John J. Galluzzo - When Hull Freezes Over: Historic Winter Tales from the Massachusetts Shore

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2005 by John Galluzzo

All rights reserved

Front Cover: During the summer months, the boardwalk of the Hotel Nantasket and the porches of the neighboring establishments allowed thousands of people magnificent views of the Atlantic Ocean. In winter, when Mother Nature showed her surly side, those boardwalks and porches could be lonely places.

All photos courtesy of the Hull Historical Society except where otherwise noted.

First published 2005

e-book edition 2013

ISBN 978.1.62584.448.4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Galluzzo, John.

When Hull freezes over : historic winter tales from Hull, Massachusetts / John Galluzzo.

p. cm.

print edition ISBN 1-59629-099-0 (alk. paper)

1. Winter--Massachusetts--History--Anecdotes. 2. Hull (Mass.)--History--Anecdotes. 3. Hull (Mass.)--Biography--Anecdotes. I. Title.

F74.H89G35 2005

974.482--dc22

2005023982

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Dedicated to Matthew, my godson. Stay warm, little guy.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Its really hard to believe this book has been nine years in the making, but its true. I started writing for the Hull Times in 1997, compiling research I had started gathering at the Hull Lifesaving Museum in 1996. This book consists mostly of material written for that paper and friends Susan Ovans and Roger Jackson, to whom I owe a great deal of gratitude.

Without wanting to slight anybody, Id like to thank the following people in no particular order for their help over the years: Richard Cleverly, keeper of Hull history for most of his adult life; Chris Haraden, a fellow 1988 Hull High School graduate whos also into the history thing; the directors and officers of the Fort Revere Park and Preservation Society, including Regina Burke, Rick Shaner, Janet Jordan, Graeme Marsden, Fred Hills, Peter Seitz, Sarah OLoughlin, Susan Oberg and Harvey Jacobvitz; Matt Tobin, the Department of Conservation and Recreations rock-steady site supervisor at Fort Revere Park; Dan Johnson and the staff of the Hull Public Library, especially Ann Bradford; David Ball and the volunteers of the Scituate Historical Society; my friends in the Coast Guardhistory community around the country, including Maurice Gibbs in Nantucket, Ralph Shanks in Novato, California, Fred Stonehouse in Marquette, Michigan, Dennis Noble in Sequim, Washington, Robert Browning and Scott Price at the Coast Guard Historians Office in Washington, D.C., and all of those who read, contribute to and enjoy Wreck & Rescue Journal, of which Im currently the editor; Town Clerk Janet Bennett; Don Ritz and the Hull Historic District Commission; Al Almeida, with whom I spent many an enjoyable summers afternoon shooting the breeze while at work at the Hull Lifesaving Museum; Doug Bingham of the American Lighthouse Foundation; Al Vautrinot and the Vautrinot family; the family of Papa Louis Anastos, a man Ill never forget; Town Counsel Jim Lampke and former town manager Phil Lemnios; the staff of the Hull Lifesaving Museum; our own Flying Santa, George Morgan; Sue Fleck, for her familys perspective on the old days in Hull; the family of Doc Bergan; the members of the Committee for the Preservation of Hulls History, most of whom are named above, but others of whom include Myron Klayman, of Paragon Park fame, Brison Shipley and Midge Lawlor; the staff of the Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuaries, David Clapp, Ellyn Einhorn, Dianne Laxton, David Ludlow and Sharon Seeg; Mass Audubons Wayne Petersen; Salem author Robert Ellis Cahill; Frannie Keyes; and all those historians, living and gone, who have done their part to preserve the history of Hull. Thanks to everybody whos ever commented on a story, given an idea for a new one or joined me on a walk through Hull history.

Special thanks are reserved for the members of the Coast Guard who serve at Station Point Allerton or have served there over the years, including Chief Warrant Officer Craig Bitler, Senior Chief Boatswains Mate Bruce Bradley, Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Higgins, Chief Boatswains Mate Rick Barone, Chief Warrant Officer Paul Sordillo and Chief Boatswains Mate Jim Bodenrader. While the rest of us bundle up when Hull freezes over, youre standing guard, ready to save the lives of strangers. Thank you for all you do.

My family has never wavered in supporting my dream of researching history, so to my father, Bob, mother, Marylou, sister, Julie, and brother, Nick, thank you.

Two special educators, R. Dean Ware and the late Franklin Wickwire, pointed me down the right path while I studied history at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a special group of friends that go all the way back to that time, David and Kathy Dean, Jay and Leah Kennan, Rich and Felice Eby and Fred Hoth, still make me smile to this day.

My fiance, Michelle Degni, has given me the space Ive needed to make this project come together, and for that, I am eternally grateful. It wont be long now, sweetie.

Any errors fall squarely on my shoulders. Blame me, not them.

Introduction

It sure must have been something to watch the Portland Gale bully its way across town in 1898. And it must have been quite a scene when the old lifesavers of the Point Allerton U.S. Lifesaving Station went into action. And it definitely would have been interesting to stand at Fort Revere with ones back to Hull Gut and watch as the tide washed over Stony Beach during a storm, reminding us all why the local Wampanoag tribe called this place Nantasket, or the place between the tides.

But then, if youve lived in Hull for the past three years, youve seen literally hundreds of inches of snow hit the ground. Youve witnessed the freezing of Hingham Bay and watched as the Coast Guard has brought in icebreakers to clear their way out of their boathouse at Station Point Allerton, which, by the way, is nowhere near Point Allerton. And if you lived here in February 1978, you lived through your own Portland Gale.

The Hull we all know best is the one that exists before Memorial Day and after Labor Day. For most of the year we have the peninsula to ourselves. Hulls summer population has been ebbing and flowing with the seasons since the mid-1800s, rushing to the shore in summer and retreating inland in the fall and winter. As youll see, they dont know what theyve been missing.

Every community has its share of winter tales to tell, but no other single community has the perspective on winter that Hull does. Situated at the mouth of one of the busiest American trading ports and jutting out five miles into the water, the Hull peninsula was for a long time a shipwreck magnet. Northeast winds blew ships to the southwest as they entered Lighthouse Channel, and Hull was there to catch them. Our lifesavers became famous for many reasons, not the least of which were their bravery and ingenuity, yet they also had more opportunities to save lives than the volunteers and government-paid lifesavers of most other towns.