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In 1897, hotel developer George O. Stacy partnered with manager Edward P. Parsons and contractor John W. Day to build the Moorland Hotel.¹ The hotel joined the North Shore’s booming tourist industry — in the late 1800s, Gloucester had the largest concentration of resort hotels between Boston and the southern coast of Maine. The Moorland Hotel included a 4 and ½ story main building, five cottages, a casino with a stage for musical shows, a cocktail lounge, a dining room, and a large annex.² The Hotel had 200 rooms, and combined, the cottages contained 50 more; the Moorland welcomed many visitors in its summer seasons, including Alexander Graham Bell in 1906.³

At Moorland casino shows, actresses such as Lucille Ball entertained for audiences upwards of 350 people on summer weekends.⁴ The casino hosted a dramatic club with plays, poetry, and performances; live music; dancers; and religious services.

The Moorland faced a series of devastating fires. In 1900, the casino and the bicycle building burned down in what was described as an “incendiary fire attempt”⁵ ; the casino was later rebuilt. There was an unsuccessful attempt to burn down the hotel annex in May 1939.⁶ Finally, on October 29, 1958, the Moorland Hotel was completely destroyed by a fire.

Myer G. Jasper, who owned the hotel at the time, reopened the Moorland as a motor inn. The Motor Inn boasted a pool, a tennis court, shuffleboard, and a café. Francis J. Mingace was the general manager of the inn, and Florence Robins served as the residential manager. The Moorland Motor Inn was open from 1960 to the late 1970s, when it was turned into retirement home.⁷

^{1 Tolles, Bryant Franklin. Summer by the Seaside: The Architecture of New England Coastal Resort Hotels, 1820-1950. Hanover: Univ. Press of New England, 2008.}

^{2 Tolles, Bryant Franklin.}

^{3 Gloucester Daily Times, “Motel becomes retirement home,” January 25, 1980.}

^{4 Gloucester Daily Times, January 25, 1980.}

^{5 Boston Globe, “Firebug at Bass Rocks,” December 29, 1900.}

^{6 Gloucester. Daily Time, “Fire at Bass Rocks Summer Hotel. Peters Out,” May 20, 1939.}

^{7 Gloucester Daily Times, January 25, 1980.}

This collection contains materials relating to the operation, marketing, and documentation of the Moorland Hotel and the Moorland Motor Inn. Materials include memos for employees and guests, hotel rules, reservation correspondence, financial records, and booking records, including the 1898 guest book; it also includes Moorland brochures and other advertising material. The Moorland Collection contains a large postcard collection, including postcards of the Moorland itself, Gloucester, Cape Ann, and other various locations. The photographs in the collection range from the Moorland’s time as a hotel to its time as a motor inn, and include pictures of the building, hotel rooms, employees, and events.

The collection also includes the some of the personal papers of Francis J. Mingace, the manager of the Moorland Hotel, and later, the Moorland Motor Inn. These papers include Mingace’s business and personal correspondence, photographs, and materials from his military experience and religious life. 

