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Georgetown, Massachusetts

Georgetown is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,470 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1838 from part of Rowley.

History
Georgetown was originally settled in 1639 as a part of the town of Rowley by the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers. The town at the time stretched from the Atlantic coast to the Merrimack River, south of Newbury and north of Ipswich. Several farmers, finding suitable meadowlands in the western half of the settlement, began settling along the Penn Brook by the middle of the seventeenth century, creating Rowley's West Parish. Though not directly involved in King Philip's War, the village nonetheless did become a victim of Indian raids. The village, which became known as New Rowley, grew for many years, with small mills and eventually a shoe company opening up in the town. By 1838, the town was sufficiently large enough for its own incorporation, and was renamed Georgetown. Small industry continued, and today the town is mostly residential in nature, a distant suburb of Boston's North Shore.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 34.1 km2, of which 33.3 km2 is land and 0.8 km2, or 2.20%, is water. Georgetown is located on the edge of the hills and coastal plain of northeastern Massachusetts. It has many streams and brooks, as well as two major ponds, Rock Pond and Pentucket Pond. The town has several areas of protected land, including the Georgetown-Rowley State Forest to the south, the Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area to the north, the Lufkins Brook Area to the west, and a small portion of the Boxford State Forest in the southwest.

Georgetown is located approximately 10 mi east of Lawrence, 11 mi south-southwest of Newburyport, and 28 mi north of Boston, north of the center of Essex County. It is about 30 minutes north of Boston. It is bordered by Groveland to the northwest, Newbury to the northeast, Rowley to the southeast, and Boxford to the southwest. Interstate 95 crosses through the eastern half of town, with one exit within the town, at Route 133. Route 133 crosses from east to west through town, with Route 97 crossing from northwest to south. Both state routes share a short stretch of road near the town center. The town has no mass transit; the nearest rail service can be found along the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail in Rowley. The nearest air service is at Logan International Airport.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 8,183 people, 2,937 households, and 2,290 families residing in the town. The population density was 619.9 PD/sqmi. There were 3,044 housing units at an average density of 230.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.9% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.

There were 2,937 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.9% were married families, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. Of all households, 17.8% were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

According to the 2010 census the median income for a household in the town was $108,137, and in 2008 the median income for a family was $79,649. Males had a median income of $58,806 versus $36,108 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,846. About 2.7% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Georgetown employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen and a town administrator. The current board of selectmen consist of Amy Smith (Chair), Douglas Dawes, Daryle J. LaMonica, Rachel Bancroft, and Robert Hoover (Clerk). Georgetown has its own police department, two fire stations (Central Station in downtown and Erie Station in the Northern sector of town), a post office, library, electric department and highway department. The nearest hospitals to the town are in Haverhill, Newburyport and Beverly.

On the state level, Georgetown is under the jurisdiction of the Central District Court of Essex County, located in Haverhill. It is patrolled by the Newbury barracks of Troop A of the Massachusetts State Police. In state government, Georgetown is part of the Second and Eighteenth Essex Districts in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and is part of the First Essex and Middlesex District in the Massachusetts Senate. On the national level, Georgetown is in Massachusetts's 6th congressional district, and has been represented since 2015 by Seth Moulton (D). In the United States Senate, Massachusetts's senior senator, elected in 2012, is Elizabeth Warren (D), and its junior senator, elected in 2013, is Edward Markey (D).

Education
Georgetown, unlike its neighboring municipalities, has its own municipal school district, and is not part of a regional school association or district. Georgetown has three schools:

 * Perley Elementary School (formerly Perley High School) is a Blue Ribbon Schools Program award-winning elementary school for preschool only.
 * Penn Brook Elementary School is an elementary school on Elm Street in Georgetown for grades kindergarten–6.
 * Georgetown Middle-High School is the only high school/middle school in the town and serves grades 7–12.

Georgetown High School's colors are royal blue and white, and its team name is the Royals, with a mounted knight as its mascot. They compete in the Small School division of the Cape Ann League, and have a Thanksgiving Day football rivalry with Manchester-Essex Regional High School. In addition to GHS, high school students may also attend Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School in Haverhill, which serves as the eastern Merrimack Valley's vocational school. Private schools are also located throughout the area, the nearest being The Governor's Academy in Newbury.

Points of interest

 * Brocklebank-Nelson-Beecher House
 * Dickinson-Pillsbury-Witham House
 * Adams–Clarke House
 * Georgetown Central School Memorial Town Hall
 * Erie 4 Fire Company is the oldest privately owned and operated volunteer fire company in America.
 * Georgetown-Rowley State Forest
 * Goodrich Massacre Site
 * The "Old Nancy" cannon, a relic of the Revolutionary War, may be viewed at the Town Hall.
 * Union Cemetery. Cuffee Dole, an African-American man, was buried on the outskirts of the cemetery, but as it grew his plot became more centrally located.
 * Georgetown Peabody Library is the town's only public library and named for the noted philanthropist George Peabody who provided the funds to build the library to honor his mother. Peabody provided the funds necessary for the building of the Peabody Institute Libraries in Danvers and Peabody, as well Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Baltimore, Thetford, Vermont, Austin, Texas and others. He funded the establishment of the Peabody Museums at Harvard and Yale and in Salem. The Georgetown Peabody Library finished an addition and renovation in September 2007.

