Northshore Magazine

Northshore September 18

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 28 SEPTEMBER 2018 / E AT+ D R I N K / and many stories to tell," he notes, start- ing with the surprising fact that in 1790, Newburyport was the 13th largest city in the country, with 4,000 residents. Or maybe that's not so surprising, since there were only 13 states back then, and New York, with the biggest population, had just 33,000. Nonethe- less, tour participants learn that Newbury- port was an important and cosmopolitan destination during the colonial era, thanks to a commercial port and a thriving shipbuild- ing industry. Getz and Cain make a great team, Getz says, noting that the pair met about a decade ago as volunteer soccer coaches in Mer- rimac. Over the years, as their daughters competed on the field, the dads talked about ways to combine their hobby and deep experience into a side hustle. Getz, who teaches middle school at Sparhawk School in Amesbury, has a lot of experience in public storytelling, having designed exhibits for the Smithsonian and Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth. Cain has published two books on the Ameri- can Revolution and colonial New England, and has had several close calls with a bayo- net as a reenactor at the Battle of Lexington every Patriots' Day since. So great is Cain's dedication to detail that he took an 18th century sewing class in order to stitch his outfit by hand. Typical of what a middle-class worker would wear, his ensamble includes a dapper jacket, fitted pants, brimmed hat, and a market wallet for his money. And a whole lot of buttons. "Alex's outfit is accurate down to the stitch," Getz says. "He takes it extremely seriously." Getz's costume is decidedly more downscale; with loose, dirty pants and a long, shirt, and a wool cap on his head, he repre- sents more of a vagrant worker. "Alex had the clothes, so he gets to be more reputable," Getz says with a laugh. Starting from the Custom House, which was designed by Robert Mills, architect of the Washington Monument, the tour ambles at a leisurely pace through Waterfront Park, up to Water Street, and winds up finally at Michael's Waterfront. Along the way, partici- pants learn about the devastating fire that re- sulted in Newburyport's brick downtown, and the high-quality workmanship that made the city the Detroit of shipbuilding. And of course they hear about alcohol, which was safer to drink than water back in the day. Getz says the average Newburyport resident consumed a whopping three pints of rum a week—which might explain why the city was home to some 12 or more distilleries. ese days, there are no distilleries in Newburyport, but Untapped History does include Rumson's Rum, from nearby Salem, in the historic tipples at the end, along with local RiverWalk beer. On a recent afternoon, Eric Getz (left) and Alex Cain launched Untapped History in Newburyport. Left, Primitive sunglasses worn by sailors, a snuff box, and hard, tasteless biscuits—a common food source for sailors.

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