Series I: Hotel Operation

Series II: Advertising & Media

a. Brochures

b. Maps

c. Business Cards

d. Calendars

e. Newspapers and News Clippings

Series III: Finances

Series IV: Correspondence

Series V: Postcards & Cards

Series VI: Personal

Series VII: Photographs

a. Slides, Negatives, and Transparencies

b. Moorland Photos

c. Personal Photos

Series I: Hotel Operation

Box 1

Folder 1: Bass Rocks Editors Meeting, 1970

Folder 2: Bylaws of the Cape Ann Area Chamber of Commerce, 1972

Folder 3: Cleaning and Maintenance Instructions for the Motor Inn, undated

Folder 4: “Combination of the Moorland Hotel First Safe,” undated

Folder 5: Moorland Daily Rates, undated

Folder 6: Competitor Hotels / Motels Daily Rates, undated

Folder 7: Dining: Menus & Recipes, 1957-67 / undated

Folder 8: Dining: “Moorland Motor Inn Coffee Shop” menu, 1974

Folder 9: Duties of the Night Porter & Duties of the BellBoy, undated

Folder 10: Employees & Employment, 1958-1974

Folder 11: Employee Memos, Rules, & Notices, 1955-1973

Folder 12: Envelopes (Moorland Letterhead), 1914

Folder 13: Envelopes and Letterhead, undated

Folder 14: Events, 1954-1970

Folder 15: Federal, State, and Local Laws, 1959-1969

Folder 16: Guest Notices, Rules, Memos, misc. (non-booking), 1956-1969

Folder 17: “Hello My Name Is” tags, undated

Folder 18: Hotel Bell Boys Call List (blank), 1946

Folder 19: Hotel Kay Tags, Diamond Union Stamp Works, undated

Folder 20: Inspections, Licenses, Permits 1952-1974

Folder 21: Inventory & Repairs Notebook, 1971

Folder 22: Job Applications, 1954-1974

Box 2

Folder 23: Landscaping, 1967-1968

Folder 24: Leases, 1960-1974

Folder 25: “Linens & Lost & Found” notebook, 1969-1971

Folder 26: Linen & Kitchen Inventories, 1966-1974

Folder 27: Maid’s Linen Sheets, undated

Folder 28: Notes, misc. undated

Folder 29: Notes About the 1958 Moorland Hotel Fire & Old South Meetings, 1958

Folder 30: Plans: Building Plans for Magazine Rack, Game, Window, undated

Folder 31: Plans: Moorland Plot and Building Plans, 1959-1971

Folder 32: Room Setups, 1965

Folder 33: Pool Maintenance, undated

Folder 34: Pool Rules Sign, undated

Folder 35: Reservation Cards, 1967-1974

Folder 36: Reservation Cards for the Motor Inn, undated

Folder 37: Sewage Disposal System plan, November 1973

Folder 38: Songs, Poems, and Hotel Mottos, undated

Folder 39: Tennis Court, Rextrude, undated

Box 8 (Oversized Materials)

1898 Guest Book (with poems, songs, and ads) 

Series II: Advertising & Media

A. Brochures & Ads

Box 3

Folder 1: Moorland Brochures, 1972-75

Folder 2: Moorland Ads, 1968/undated

Folder 3: Moorland Brochure Prototype, 1972

Folder 4: Brochures and Ads for Local / Competitor Motels, Inns, and Hotels, 1967-1974

Folder 5: Gloucester Brochures, 1953-1973

Folder 6: Rockport Brochures, 1953/undated

Folder 7: New England Brochures, 1965/undated

Flat File

Bass Rocks Theatre Poster: “Erik Rhodes in the Broadway Success ‘George Washington Slept Here,’” July 7th, undated

B. Maps

Box 3

Folder 8: Cape Ann Maps, 1963-1974

Folder 9: General Maps 1969/undated

C. Business Cards

Box 3

Folder 10: Moorland Hotel / Moorland Motor Inn Business Cards, undated

Folder 11: Vendor Business Cards (Cape Ann, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. & International), 1970/undated

D. Calendars

Box 3

Folder 12: Gloucester 350th Anniversary Calendar, 1973

Folder 13: Jas. F. Murray Calendar, 1965

Folder 14: Weyerhaeuser Wildlife Calendar, 1971

Flat File

1 Deerling Electric Co. 1976 Calendar

E. Newspapers and News Clippings

Box 3

Folder 15: Moorland Hotel / Motor Inn — General newspaper clippings, 1954-1968

Folder 16: Moorland Hotel — 1958 Fire, newspaper clipping, 1958

Folder 17: Moorland Hotel / Motor Inn — Crime, newspaper clippings, 1974/undated

Folder 18: Gloucester newspaper clippings, 1957-1973

Folder 19: Christmas on Cape Ann newspaper clippings, 1966

Folder 20: The Tavern newspaper clippings, 1967

Folder 21: The Gloucester Daily Time Quiz, November 1967 - May 1968

Flat File

Gloucester Daily Times, May 3, 1975

Boston Herald American, May 31, 1974

Boston Herald, “Sunday Herald Advertiser: Vacation Travelcade,” May 4 1975 

Series III: Finances

Box 2

Moorland Hotel Financial Records Book, 1972

Box 4

Folder 1: Ledger of Francis J. Mingace, manager, 1953

Folder 2: Bank Ads and Papers (Cape Ann National Bank), 1956-1966

Folder 3: Budgeting and Receipts, 1958-1973

Folder 4: Gas and Electric Bills, 1958-1970

Folder 5: Room 12 Damages, 1967

Folder 6: Damage for Rooms 10, 11, and 12, 1968-1969

Folder 7: Wage and Tax Statements, 1971-1972

Folder 8: Tax Reports, 1972

Folder 9: Stock Requisition Pad, undated

Folder 10: “Paid Out” pad, “Cash Credit” pad, and “Received on Petty Cash” pad, undated

