To the editor:
We are a small 501(c)3 nonprofit volunteer group formed to promote the history of gillnetting in Gloucester, through the display and preservation of the fishing vessel Phyllis A.
The Phyllis A. is the oldest and longest fishing vessel in the harbor. Built in 1925 for Albert Arnold, the leader of a group of fishermen who brought the gillnetting industry to the Atlantic coast from the Great Lakes in 1920, she worked continually until 2000. For 75 years, the Phyllis A. provided a living for one extended family while fishing out of Glouceser — a claim made by no other vessel.
The Phyllis A. Marine Association has received Community Preservation Act funding to hasten the goal of having her ready for on-board visitors. Yet we still need much help with vessel care, research, program coordination, grant writing, and much more.
To volunteer or donate, please contact Doug or Gloria Parsons at the Phyllis A. Marine Association, c/o 39 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930, or call 978-283-9292, or schtruant@verizon.net., or visit us at www.phyllis—a.org, or on Facebook.
GLORIA PARSONS
Gloucester
Secretary and Treasurer, Phyllis A. Marine Association
