncing around in my head.

That something is the blatant theft of images.  Yep, from the minor we-all-forget-to-give-credit-where-credit-is-due to the claiming of others photos as ones own.  This has been happening a lot on one I'm not mentioning by name site.  If it's not a photo you have taken then don't post it as your own!  Now there are a couple of folks out there that I run into who have their logo on images but do credit the original source.  I don't understand it, but well, at least they give appropriate credit.

The rest of 'em, the habitual offenders........not only do they anger me, they lose my respect.

A Warm Saturday Afternoon

A place with possibilities

Just some shots from our walk on Rocky Neck.

Needing work at Gloucester Marine Railways

Sign along the way

An enormous swan at the beach

Obsessed? Me?

Why would anyone think that?
Just because.........................

Got one for 'R' and one for myself.  Only wish is that they weren't orange.  The purchase was made at the Dogtown Book Shop where I also bought an old book from Tuner's Supply on organs and player pianos.  (see, I think about things other than Dogtown) The Dogtown Book Shop on Main Street in Gloucester is wonderful! 
 

And Then There Was More

I'm guessing that I spent about 8 months of part-time research before I felt that I had found everything there was to find out about the Manning Organ Company.  So, I wrote a lot of material to edit down for a submission to a trade magazine (still not completely written) and amid that managed to put together a PowerPoint presentation for the Sandy Bay Historical Society.  Now, 2 months later, here it is...another photograph shows up!

The former Manning Organ Factory after the fire (SBHS)

I really wish I had this for my SBHS talk.  I'm definitely including it in the magazine article.

Cat Lovers in Dogtown - Trip Five

We started the New Year with our continued exploration of the center of the island.  No surprise, huh?

Entering via Dogtown Road repeated our second adventure In, in some respects, but allowed us to spend more time actually looking around instead of worrying about keeping track of our course in order to not get lost.  We found many new things along the now familiar route.

A very large cellar hole along Dogtown Road

One such find was a rather large and excavated cellar hole.  I'm not sure why there are so many bricks present.  Maybe part of a chimney?  Maybe leftover from the days of filling in the holes?  Anyway, it's hard to believe that we missed this one last time!

The pasture where James Merry kept his bull

We continued on along Dogtown Road until we came to a path approximately opposite (to the right of) cellar hole 18.  Using my wonderful Christmas gift from 'R', "The Dogtown Guide" (see sidebar for a pic), we had learned that this path would lead us to the site were James Merry tried to teach himself bull fighting.  Yep, in late 1800 Mr. Merry desired to become a matador.  He failed.

Inscription "First Attacked"

Jas. Merry died  Sept. 18 1892

He was gored to death by his bull.

We then retraced our steps back to Dogtown Road to where it intersected with the Moraine Trail.

Marking the start of the Moraine Trail

We followed the trail, finding a couple more Babson Boulders until we reached Col. Pearce's Pasture.  There we turned around.

Col. Pearce's Pasture

Never Try Never Win

Prosperity Follows Service

On the way back to Dogtown Square we found Col. Pearce's cellar hole.  Another large home!

Col. Pearce had a cellar in his barn, too! (not shown)

Heading back west on Dogtown Road we veered to the right, between cellar holes 17 and 18, to see what the Adams Pine Trail was like and to find out where it connected to Commons Road on the northern edge of Dogtown.

A stone circle marks an otherwise confusing section of the Adam's Pine Trail

Not too interesting a route...we did find the junction...and a very pretty brook.

The brook near the intersection of the APT and Commons Road

We concluded our fifth trip In, retracing our steps back on the trail to Dogtown Road and then home.  On this trip we felt a familiarity with the central Dogtown area, being able to find and name many sites and trails, and also finding new stuff.  Next time our trip In will once again take us to unknown areas.  Should be fun.