Folder 11: Check pad and Rent slip pad, undated

Folder 12: Guest Bills, 1974

Folder 13: Guest BIlls, 1974

Box 5

“Private AC’s 1920 Duplicate” Financial Ledger, 1972

Box 8

Room Rental Book, 1958

Series IV: Correspondence

Box 5

Folder 1: Moorland Reservations Correspondence, 1962-1974

Folder 2: Correspondence with Guests re: Left Behind Items, 1969-1973

Folder 3: Business Correspondence, 1972-1974/undated

Folder 4: Correspondence with Massachusetts Water Pollution Control, August 1972

Folder 5: Francis J. Mingace, Manager, Business Correspondence, 1954- 1975

Folder 6: Francis J. Mingace, Manager, Personal Correspondence, 1948- 1974

Folder 7: Michael H. Jasper, Adm., Business Correspondence, 1965-1974

Folder 8: Myer G. Jasper, Business Correspondence, 1961-1963

Folder 9: Florence Robins, Residential Manager, 1962-1970

Folder 10: Vendor Correspondence, Catalogs and Order Forms, 1970- 1974/undated

Folder 11: Vendor Correspondence and Catalogs, 1970-1975, undated

Folder 12: Aladdin Business Service Correspondence, June 1964-April 1971

Folder 13: Personal Correspondence, 1914

Folder 14: Mail Addresses. 1959-1973

Folder 15: Gloucester Post Office Christmas Kits, 1973

Series V: Cards

Box 6

Folder 1: Moorland Postcard Inventory, undated

Folder 2: Oversized Postcards: Gloucester, undated

Folder 3: Oversized Postcards: Rockport & Cape Ann, undated

Folder 4: Oversized Postcards: Misc., undated

Folder 5: Oversized Postcards: New York & Massachusetts, undated

Folder 6: Moorland Motor Inn Christmas Cards, undated

Folder 7: Moorland Motor Inn Christmas Cards, undated

Folder 8: Christmas Cards to Moorland Manager, 1957-1963

Folder 9: Christmas Cards, 1943-1944

Folder 10: Easter Cards, undated

Folder 11: Sympathy Cards (for Victoria Mingace’s passing), 1978

Box 7

Moorland Hotel & Moorland Motor Inn Postcards

Gloucester postcards

Annisquam

Beach, general

Eastern Point

Fisherman’s Memorial

Good Harbour Beach

Hotels, Motels, Inns

Jas. F. Murray illustrations

Long Beach

Misc.

Restaurants

Rocky Neck

Waterfront / Wharf

Magnolia postcards

Hammond Castle

Norman’s Woe

Rafe’s Chasm

Rockport postcards

Cape Ann postcards

Boston postcards

Massachusetts postcards

Postcards from Other States:

Arizona

California

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Hawaii

Louisiana

Kentucky

Maine

Michigan

Mississippi

Missouri

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Series VI: Personal Papers of Francis J. Mingace, Managerb

Box 6

Folder 1: Personal Papers of Francis J. Mingace, Manager, General, 1924- 1967

Folder 2: Personal Papers of Francis J. Mingace, Manager, Military, 1942-48

Folder 3: Personal Papers of Francis J. Mingace, Manager, Religious Life, 1949-1967