Notable people

 * Matt Antonelli, former MLB player
 * Bill Chisholm, Founder - Symphony Technology Group (STG)
 * Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end
 * Charles Beecher, American minister, composer of religious hymns, and prolific author, preached in Georgetown and died in Georgetown as well
 * Jeremiah Chaplin, theologian
 * Paul Harding, best known for his debut novel Tinkers (2009), which won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
 * William Dutton Hayward, founder of Hayward, California
 * Oliver Waterman Larkin, author, winner of 1950 Pulitzer Prize in history for Art and Life in America
 * Terry O'Reilly, Boston Bruins hockey player, long time Georgetown resident
 * David Pingree (1795–1863), a merchant and landowner
 * Brian St. Pierre, former standout quarterback at St. John's Preparatory School and Boston College. He played in the NFL from 2003-2010 and is now the head coach at his high school alma mater (St. John's)
 * Fred Tenney, baseball player born in Georgetown, buried in Harmony Cemetery
 * Jenny Thompson, U.S. Olympic swimming star, lived in town from 1974 to the early 1980s
 * Raymond H. Torrey, journalist and hiking pioneer
 * John Updike, novelist, resided at 58 West Main Street from 1976 to 1982. His jogs through Georgetown provided backdrop for his 1981 novel Rabbit Is Rich, which won him the National Book Critics Circle Award, the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

In popular culture

 * Georgetown served as the filming location for Diane English's movie The Women (2008). The movie starred numerous Hollywood leading ladies, including Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett Smith, Candice Bergen, Bette Midler and Debra Messing. The primary filming location was at Camp Leslie, along the shore of Pentucket Pond.

title: Georgetown, Massachusetts


text:
Gloucester, Massachusetts

Gloucester is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts,  United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a popular summer destination, Gloucester consists of an urban core on the north side of the harbor and the outlying neighborhoods of Annisquam, Bay View, Lanesville, Folly Cove, Magnolia, Riverdale, East Gloucester, and West Gloucester.

History
The boundaries of Gloucester originally included the town of Rockport, in an area dubbed "Sandy Bay". The village separated formally from Gloucester on February 27, 1840. In 1873, Gloucester was reincorporated as a city.

Contact period
Native Americans inhabited what would become northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to the European colonization of the Americas. At the time of contact, the area was inhabited by Agawam people under sachem Masconomet. Evidence of a village exists on Pole's Hill in the current Riverdale neighborhood.

In 1606 Samuel de Champlain explored the harbor, and produced the first known map of Gloucester harbor titling it le Beau port. This map suggests substantial Native American settlement on the shores of the harbor. In 1614 John Smith again explored the area, identifying the indigenous inhabitants as Aggawom. In 1623 men from the Dorchester Company established a permanent fishing outpost in the area.

At the Cape Ann settlement a legal form of government was established, and from that Massachusetts Bay Colony sprung. Roger Conant was the governor under the Cape Ann patent, and as such, has been called the first governor of Massachusetts.

Life in this first settlement was harsh and it was short-lived. Around 1626 the place was abandoned, and the people removed themselves to Naumkeag (in what is now called Salem, Massachusetts), where more fertile soil for planting was to be found. The meetinghouse and governor's house were even disassembled and relocated to the new place of settlement.

Second English Settlement
At some point in the following years—though no record exists—the area was slowly resettled by English colonists. The town was formally incorporated in 1642. It is at this time that the name "Gloucester" first appears on tax rolls, although in various spellings. The town took its name from the city of Gloucester in southwest England, perhaps from where many of its new occupants originated but more likely because Gloucester, England, was a Parliamentarian stronghold, successfully defended with the aid of the Earl of Essex against the King in the Siege of Gloucester of 1643.

This new permanent settlement focused on the Town Green area, an inlet in the marshes at a bend in the Annisquam River. This area is now the site of Grant Circle, a large traffic rotary at which Massachusetts Route 128 mingles with a major city street (Washington Street/Rt 127). Here the first permanent settlers built a meeting house and therefore focused the nexus of their settlement on the "Island" for nearly 100 years. Unlike other early coastal towns in New England, development in Gloucester was not focused around the harbor as it is today, rather it was inland that people settled first. This is evidenced by the placement of the Town Green nearly two miles from the harbor-front.

The Town Green is also where the settlers built the first school. By Massachusetts Bay Colony Law, any town with 100 families or more had to provide a public schoolhouse. This requirement was met in 1698, with Thomas Riggs standing as the town's first schoolmaster.

In 1700, the selectmen of Gloucester recognized the claim of Samuel English, grandson of Agawam sachem Masconomet, to the land of the town, and paid him seven pounds (equal to £ today) for the quitclaim.

The White-Ellery House was erected in 1710 upon the Town Green. It was built at the edge of a marsh for Gloucester's first settled minister, the Reverend John White (1677–1760).

Early industry included subsistence farming and logging. Because of the poor soil and rocky hills, Cape Ann was not well suited for farming on a large scale. Small family farms and livestock provided the bulk of the sustenance to the population. Fishing, for which the town is known today, was limited to close-to-shore, with families subsisting on small catches as opposed to the great bounties yielded in later years. The fishermen of Gloucester did not command the Grand Banks until the mid-18th century. Historian Christine Heyrman, examining the town's society between 1690 and 1750, finds that at the beginning community sensibility was weak in a town that was a loose agglomeration of individuals. Commerce and capitalism transformed the society, making it much more closely knit with extended families interlocking in business relationships.

Early Gloucestermen cleared great swaths of the forest of Cape Ann for farm and pasture land, using the timber to build structures as far away as Boston. The rocky moors of Gloucester remained clear for two centuries until the forest reclaimed the land in the 20th century. The inland part of the island became known as the "Commons", the "Common Village", or "Dogtown". Small dwellings lay scattered here amongst the boulders and swamps, along roads that meandered through the hills. These dwellings were at times little more than shanties; only one was even two stories tall. Despite their size, several generations of families were raised in such houses. One feature of the construction of these houses was that under one side of the floor was dug a cellar hole (for the keeping of food), supported by a foundation of laid-stone (without mortar). These cellar holes are still visible today along the trails throughout the inland part of Gloucester; they, and some walls, are all that remain of the village there.

