What is the Babson connection to Bearskin Neck in Rockport?
Ebenezer Babson, b. 8 Feb 1667/68 saw a bear attack his nephew, Henry Witham. Ebenezer attacked the bear, armed only with knife. He allowed the bear to follow him into the water to get its attention away from the child. Afterwards he brought the bear onto the shore and dried its skin on the rocks. The legend is memorialized in the couplet: “Babson, Babson killed a bear With his knife, I do declare.