Merry Christmas to All

Art Is Good Day

So...'R' and I headed on down to the UU Church to pick up the craft stuff that I had set up for their Christmas Sale.  Not my usual venue (that being the PTO sale that I kinda boycotted this year) and I wasn't hopeful for much interest in my hand-painted ivory jewelry or miniatures on easels.  The sale ran for three Saturdays and all I had to do was set up a small table and provide an inventory of my items.  Well....a superb Christmas surprise awaited me this morning.  Yep, stuff sold.  I totaled as much in sales as if I had participated in the PTO sale and spent the day sitting there minding the table!  I'm real happy.  Sign me up for next year!

Another Monday bonus was waiting just for me (not really, could have been for anyone), at the supermarket.  We need a larger bin for hats, scarfs, gloves and mittens now that our household is larger.  I found a slightly overpriced woven bin on the top shelf near the laundry detergents.  So I thought oh well, we need it so I'll pay a bit too much to get it.  We headed through the checkout with the bin as a separate item from the groceries that 'R' was getting.  Lo and behold it rang up as higher priced than the tag said it should be!  Ahemmmm....excuse me 'M', who was cashiering.  'M' called the manager over and guess what?  Store policy - pricing error and you get the item free!

Yay! Yippeeeeeeee!

And finally, a new painting has been added to the collection.
The remains of the Cape Ann Tool Company as seen from Pigeon Cove, Rockport.

When It's Cold Outside

 

Tequila Christmas Cake

*Ingredience:*

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 cup brown sugar

Lemon juice

4 large eggs

Nuts

1 bottle tequila

2 cups dried fruit

*Directions:*

Sample the tequila to check quality.

Take a large bowl; check the tequila again to be sure it is of the highest quality.

Repeat.

Turn on the electric mixer.

Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Beat again.

At this point, it is best to make sure the tequila is still OK.

Try  another cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 eegs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the fruit up off the floor.

Mix on the turner. If the fried druit getas stuck in the beaterers, just

pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the tequila to test for tonsisticity.

Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or something.

Check the tequila.

Now shift the lemon ice strain your nuts.

Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window.

Finish the tequila and wipe the counter with the cat.

(Thanks to Joe G.)

Cat Lovers in Dogtown - Trip Four

I decided that trip four In should start at the top of Gee Avenue in Gloucester.  This would lead us to Commons Road, the northern main road of Dogtown.  It was an easy, paved...yes, paved!...curve around the Goose Cove reservoir which upon its creation had left part of Commons Road submerged.  We picked up the old Commons Road...unpaved...exactly opposite this spot:

Goose Cove Reservoir

Our first hike was to find Peter's Pulpit.  Supposedly an enormous erratic the size of 20 automobiles.  Yep, it was big, but not very impressive.  I guess I felt that a 'pulpit' would indicate something much more vertical than horizontal.  Oh well.  Slightly disappointed but there were still other things to find.

Peter's Pulpit

We hiked a crossroad called Wharf Road over to the southern side of Dogtown in hopes of finding a couple more of the Babson Boulders. 

Wharf Road (Dogtown's Roads challenge footing!)

Wharf Road is named such, not because of a wharf for boating or fishing, but after the man who lived along the edge, Abram Wharf.  Where Wharf Road meets up with Dogtown Road, there were a couple spots where we could see Granny Day's Swamp.  Sheep and cows often got stuck in the mire of Granny Day's Swamp!

A peek at Granny Day's Swamp

We found two more inscribed boulders:

Keep Out Of Debt

If Work Stops Values Decay

After taking some photos we headed back the way we had come In with only one variation.  We have been deciphering conflicting maps and have discovered one that shows numbered intersections.  This helps a lot and saved us some retracing of footsteps by taking a different fork where Wharf Road meets Commons Road.

Intersection 4 (this one painted on a rock, some are painted on trees)

Our last stop of the trip was to photograph the boulder below, held from rolling down a steep embankment by one struggling tree!

propped on the edge

The Commons Road hike was the longest that we have done.  Not much happening along it and we most likely will not use it for an entrance In again. Upon returning home, I found that we are still missing 4 Babson Boulders in our collection.  Two are at the railroad end of the Babson Trail.  The other two, upon some research, appear to be in the same area as we were on this trip!  Must do some more hunting.  From the Dogtown Road side next time. 'R' is being very tolerant of my desire to explore Dogtown!