Growth

The town grew, and eventually colonists lived on the opposite side of the Annisquam River. In a time of legally mandated church attendance this was a long way to walk—or row—on a Sunday morning. In 1718 the settlers on the opposite shore of the river split off from the First Parish community at the Green and formed "Second Parish". While still part of the town of Gloucester, the people of Second, or "West", Parish now constructed their own meetinghouse and designated their own place of burial, both of which were in the hills near the marshes behind Wingaersheek Beach. The meetinghouse is gone now, but deep in the woods on the Second Parish Road, Old Thompson road, one can still find the stone foundation and memorial altar, as well as scattered stones of the abandoned burial ground.

Other parts of town later followed suit. Third Parish, in northern Gloucester, was founded in 1728. Fourth Parish split off from First Parish in 1742. Finally, in 1754, the people of Sandy Bay (what would later be called Rockport) split off from First Parish to found Fifth Parish. The Sandy Bay church founding was the last religious re-ordering of the colonial period. All of these congregations still exist in some form, with the exception of Fourth Parish, the site of whose meeting house is now a highway.

At one time, there was a thriving granite industry in Gloucester. English writer Harriet Martineau, who visited Gloucester during her travels in the United States in the mid-1830s, commented on the ubiquity of granite there:"It has great wealth of granite and fish. It is composed of granite; and almost its only visitors are fish. **** The houses look as if they were squeezed in among the rocks. The granite rises straight behind a house, encroaches on each side, and overhangs the roof, leaving space only for a sprinkling of grass about the door, for a red shrub or two to wave from a crevice, and a drip of water to flow down among gay weeds. Room for these dwellings is obtained by blasting the rocks. Formerly, people were frightened at fragments falling through the roof after a blasting: but now, it has become too common an occurrence to alarm any body."

Geography and transportation
Gloucester is located at 42.62389°N, -70.67556°W (42.624015, −70.675521). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 107.5 km2, of which 67.8 km2 is land and 39.6 km2, or 36.88%, is water.

Gloucester occupies most of the eastern end of Cape Ann, except for the far tip, which is the town of Rockport. The city is split in half by the Annisquam River, which flows northward through the middle of the city into Ipswich Bay. At its southern end, it is connected to Gloucester Harbor by the Blynman Canal. The land along the northwestern shore of the river is marshy, creating several small islands. Gloucester Harbor is divided into several smaller coves, including the Western Harbor (site of the Fisherman's Memorial) and the Inner Harbor (home to the Gloucester fishing fleet). The eastern side of Gloucester Harbor is divided from the rest of Massachusetts Bay by Eastern Point, extending some 2 mi outward from the mainland. There are several parks in the city, the largest of which are Ravenswood Park, Stage Fort Park and Mount Ann Park.

Gloucester lies between Ipswich Bay to the north and Massachusetts Bay to the south. The city is bordered on the east by Rockport, and on the west by Ipswich, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea to the west. (The town line with Ipswich is located across Essex Harbor, and as such there is no land connection between the towns.) Gloucester lies 16 mi east-northeast of Salem and 31 mi northeast of Boston. Gloucester lies at the eastern terminus of Route 128, which ends at Route 127A. Route 127A begins at Route 127 just east of the Route 128 terminus, heading into Rockport before terminating there. Route 127 enters from Manchester-by-the-Sea before crossing the Blynman Canal and passing through downtown towards Rockport. It then re-enters Gloucester near Folly Cove, running opposite of its usual north–south orientation towards its terminus at Route 128. Route 133 also terminates within the city, entering from Essex and terminating just west of the Blynman Canal at Route 127. Besides the bridge over the Blynman Canal, there are only two other connections between the eastern and western halves of town, the A. Piatt Andrew Memorial Bridge, carrying Route 128, and the Boston & Maine Railroad Bridge, just north of the Blynman Canal.

Gloucester is home to the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, which serves the city and surrounding towns. Two stops (in West Gloucester and in downtown Gloucester) provide access to the Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail, which extends from Rockport along the North Shore to Boston's North Station. The nearest airport is the Beverly Municipal Airport, with the nearest national and international air service being at Boston's Logan International Airport.

Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 30,273 people, 12,592 households, and 7,895 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,166.0 PD/sqmi. There were 13,958 housing units at an average density of 537.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.99% White, 0.61% African American, 0.72% Asian, 0.12% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population. 22.6% were of Italian, 16.2% Irish, 11.1% English, 8.5% Portuguese and 7.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 12,592 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $58,568, and the median income for a family was $80,970 from a 2007 estimate. Males had a median income of $41,465 versus $30,566 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,595. About 7.1% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Gloucester is a city, with a strong mayor-council system. The current mayor of Gloucester is Gregory P. Verga as of January 2022. The Mayor is also reserved a seat on the School Committee. City offices are elected every two years (those ending with odd numbers). In 2007, over 40 people ran for the 15 elected seats in the city's government.

The city is divided into five Wards, each split into two precincts:
 * Ward 1: East Gloucester – includes Eastern Point and Rocky Neck
 * Ward 2: Downtown and the Harbor area
 * Ward 3: The western edge of the "island" from Stacy Boulevard to Wheeler's Point – includes the Heights at Cape Ann and Pond View Village.
 * Ward 4: North Gloucester – includes Riverdale, Annisquam, Bay View, and Lanesville.
 * Ward 5: The entirety of West Gloucester west of the Annisquam River and Blynman Canal to Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex – includes the Wingaersheek area and village of Magnolia.

