{"id":6307,"date":"2016-03-10T09:01:13","date_gmt":"2016-03-10T14:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/?p=6307"},"modified":"2019-08-20T07:30:15","modified_gmt":"2019-08-20T11:30:15","slug":"motif-no-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/?p=6307","title":{"rendered":"The Legend of Motif No. 1 Red Fish Shack in Rockport, Mass."},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_6308\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_6308\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 1000px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-Number-1-Rockport.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6308\" src=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-Number-1-Rockport.jpg\" alt=\"Motif Number One, Rockport MA\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-Number-1-Rockport.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-Number-1-Rockport-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-Number-1-Rockport-567x425.jpg 567w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-Number-1-Rockport-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_6308\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Motif No. 1, Rockport (photo by Eric)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div style=\"display: block; float: left; padding: 5px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Budget Travel Responsive Side Ad --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; min-width: 336px; max-width: 336px; width: 100%; height: 280px;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0542617997214413\" data-ad-slot=\"2425747832\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div>\n<p>Motif No. 1, the bright historic red fishing shack in Rockport, Mass., seems to be the biggest fish in the sea when it comes to celebrated American fishing shacks.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a true American landmark that people regard as a New England travel icon &#8212; right up there with the nearby <a href=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/gloucester-ma.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gloucester fisherman<\/a>, Plymouth Rock and the Citgo gas station in South Quincy (just kidding on the last one).<\/p>\n<p>Motif No. 1, located at the end of a granite wharf between Rockport Harbor and Bearskin Neck, could very well be the most painted and photographed building in the United States, according to contemporary history legend. Whether that&#8217;s true, however, is up to debate. It would be akin to a presidential candidate saying &#8220;I&#8217;m the only one up on stage who&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Stories about the building have almost taken on a bad Simpson&#8217;s TV episode platform where everyone has their own story on the &#8220;who, what, when, where, why and how.&#8221; No one is even sure when Motif No. 1 was built, but common consensus has it born around the 1884-85 time frame.<\/p>\n<p>The building you see today is not even the original Motif No. 1! If you were to look close up at a plaque on the building, it suggests that the first Motif No. 1 was destroyed by the notorious Blizzard of 1978, and this one is a replica.<\/p>\n<p>To visitors, it doesn&#8217;t matter whether this is a replica. Tourists with cameras seem magnetized to the Rockport attraction, as if it was a rite of passage into an official New England, Massachusetts, Rockport or Cape Ann vacation. There&#8217;s even an annual downtown Rockport festival called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rockportusa.com\/festival-event.cfm?id=1856\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Motif No. 1 Day<\/a>, annually held held on a May weekend with its 5k road race and celebration of the arts including art-making activities, film, poetry and dance. The primary catalyst of this day, though, is, of course, recognizing Motif No. 1 and its ties to this fabulous little village known for its fishing industry and art colony.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6309\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_6309\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 1000px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-No-1-Rockport-MA.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6309\" src=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-No-1-Rockport-MA.jpg\" alt=\"Motif Number 1 harbor scene, Rockport MA\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-No-1-Rockport-MA.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-No-1-Rockport-MA-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-No-1-Rockport-MA-567x425.jpg 567w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Motif-No-1-Rockport-MA-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_6309\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A nice harbor scene at Motif No. 1 (photo by Eric)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But wait, that&#8217;s not all. Author L.M. Vincent wrote a book, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/offer-listing\/1609493826\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1609493826&amp;linkCode=am2&amp;tag=visitingnewen-20&amp;linkId=5CBPNVYCHOAEAQ5L\">In Search of Motif No. 1: The History of a Fish Shack (Landmarks)<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=visitingnewen-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1609493826\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>, that chronicles the little red building&#8217;s ascent from a workingman&#8217;s shack for fishermen to a marketed tourist attraction.<\/p>\n<p>Motif No. 1 has also been a landmark building for movie scenes (a picture of Motif No. 1 appears in the dentist office scene in &#8220;Finding Nemo!&#8221;), magazine covers, product advertisements and a &#8220;Greetings from America&#8221; U.S. Post Office postage stamp.\u00a0 Other states have reportedly used, incredulously, Motif No. 1 for their own tourism promotional purposes.<\/p>\n<p>Is Motif No. 1, on its own, worth the trip to Rockport? No, absolutely not. While Motif No. 1 should\u00a0 be a requisite part of a Rockport vacation or day trip, it should only be considered one element of a town that offers so much wonderful travel elements. I would suggest starting with the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rockportusa.com\/beaches.cfm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">nearby ocean beaches<\/a>, the beautiful <a href=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/?p=296\">Halibut Point Reservation<\/a>, and downtown&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bearskinneck.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bearskin Neck<\/a> with its wonderfully quaint, seaside hodgepodge of art shops and galleries, gift shops, seafood restaurants, cafes, ice cream and fudge shops.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6310\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_6310\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 1000px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Bearskin-Neck-Rockport.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6310\" src=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Bearskin-Neck-Rockport.jpg\" alt=\"Bearskin Neck, Rockport MA\" width=\"1000\" height=\"573\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Bearskin-Neck-Rockport.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Bearskin-Neck-Rockport-150x86.jpg 150w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Bearskin-Neck-Rockport-640x367.jpg 640w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Bearskin-Neck-Rockport-900x516.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_6310\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bearskin Neck, Rockport, during the off season (photo by Eric)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6311\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_6311\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 1000px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/P1100817.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6311\" src=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/P1100817.jpg\" alt=\"Bearskin Neck, Rockport MA\" width=\"1000\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/P1100817.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/P1100817-150x92.jpg 150w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/P1100817-640x392.jpg 640w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/P1100817-900x551.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_6311\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Another view of Bearskin Neck (photo by Eric)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Motif No. 1 is located at Bearskin Neck and is free to view! For more information on Rockport and the Cape Ann area &#8212; including Gloucester &#8212; log onto the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.seecapeann.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">See Cape Ann web site<\/a>.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><ins class=\"bookingaff\" data-dest_type=\"city\" data-dest_id=\"20063113\" data-aid=\"1285854\" data-target_aid=\"875879\" data-prod=\"nsb\" data-width=\"100%\" data-height=\"auto\"><br \/>\n<!-- Anything inside will go away once widget is loaded. --><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/\/www.booking.com?aid=875879\">Booking.com<\/a><br \/>\n<\/ins><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n    (function(d, sc, u) {\n      var s = d.createElement(sc), p = d.getElementsByTagName(sc)[0];\n      s.type = 'text\/javascript';\n      s.async = true;\n      s.src = u + '?v=' + (+new Date());\n      p.parentNode.insertBefore(s,p);\n      })(document, 'script', '\/\/aff.bstatic.com\/static\/affiliate_base\/js\/flexiproduct.js');\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Like this post? Save it and share it on Pinterest!<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/rockport-pinterest-graphic.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8030\" src=\"http:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/rockport-pinterest-graphic.jpg\" alt=\"Iconic New England travel; Motif No. 1 Red Fish Shack and Bearskin Neck in Rockport, Mass.\" width=\"660\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/rockport-pinterest-graphic.jpg 660w, https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/rockport-pinterest-graphic-298x425.jpg 298w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Motif No. 1, the bright historic red fishing shack in Rockport, Mass., seems to be the biggest fish in the sea when it comes to celebrated American fishing shacks. It&#8217;s a true American landmark that people regard as a New England travel icon &#8212; right up there with the nearby Gloucester fisherman, Plymouth Rock and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[283,275,268],"tags":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6307"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6307"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8362,"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6307\/revisions\/8362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitingnewengland.com\/blog-cheap-travel\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}