Video: Why New England’s most famous fishing shack is a big fake
The star of this two-minute video — a barn-red fishing shack — sits at the end of the short granite wharf on the waterfront of Rockport, Mass., a scenic little town about 40 miles northeast of Boston.
Rockport is the beauty spot of Cape Ann. And though Cape Ann is often outshone by Cape Cod (farther south) when tourism is concerned, this red fishing shack is an exception.
It’s called Motif No. 1, for reasons that are explained in the video. And the New England Historical Society calls it the world’s most celebrated fishing shack.
Why? Basically, because it looks the way New England is supposed to look. Even though it’s a facsimile.
The video can explain some of this. For the fuller version, there’s a book, “In Search of Motif No. 1,” by L.M. Vincent, published in 2011.
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