As late as the mid-20th century, Gloucester had as many as eight wards, but they have been since reorganized into the current number.

On November 7, 2005, incumbent Mayor John Bell was re-elected to a third term in office. He stated his intention not to run for reelection and stepped down in January 2008.

On November 6, 2007, Carolyn Kirk was elected as the Mayor of Gloucester. Kirk resigned in December 2014 to take a position in the administration of Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker. Sefatia Theken was then voted to be the interim mayor of Gloucester by the City Council. Theken was elected to serve a full two-year term on November 2, 2015, and re-elected again in 2017 and 2019. She was defeated for re-election in 2021 by Gregory P. Verga.

Education
The following schools are located within the Gloucester Public Schools District:
 * Gloucester High School (9–12)
 * O'Maley Innovation Middle School (6–8)
 * East Veterans Elementary School (K-5) (Formerly East Gloucester Elementary School; the former Veteran's Memorial School (which has been demloished) was merged into it)
 * Plum Cove Elementary School (K–5)
 * Beeman Elementary School (K–5)
 * West Parish Elementary School (K–5) (site of the West Parish Elementary School Science Park)
 * Gloucester Preschool

Economy
Gorton's of Gloucester, Mighty Mac, Gloucester Engineering, Good Harbor Consulting, Para Research, Aid-Pack, Cyrk, and Varian Semiconductor are among the companies based in Gloucester.

Gloucester and the sea
The town was an important shipbuilding center, and the first schooner was reputedly built there in 1713. The community developed into an important fishing port, largely due to its proximity to Georges Bank and other fishing banks off the east coast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Gloucester's most famous (and nationally recognized) seafood business was founded in 1849 as John Pew & Sons. It became Gorton-Pew Fisheries in 1906, and in 1957 changed its name to Gorton's of Gloucester. The iconic image of the "Gorton's Fisherman", and the products he represents, are known throughout the country and beyond. Besides catching and processing seafood, Gloucester is also a center for research on marine life and conservation; Ocean Alliance is headquartered in the city.

In the late 19th century Gloucester saw an influx of Portuguese and Italian immigrants seeking work in the town's flourishing fishing industry and a better life in America. Some present-day fishermen of Gloucester are descendants of these early immigrants. The strong Portuguese and Italian influence is evident in the many festivals celebrated throughout the year. During the Catholic celebration, St Peter's Fiesta, relatives of fishermen past and present carry oars representing many of the fishing vessels which call Gloucester their home. Saint Peter is the patron saint of the fishermen. Gloucester remains an active fishing port, and in 2013 ranked 21st in the United States with respect to fish landings. In that year 62 million pounds of fish were caught bringing in an estimated $42 million.

Painting and printmaking
Gloucester's scenery, active fishing industry, and arts community have attracted and inspired painters since the early 19th century. The first Gloucester painter of note was native-born Fitz Henry Lane, whose home still exists on the waterfront. The premier collection of his works is in the Cape Ann Museum, which holds 40 of his paintings and 100 of his drawings. Other painters subsequently attracted to Gloucester include William Morris Hunt, Winslow Homer, Childe Hassam, John Twachtman, Frederick Mulhaupt, Frank Duveneck, Cecilia Beaux, Jane Peterson, Gordon Grant, Harry DeMaine, Emile Gruppe, Stuart Davis, Joseph Solman, Mark Rothko, Milton Avery, Barnett Newman, William Meyerowitz, Joan Lockhart, Theresa Bernstein, and Marsden Hartley, and artists from the Ashcan School such as Edward Hopper, John Sloan, Robert Henri, William Glackens, Emile Gruppe, Carl W. Illig, and Maurice Prendergast. Smith Cove is home to the Rocky Neck Art Colony, the oldest art colony in the country. Folly Cove was the home of the Folly Cove Designers, influential to this day in print design and technique.

Sculpture
Several important sculptors have lived and worked in East Gloucester, Annisquam, Lanesville and Folly Cove. They include George Aarons, Anna Hyatt Huntington, Charles Grafly, Paul Manship and his daughter-in-law Margaret Cassidy Manship, Walker Hancock, and George Demetrios. In addition, Aristides Demetrios grew up in Folly Cove.

Literature

 * Captains Courageous (1897) by Rudyard Kipling was set in Gloucester, and adapted as a 1937 movie starring Spencer Tracy.
 * T. S. Eliot (1888–1965) summered at the family house near Eastern Point in his early years. This house is now owned by the TS Eliot Foundation and used as a writer's retreat. Eliot drew great inspiration from Gloucester, and his early poems were collected in a notebook purchased from Procters on Main Street, and now part of the Berg Collection at the New York City Public Library. One of his Four Quartets is entitled The Dry Salvages, the rocks off the N.E. coast of Gloucester.
 * Charles Olson (1910–1970), a poet and teacher at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, composed a 635-page poem known as The Maximus Poems, which centered on Gloucester.
 * Gloucester is often referred to in the works of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The fictional town of Innsmouth in Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth is believed partially based on Cape Ann as a whole and Gloucester in particular.
 * The book The Perfect Storm, which recounted a massive storm of 1991, had figures based in the town. Scenes from the film adaptation by the same name were filmed there.
 * Gloucester and its coast guard station are the center of the land action in Michael J. Tougias' 2005 book Ten Hours Until Dawn, recounting the loss of the pilot boat Can Do and its crew during the blizzard of 1978.
 * Gloucesterbook, Gloucestertide, and Gloucestermas are three novels in the Gloucesterman series by Gloucester novelist Jonathan Bayliss set in Gloucester, fictionalized as "Dogtown" on "Cape Gloucester".
 * Hersenschimmen (Out of Mind), a 1984 novel by J. Bernlef, is set in Gloucester.
 * Anita Diamant has set two novels in Gloucester, The Last Days of Dogtown and Good Harbor.

