Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Cape Ann was a home for indigenous people. The English colony at Cape Ann was first founded in 1623. It was the fourth colonizing effort in
New England after
Popham Colony,
Plymouth Colony and
Nantasket Beach. Two ships of the
Dorchester Company brought 32 in number with John Tylly and
Thomas Gardner as overseers of a fishing operation and the plantation, respectively. At the Cape Ann settlement a legal form of government was established, and from that Massachusetts Bay Colony sprang.
Roger Conant was the governor under the Cape Ann patent, and as such, has been called the first governor of Massachusetts. This colony predated Massachusetts Bay charter and colony. For that reason, members of the colony were referred to as "
old planters". The first
Great House in New England was built on Cape Ann by the planters. This house was dismantled on the orders of John Endecott in 1628 and moved to
Salem to serve as his "governor's" house. When Higginson arrived in Salem, he wrote that "we found a faire house newly built for the Governor" which was remarkable for being two stories high. By 1634 the name of Cape Ann was already established, as it is mentioned and depicted on maps in William Wood's ''
New England's Prospect'' first published in that year. On
November 18, 1755, Cape Ann was the land nearest the offshore epicenter of an earthquake, which is extremely rare for Massachusetts. There were no seismographs at that time; but, based on available data, the tremor was estimated at magnitude 6.5. It caused serious damage in the Boston area, but no casualties. By the mid-1800s, Cape Ann was known for its specialization in
granite production, specifically in creating paving blocks for roads and streets and were used across the
United States from
New York to
San Francisco. Cape Ann became a thriving center of activity for artists in the 19th century, including the Rocky Neck Art Colony in Gloucester.
Fitz Henry Lane who began his career in Gloucester as a lithographer developed a distinctive style for his marine paintings known as
luminism. The
Cape Ann Museum has a significant collection of paintings by local artists who reached national prominence. Later in the 19th and early 20th century, American Impressionists were attracted to
Rockport such as marine landscapist
Harry Aiken Vincent who arrived in 1916 and helped to form the
Rockport Art Association. The region continues to provide a base for many galleries and working artists. ==Communities==