Gloucester, once called “Up Straits,” was an extension of Straits until 1915, when a post office was proposed for the community and the Postal Service required a different name; community leader and freight boat captain Joe Pigott chose Gloucester after his favorite New England town. Since 1708, the development of Straits and Gloucester was similar, with early water-related occupations giving way to lumbering and tar production and finally to farming. Today’s Gloucester is bounded by Sleepy Creek on the east, separating it from Marshallberg, and Whitehurst Creek on the west, separating it from Straits. In November 1955, Gloucester citizens organized a community club to raise funds and improve the community and the lives of its citizens through barbecued chicken and ham dinners, spare-rib and shrimp suppers, fish fries, and oyster roasts. Over more than sixty years, the club built its clubhouse, secured trash collection service and cable access, petitioned for better roads and speed limits, and helped gain access to rescue services, a fire department, and many other community improvements. The Gloucester Community Center continues these traditions and now hosts the free Gloucester Mardi Gras celebration, with food donated, prepared, and cooked by community volunteers and music provided by local and regional bands. Gloucester was also home to Harkers Island’s first ferry, running from Ferry Dock Road in Gloucester to Ferry Dock Road on Harkers Island, and stories reflect the major impact this transportation route had on both communities.