Comics
Gloucester is the birthplace of Marvel character Dane Whitman whose superhero alter ego is the Black Knight.

Film

 * Author! Author! had scenes shot on Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester.
 * In The Bostonians, oceanfront scenes were filmed on rocks at Rafes Chasm Park, off Hesperus Avenue.
 * Captains Courageous was set in Gloucester.
 * The Gloucester 18 is a documentary film that investigates the Gloucester pregnancy pact, and was filmed entirely in Gloucester.
 * The Good Son was filmed in Gloucester and other Cape Ann communities.
 * Grown Ups
 * Manchester by the Sea much of which was filmed in Gloucester.
 * Mermaids had scenes shot in the Magnolia area of Gloucester.
 * Moonlight Mile was filmed almost entirely in Gloucester, with some shots in Marblehead.
 * The Perfect Storm was filmed and set in Gloucester.
 * Polis is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place is a one-hour documentary about the poet Charles Olson which the Boston Phoenix called "the best film about an American poet ever made."
 * Portions of Stuck on You were filmed in Gloucester and in neighboring Rockport. (The rink scenes were filmed at the O'Maley School.)
 * The Women was partly filmed in Annisquam.
 * The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming takes place on a fictional Gloucester island but was filmed in Mendocino, California.
 * One Step Beyond Episode 19, "The Captain's Guests", takes place on "Cape Ann Road" set in Gloucester.
 * Clear History takes place on an island in New England, and was filmed in Gloucester and around Cape Ann.
 * The miniseries Olive Kitteridge: Though set in Maine, it was filmed in Gloucester and around Cape Ann.
 * The 2021 film CODA is based and was shot in Gloucester.

Television
National Geographic Channel films its reality television series Wicked Tuna, documenting and chronicling the lives of commercial tuna fishermen, and the lucrative bluefin tuna industry, in Gloucester.

Route 66 season 2, episode 6, "Once To Every Man" (October 27, 1961) was set and filmed in Gloucester.

Bewitched season 7, episode 5, "Darrin On A Pedestal" (October 22, 1970) was set and partially filmed on Gloucester.

Spenser: For Hire, season 2, episode 1, "Widow's Walk" (October 4, 1986) was set and filmed in Gloucester.

Theater
The Gloucester Stage Company stages five to eight plays each season, primarily in the summer months. Located in East Gloucester, the theatre sits at water's edge overlooking Smith's Cove. It was founded in 1979 by local arts and business leaders to encourage playwrights and their new works. Israel Horovitz, who founded the GSC, was also its artistic director from 1979 to 2006. Over the years, plays developed at the Gloucester Stage Company have gone on to critical acclaim, on and off Broadway, nationally and internationally. The group draws theatre-goers from Gloucester, neighboring North Shore districts, and the greater Boston area, as well as seasonal residents and tourists.

Architecture
The city has much significant architecture, from pre-Revolutionary houses to the hilltop 1870 City Hall, which dominates the town and harbor. It also has exotic waterfront homes now converted to museums, including Beauport, built 1907–1934 by designer Henry Davis Sleeper in collaboration with local architect Halfdan Hanson, said to raise eclecticism to the level of genius. In addition, it has Hammond Castle, built 1926–1929 by inventor John Hays Hammond, Jr., as a setting for his collection of Roman, medieval and Renaissance artifacts. Gloucester was also the home of feminist writer Judith Sargent Murray and John Murray, the founder of the first Universalist Church in America. Their house still exists as the Sargent House Museum. Many museums are located in the main downtown area, such as the Cape Ann Museum, and the museum/aquarium Maritime Gloucester.

Points of interest
Gloucester's most noted landmark is the harborside Man at the Wheel statue (also known as the "Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial Cenotaph"), dedicated to "They that go down to the sea in ships", which is a quote from Psalm 107:23–32.
 * The schooner Adventure
 * Annisquam
 * Cape Ann Museum
 * Dogtown Common
 * Norman's Woe, known for several shipwrecks, including The Wreck of the Hesperus
 * Ravenswood Park
 * Rocky Neck Art Colony, America's oldest working art colony
 * Sargent House Museum
 * Stage Fort Park
 * White-Ellery House

Gloucester's largest annual event is St. Peter's Fiesta, sponsored by the local Italian-American community. It is held the last weekend in June, which is typically the weekend closest to the saint's feast day. Preceded by a nine-day novena of prayers, the festival highlights include the blessing of the fleet and the greasy pole contest.