Series VII: Photographs, Slides, and Negatives

A. Slides, Negatives, and Transparencies

Box 9 

Sheet 1: Moorland Hotel at Night, undated

Sheet 2: Moorland Hotel Cocktail Lounge, “Jim the Bartender,” 1954

Sheet 3: The Old Moorland & the Moorland Motor Inn

Sheet 4: The Moorland Motor Inn, The Moorland with Yellow Filter, 1959

Sheet 5: Moorland Dormitory, Richard Scipetonici, 1959

Sheet 6: Moorland Motor Inn, undated

Sheet 7: Moorland Motor Inn, 1960

Sheet 8: Moorland Motor Inn, 1966

Sheet 9: “Summer Florence Robin,” 1967

Sheet 10: Moorland Winter Scenes, 1967

Sheet 11: Moorland Motor Inn, Annex, and Cat, 1969

Sheet 12: Moorland, 1969

Sheet 13: Moorland Winter, 1970

Sheet 14: Moorland Employee Party/Seaside, 1970-1971

Sheet 15: Moorland Employee Party, 1971

Sheet 16: Moorland Employee Party, 1971

Sheet 17: Room 4 Fire and Auto Accident on Rocks, 1972

Sheet 18: Gloucester, 1972

Sheet 19: Montreal and Glocuester, 1973

Sheet 21: Old Moorland Hotel Lobby, 1975

Sheet 22: “Swimming Pool Gloucester” and “Swimming Pool + Francis,” undated

Sheet 23: Motor Inn porch and ocean, undated

Sheet 24: Florence Robins and Meyer Jasper, undated

Sheet 25: Moorland Motor Inn, 1967

Sheet 26: Moorland Motor Inn, undated

Sheet 27: Gloucester, 1959

Sheet 28: Ocean views, undated

Sheet 29: Cocktail Lounge, undated

Sheet 30: Moorland, Montreal and Gloucester, 1974

Sheet 31: People at Beach, undated

Sheet 32: “Friday Morning Atlantic Ocean in a Southeast Storm, 95 mph, Winds recorded at 11am,” undated

Sheet 33: Gloucester / Motor Inn, undated

Sheet 34: Gloucester / Motor Inn, undated

Sheet 35: “Cat,” 1969

Sheet 36: “Cat,” 1970

Sheet 37: Richmond, 1970

Sheet 38: Montreal, 1971

Sheet 39: Montreal, 1971

Sheet 40: Montreal, 1974

Sheet 41: Children at Exhibit, undated

Sheet 42: Event photos, Undated

Sheet 43: Unlabeled & Undated Slides

Sheet 44: Barnes B. Hickman, Building

Sheet 45: Man at the Beach, undated

Sheet 46: Gloucester / Moorland Hotel, undated

Sheet 47: Gloucester Ball, 8/10/1955

B. Moorland Hotel / Motor Inn Photographs

Box 10

Moorland Hotel, 19 photographs — 1958 / undated

Moorland Motor Inn, 23 photographs, undated

Beach and Pool, approx. 30 photographs, 1953 / undated

Events, approx. 10 photographs, undated

Misc. photos, undated

Box 11

Folder 1: Moorland Cocktail Lounge photos, “Jim the Bartender,” 1954

Folder 2: Employee photographs: —Bellhops, Milton Armistead, Ernest Owen, Roy Cashion, Lewis Hicks, Barnes Hickman, Jr., Moreland Lypher J.P., 1958

Folder 3: Employee photographs — Desk Clerks, Katherine Ray, John Ray, Gretchen Tress, 1958

Folder 4: Employee photographs —Bookkeepers, Mrs. Shirley Smith Woolcutt, 1958, and “bookkeeper,” undated

Folder 5: Employee photographs — Florence Robins, Residential Manager, undated

Folder 6: Myer G. Jasper, owner, undated

Folder 7: Moorland Hotel photograph (originally framed), undated

Folder 8: Moorland Motor Inn photographs (originally framed), undated

Folder 9: Moorland Motor Inn photographs, 1966, undated

Folder 10: Moorland Hotel photographs (originally framed), undated

Folder 11: Ballinger Gallery, Fine Paintings, Rockport MA

Folder 12: Photo Envelopes (from Newtondale Rx Pharmacy & Cedric G. Chase, various). 1942-1973

Folder 13: Boat Photographs (Roote Beer, Greenwich Connecticut), undated

Flat File

Moorland Motor Inn photograph, undated

C. Personal Photos of Francis J. Mingace

Box 10

Army/Military photos, undated

Cat photos, undated

Family & Misc., undated

Box 11

Folder 14: Portrait, 1866 and. Souvenir from Gloucester, 1937

Folder 15: Signed Photos: Adele Grand & Joe Marsh & Photo for Francis, undated

Folder 16: Misc. Town, undated, “Casino Da Vica,” undated, and Ocean, undated

Folder 17: Panel Art Prints Booklet with Photo of Woman, undated

Folder 18: Woman at Piano, 1958