Stage Fort Park

Stage Fort Park

Gloucester was established in 1623 by fishermen from Dorchester, England called the “Dorchester Company”. They landed on Half-moon beach and settled the area where Stage Fort park remains. The settlement was one of the first in The Mass Bay Colony.

Tablet Rock was used by Native American prophets as an altar to invoke the Great Spirit. It stands here today with a plague that marks the date of the founding.

Stage Fort Park is also home to some of Mass Bay Colony’s oldest defenses. The Fort was operational during King Philip’s War, King George’s war, and The American Revolutionary war. Cannons were set up in the hills to protect Gloucester’s fishing fleet from invading pirates and enemy warships during the war of 1812. The cannons remain to this day for visitors to observe.