Notable people

 * Sylvester Ahola, jazz trumpeter and cornetist
 * Willie Alexander, singer and keyboard player, formerly of the Lost, the Bagatelle, the Grass Menagerie and the Boom Boom Band, before briefly becoming a member of The Velvet Underground, was raised and is based in Gloucester; much of his later work involves collaborations in various media with area's rich arts community
 * A. Piatt Andrew, congressman, Assistant Treasury Secretary, and Harvard professor; The Route 128 bridge connecting the island and mainland portions of Gloucester was named after him
 * Roger Babson, founder of Babson College and presidential candidate for Prohibition Party in 1940
 * Walworth Barbour, diplomat, lived for many years in Gloucester
 * Thomas P. Barnett, painter
 * Jonathan Bayliss, novelist and playwright
 * Cecilia Beaux, painter and society portraitist
 * Howard Blackburn, fisherman and adventurer
 * Nell Blaine, painter
 * Clarence Birdseye, founder of modern frozen food industry
 * Kyle Bochniak, MMA Fighter
 * Phil Bolger, prolific 20th-century boat designer with 668 designs to his credit, designed Canadian-built tall ship HMS Rose later renamed HMS Surprise for use in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
 * Hugo Burnham, drummer and founding member of British post-punk band Gang of Four
 * Virginia Lee Burton (1909–1968), children's book author and illustrator (The Little House and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel), founder of the Folly Cove Designers group
 * Roger Conant, first governor of the Cape Ann colony, moved the colony's center from the Gloucester area to Salem
 * Carleton S. Coon, physical anthropologist and president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists
 * Roger Cressey, former member of United States National Security Council, terrorism analyst for NBC News, president of Good Harbor Consulting, and adjunct professor at Georgetown University
 * Thomas Dalton, abolitionist leader
 * Aristides Demetrios, sculptor, grew up in Gloucester as son of Virginia Lee Burton
 * James Elliot, author and United States Representative from Vermont
 * Henry Ferrini, critically acclaimed independent filmmaker, nephew of Vincent Ferrini
 * Vincent Ferrini, poet, first Poet Laureate of Gloucester
 * Thomas Gardner, landed in 1624 at Cape Ann to form colony at what is now known as Gloucester
 * Gregory Gibson, author of Goneboy: a Walkabout, Demon of the Waters and Hubert's Freaks
 * Raymond Greenleaf, actor
 * Emil Gruppe, painter
 * John Hays Hammond, Jr., inventor known as "The Father of Radio Control", built Hammond Castle as his home and laboratory
 * Halfdan M. Hanson, architect, most noted for collaboration with Henry Davis Sleeper on Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House
 * Walker Hancock, sculptor
 * Sterling Hayden, actor and writer
 * Helen Hayes, actor, spent her summers in Annisquam
 * Winslow Homer, landscape painter and printmaker, lived and painted in Gloucester in 1870s
 * Israel Horovitz, playwright and father of Adam Horovitz of Beastie Boys
 * Alpheus Hyatt, naturalist and paleontologist
 * Anna Hyatt Huntington, animalier sculptor and daughter of Alpheus Hyatt
 * Elliott Jaques, psychoanalyst, social scientist, known for coining term "mid-life crisis"; moved to Gloucester in 1991 and lived there until death in 2003
 * Alfred "Centennial" Johnson, first recorded single-handed crossing of Atlantic Ocean
 * Hilton Kramer, art critic and essayist, was born in, and grew up in, Gloucester
 * Fitz Henry Lane, Luminist painter, born and lived in Gloucester
 * Paul Manship, sculptor
 * Stuffy McInnis, Major League Baseball player and manager, Harvard baseball coach
 * Tony Millionaire, artist and animator best known for comic strip Maakies and Cartoon Network's Drinky Crow Show
 * Shawn Milne, Cyclist
 * William Monahan, Academy Award-winning screenwriter
 * Sun Myung Moon, leader of the Unification Church, spent a great deal of time in Gloucester, and the Unification Church at one time owned a large amount of waterfront property
 * Richard Murphy, schooner captain
 * John Murray, founder of Universalist denomination in the United States
 * Judith Sargent Murray, feminist, essayist, playwright, and poet
 * Laura Nyro, singer and songwriter, lived in Gloucester for a number of years
 * Charles Olson, Black Mountain College poet
 * Kris Osborn, former CNN commentator and current columnist for various military industry blogs
 * Mark Parisi, author of syndicated comic strip Off the Mark, was born in Gloucester
 * Cy Perkins, Major League Baseball catcher
 * Herb Pomeroy, jazz musician, born in Gloucester
 * Jessie Ralph, actress
 * Marc Randazza, First Amendment lawyer, legal news commentator, columnist (Fox News and CNN)
 * Russ Russo, actor
 * Daniel Sargent, merchant, politician
 * Epes Sargent, editor, poet and playwright
 * Henry Sargent, painter and military man
 * Paul Dudley Sargent, Revolutionary War hero, one of founding overseers of Bowdoin College
 * Winthrop Sargent, patriot, governor, politician, writer; member of Federalist party
 * Ben Smith, Olympic ice hockey coach, son of Benjamin A. Smith II, born in Gloucester
 * Benjamin A. Smith II, U.S. senator from Massachusetts (1960–1962), Mayor of Gloucester (1954–1955)
 * William Stacy (1734–1802), Revolutionary War officer, pioneer to Ohio Country
 * Vermin Supreme, performance artist, anarchist, politician, and activist (perennial presidential candidate)
 * Martin Weitzman, economist, lived in Gloucester
 * Martin Welch, schooner captain, winner of first International Fishing Schooner Championship Races
 * Philip Saltonstall Weld, famed sailor and newspaper publisher
 * Anna Maria Wells, poet and writer for children
 * Alfred J. Wiggin, painter and society portraitist.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Gloucester, Massachusetts


text:
Groveland, Massachusetts

Groveland is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is thirty-four miles north of Boston. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 6,752. The town is divided into two precincts, Groveland and South Groveland.

History
Groveland was originally the East Parish of Bradford, which was originally part of the town of Rowley. Before Bradford was separated from Rowley in 1672, it was called "Rowley on the Merrimack", or just "Merrimack". Bradford in turn was annexed by Haverhill in 1897. Groveland officially incorporated as a separate town on September 9, 1850. Groveland residents celebrate the anniversary of this date as Groveland Day.

In December 1638, after seventeen years of service, the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers was discharged from his post as rector of the parish of Rowley in Yorkshire, England. He had refused to read "that accursed book allowing sports on the Lord's Day." Believing the future of Puritanism was at stake, he and the members of twenty families sailed for the New World. Within these families were people of means and learning, including farmers, weavers, carpenters, and smiths. They landed at Salem, Massachusetts, but did not attempt to make a settlement until the following spring. The first printing press brought to America was on board that same ship, the "John of London".

