Gloucester

Situated about 30 miles north of Boston, Gloucester was founded in 1623, a decade earlier than most towns in eastern Massachusetts. It was incorporated as a town in 1642 and named for Gloucester, England. Gloucester is bordered on the north and south by the Atlantic Ocean, so fishing naturally became a prominent industry. Granite quarries also abound here, and many buildings in Boston were built with granite from Gloucester and neighboring Rockport. When these industries declined, the area adapted to the needs of ocean-going vacationers and artists, who are still in evidence during summers.

As the population grew throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, new parishes were founded in Gloucester to make it easier for residents to meet for mandatory Sunday church attendance. The third such parish served residents in the northern part of Gloucester and survives to the present as the Annisquam Village Church.

Swami Vivekananda visited and spent time in two districts of Gloucester: Annisquam and Magnolia.

Annisquam

Just before arriving in Annisquam for the first time, Swami Vivekananda spent several days in Holliston, as the guest of Kate Sanborn. Ms. Sanborn introduced him to many influential people including John Henry Wright, a professor at Harvard University. Prof. Wright was vacationing with his family in Annisquam at the time, and he invited the Swami to join them for the weekend. More about Prof. Wright can be found here.

Miss Lane’s Boarding House (8 Arlington St)

August 25–28, 1893

Prof. Wright rented a room for Swami Vivekananda at Miss Lane’s Boarding House near his small summer cottage, called The Lodge, adjacent to Miss Lane’s. (The boarding house is now a private residence.) The boarders at Miss Lane’s were all excited to see this exotic visitor from a far off land. The meeting with Swamiji and Prof. Wright turned out to be extremely significant, since Prof. Wright was so impressed with Swamiji that he wrote a letter of recommendation for him to the Parliament of Religions, commenting that Swamiji was “more learned than all our learned professors put together.”

Most of Swamiji's weekend was spent informally with the Wright family. On 25th evening Swamiji gave an informal talk at the home of Prof. Wambaugh of Harvard University Law School, who was staying only two houses from Miss Lane’s. The following evening, on 26th, Swamiji visited the home of Prof. Alpheus Hyatt, who was a zoologist. When Swamiji returned to Annisquam the following summer, he stayed at Prof. Hyatt’s house.

Much of what is known about his 1893 visit to Annisquam comes from Prof. Wright’s wife’s diary. She wrote in her diary that Swamiji played with her children, “twirling a stick between his fingers with laughing skill and glee at their inability to equal him.” He was, she wrote, “wonderfully unspoiled and simple.” She concluded an entry with this vignette of Swamiji’s parlor talks: “In quoting from the Upanishads his voice was most musical. He would quote a a verse in Sanskrit, with intonations, and then translate it into beautiful English, of which he had a wonderful command. And in his mystical religion he seemed perfectly and unquestionably happy.”

Annisquam Village Church (820 Washington St)

Sunday, August 27, 1893

Swamiji’s first ever public lecture in the West was given here at the Universalist Church (now known as the Annisquam Village Church) on Sunday evening on “The Manners and Customs of India.” The stained glass window behind the altar had not been installed yet in Swamiji's time. The existing building was built in 1810, but the church was founded over a century earlier.

On Monday, Aug 29, Swamiji left Annisquam for Salem, Massachusetts. He returned to Annisquam for another visit the following summer, in 1894.

On July 28, 2013, a plaque was installed inside the church to mark Swamiji’s visit there 130 years earlier. The event was celebrated with music, talks, a play presented by the village children, a tour of the village, and refreshments.

The Hyatt House (704 Washington St)

Aug 17 to Sept 5, 1894

Swami Vivekananda stayed as Mrs. Frances Newbury Bagley's guest in 1894 at The Hyatt House, a private residence in a section of Annisquam called Goose Cove. It is about a half mile walk from Annisquam Village via the footbridge over Lobster Cove. Or one can stop to see it from the causeway on Washington Street while driving from Annisquam to Magnolia.

The house is on the waterfront and rather secluded. During his stay, Swamiji joined in swimming and boating excursions, and learned about Victorian era American culture.

Mrs. Bagley of Detroit had rented the house of Prof. Alpheus Hyatt for the summer. Mrs. Bagley was one of the organizers of the Chicago World's Fair, and had met Swamiji while he was there for the Parliament of Religions. She was the widow of Mr. John Judson Bagley, a businessman who made his fortune in tobacco and also served as the governor of Michigan from 1873-77. Mrs. Bagley hosted Swamiji during his visits to Detroit in February and March of 1894.

Mechanics Hall (36 Leonard St)

September 4, 1894

Before departing, Swamiji delivered a lecture: “Life and Religion in India” on September 4 in Mechanics Hall, a small hall in the center of Annisquam village. It occupied the second floor of the Annisquam Village Hall. Centrally located, it was the place in the village for almost all functions. On that spot today are businesses and a small library. The Annisquam Historical Society is next door.

When Swamiji spoke at the Mechanics Hall, the hall was full. He was introduced to the audience by Prof. Wright, who was staying at Miss Lane’s that summer with his family. Swamiji’s visit was covered by both the Cape Ann Breeze as well as the Gloucester Daily Times.

Magnolia (Aug 24-26, 1894)

During his 1894 visit to Annisquam, Swamiji made a side trip to Magnolia, another district of Gloucester. He was invited there by a lady from Chicago and her daughter, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Sawyer. They also arranged a lecture for him at the Magnolia Library (CW, 9. 35).

Magnolia Library (1 Lexington Ave)

August 24, 1894

Swamiji spoke in the Library Hall on “Life in India” on Friday the 24th. The hall is on the second floor of the Magnolia Library.

Magnolia Beach

Swamiji went swimming at the beach here, as we learn from a letter he wrote from Magnolia to Mrs. Hale of Chicago. In his letter Swamiji wrote, “Magnolia is one of the most fashionable and beautiful seaside resorts of this part. I think the scenery is better than that of Annisquam. The rocks there are very beautiful, and the forests run down to the very edge of the water. There is a very beautiful pine forest.” Swamiji also said that Magnolia was a good bathing place and that he had “two baths in the sea.” (CW 9. 36)

Sources

Marie Louise Burke, Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries

Asim Chaudhuri, Swami Vivekananda in America, New Findings

Elva Nelson, Vivekananda and His Swamis in Boston and Vicinity



Research by Joseph Peidle