Since there were no plantations left along the coastline, Reverend Rogers settled a tract of land between Ipswich and Newbury, where a land boom had developed. These two towns had already established grants on this tract, so the newcomers were required to purchase them for £800. Reverend Rogers's settlement was established in modern-day Rowley. Named Roger's Plantation and later Rowley after the English town, the initial settlement comprised sixty families. In September 1639, the town incorporated, and included the territory now occupied by Rowley, Georgetown, Groveland, Boxford, and Bradford.

The Congregational church in Groveland has a bell crafted by Paul Revere. Of the 900 bells made by Revere's company, this is one of two remaining bells in active service (the other is in Lowell, Massachusetts). In town hall, the oldest hand-pump fire-engine in the country is on display. Built in 1798 and originally named Torrent of Roxbury, Massachusetts, the hand pumper was moved to Bradford in 1828 and renamed Engine 2. In 1850, the same year East Bradford became Groveland, the pumper was renamed Veto.

Downtown Groveland
Groveland's downtown is framed by the gazebo in Elm Park. Elm Park is a recent addition to Groveland. In the early part of the last century, elm trees were dominant in the landscape. Then, about 1950, many of the trees died of Dutch elm disease. It is only recently that resistant varieties of elms have been developed. With this development, the townspeople built a new park, planted with the new resistant variety. Since Groveland is primarily a bedroom community, there is considerable traffic during the commute drive time. However, once the rush is over, the town reverts to a sleepy village, with children and some grownups riding their bicycles about and walking.

Named Constitution Park when first created in 1832, it was only in 1857 that the elm trees arrived and with it the park's new name. Elm Park was the first planned housing development in the area. House lots were laid out around the common and the owners of which given rights to the well at the south end of the common. By the 1950s, Dutch elm disease had ravaged most of the trees. In the early 1960s, the last tree was taken down and the park's fountain dismantled. Thirty years later, thanks to the perseverance of Groveland residents and town officials, the town received the first of several state grants to restore Elm Park. With assistance from the Department of Environmental Management, the Historic Commission and others, Groveland has succeeded in restoring Elm Park to its historic charm.

Today visitors can walk along new sidewalks lit at night by new versions of the park's original lampposts. A new fountain resembling the original, a gazebo much like the old Methodist meeting house that sat at the south end of the park, and a new clock adorn the grounds. A large stone sign and monuments to local veterans depict some of the park and town's history. The new elm trees are planted in roughly the same pattern as the originals.

The first town post office was established in 1810 in Bradford, and was located in Squire Greenough's store on Main Street. Mr. Greenough was the postmaster until 1825, when he was succeeded by Capt. Benjamin Parker, who relocated the post office, at first, to his own store, and then to the blacksmith shop near the Haverhill Bridge. Later that same year, the building itself was moved to the other side of the street, where it remained for many years. After the town of Groveland was established in 1850, a new post office was built approximately half a mile from the present location on Main Street.

Geography and transportation
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.4 sqmi, of which 8.9 sqmi is land and 0.5 sqmi, or 4.99%, is water. The town lies along the south banks of the Merrimack River, and several other brooks, as well as the Parker River, pass through the town. There are two ponds, Crane Pond in the eastern end of town, and Johnson's Pond, on the Boxford town line. Along with a town forest, much of the eastern corner of town is taken up by the Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area.

Groveland is located in the northwestern part of Essex County, and is bordered by Haverhill to the west and northwest, West Newbury to the northeast, a small portion of Newbury to the east, Georgetown to the southeast, and Boxford to the southwest. Groveland's town center is located 9 mi northeast of Lawrence and 10 mi southwest of Newburyport.

There are no interstates passing through Groveland, the town lying between Interstate 95 and Interstate 495. Route 97 and Route 113 both enter the town over the Bates Bridge, a truss bridge built in 1913 carrying the roads into town from Haverhill. Note: The bridge was closed as of September 19, 2013 and replaced by a new span (also named the Congressman Bates Bridge) immediately to the east of the old bridge. From the end of the bridge, Route 97 heads south through the town to Georgetown, while Route 113 bears eastward along the river towards West Newbury. In 2010, a project began to replace the bridge, 60 ft downstream, with a modern bridge. The project was expected to take two to three years and cost approximately $45 million.

The Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority operates a route through town; there is no other mass transit within town. The Haverhill/Reading Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail terminates in neighboring Haverhill, providing rail service into Boston's North Station. The nearest small-craft airport is Lawrence Municipal Airport in North Andover, and the nearest national air service can be found at Logan International Airport. There is a Peter Pan bus that goes to North Station that picks up/drops off at The Tea Garden, the Chinese food restaurant and bar in town.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,459 people, 2346 households, and 1 families{error?} residing in the town. The population density was 724.8 PD/sqmi. There were 2,346 housing units at an average density of 263.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.38% White, 0.48% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 1.32% of the population.

There were 2346 households, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.2% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $84,232, and the median income for a family was $95,451. Males had a median income of $61,750 versus $54,023 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,254; about 3.6% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Groveland has an open-town meeting form of government. The Board of Selectmen comprises five members who are elected for three-year terms, in the annual town election. The Selectmen are vested with all the municipal authority not specifically retained by the town's legislative body, town meeting, or other elected boards. The Selectmen are responsible for all facets of governmental duties. The warrants for the annual and special town meetings are generated from their office, as are any warrants for any elections or override votes scheduled. The Selectmen work together with the Finance Director, the Town Accountant, and Finance Committee members, to establish the annual operating budget for the town. Every July 1 the Selectmen appoint residents to various official boards and commissions, approve the hiring of all employees, hold public hearings on important town issues, and enforce town by-laws and regulations. The Board of Selectmen meets bi-weekly on Monday evenings, unless otherwise posted, at 6:30 in the main meeting room of Town Hall. Most all of the meetings on important town issues in which the public are expected to participate are held after normal "working hours." This allows the working public to participate fully in the government of the town.

Groveland Town Hall
The town's administrative complex is located on Main Street, and contains the town hall, police and fire stations, and the Langley-Adams Library. Located at 183 Main Street, the Groveland Town Hall contains most of Groveland's municipal offices. The large windows in front expose a showroom containing historic artifacts, including the famous "VETO No. 2" fire pumper, Groveland's first fire apparatus.

Groveland Police Department
Because of the low crime rate, there is not a lot of visible activity here. However, the police are on duty 24/7 and a dispatcher is always on site. This facility also contains a jail for temporary holding of suspects.

Groveland Fire Department
The Fire Department consists of 40 firefighters all of which serve on a paid call basis. There are two stations from which the firefighters are dispatched, Central Station (as seen in the picture on the left) and South Station. The workforce is divided equally between the two stations, with 20 firefighters in Central Station and 20 in South Station. The Fire Department serves the town in all areas of fire suppression including residential, commercial, and woodland properties. Currently the GFD has 8 in service apparatuses. In Central Station there is the Ladder Truck, Engine 1(pumper) Squad 1 and Tanker 1. In South Station you can find Squad 2, Engine 2 (Tanker/Pumper), Engine 3 (pumper) and Combo 2 (forestry truck). It is also responsible for conducting water and ice rescue in addition to providing numerous emergency medical service calls. Fire personnel undergo rigorous and diversified training on an ongoing basis in order to develop the skills necessary to provide the services needed in a rapidly growing community. The department's equipment and manpower is designed to be flexible, efficient, effective, and tailored to addressing the specific community needs.

Langley-Adams Library
Langley-Adams Library is a public library and a member of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, sharing book-borrowing with other area libraries. The Library uses the Evergreen open source integrated library system that is common to all libraries in the Consortium.

Education
Groveland is a member of the Pentucket Regional School District, which includes the towns of West Newbury and Merrimac. Groveland itself currently has one educational institution, the Dr. Elmer S. Bagnall Elementary School. Junior and senior high school students attend Pentucket Regional Middle School and Pentucket Regional High School, respectively, which are located in West Newbury (the middle school straddles the town line between Groveland and West Newbury). The Dr. Elmer S. Bagnall Elementary School is also home to the Groveland Summer Recreation Program, a very popular non-profit summer day camp run by the Town of Groveland. Approximately 250 children between the ages of 6–15 attend this seven-week recreation camp. The program runs from the last week in June to the second week in August each year. The program wrapped up its ninth season on August 12, 2011. The year 2012 marked its tenth year in operation, and the program's eighth year under its current director. In 2011, the program introduced an extended day option until 5:30pm, aimed to reduce the burden on working parents during the summer months.

Places of worship

 * Groveland Congregational Church, 4 King Street
 * St James Episcopal Church, 121 Washington Street
 * New Destiny Christian Church, 2 Esty Way
 * St Patrick's Parish, 114 Center Street (part of Sacred Hearts Parish of Bradford)

Points of interest
The town supports baseball and soccer fields, basketball courts, picnic areas and parks, as well as boating facilities on the Merrimack River. In 2005, Groveland built Elm Park near its center, replacing a basketball court. The town also built a new basketball court half a mile away in the town's recreation area, the Pines. North Groveland is also home to attractions such as Stickney's Boulder and Cedardale. South Groveland contains notable attractions such as Washington Park, and Nuns' Hill. The town's sand pits, long a spot for automobile arson and adolescent hi-jinks, are soon to be converted into a mixed-income condominium complex.

The Pines Recreation Area
The Pines Recreation area comprises two basketball courts, two baseball diamonds, and facilities for cookouts, bonfires, fireworks observation, plus access to the Merrimack River. A skateboard area also exists, but is not as popular as in the past. The Pines also provides a nature trail that runs through a wooded area along the river. Motor vehicles have been excluded from this trail so it is a quiet place to walk or jog. In addition to the sports facilities, the Pines Recreation area also provides swings and similar playground equipment for the youngest family members who might not yet be old enough to enjoy the sports facilities.

Notable people

 * John G. B. Adams, American soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War

 * Larry Dorr, lifelong resident. Manager of Blood Sweat & Tears for 26 years, as well as many other musicians

title: Groveland, Massachusetts


text:
Hamilton, Massachusetts

Hamilton is a town in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,561. Currently the town has no manufacturing industry and no industrially zoned land.

Though Hamilton is a landlocked town in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, its proximity to it provides easy access to the Atlantic seashore with its reservations, beaches and boating. The town includes many historic houses, pastoral landscapes, and old stone walls that accompany winding tree-lined roads. It also has a rich equestrian heritage, which remains strong due to the influence of the many horse farms and of Myopia Hunt Club, which holds frequent equestrian events, including polo most Sunday afternoons. (Myopia also hosts a Thanksgiving Day fox hunt each year that the public may attend. ) Thus, people visiting Hamilton may well share the secondary roads with horse and pony riders. Patton Park, one of the parks in downtown Hamilton, was named after General George S. Patton. The park is a center of activity for the town.

Hamilton is closely tied to neighboring Wenham, sharing a school system, library, recreation department, commuter rail station and newspaper.

Hamilton includes South Hamilton, a part of Hamilton that the Postal Service has assigned the ZIP Code 01982. "Hamilton" and "South Hamilton" differ only in ZIP Code and are otherwise the same town.

History
In June 1638, John Winthrop the Younger, son of the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, bought most of present-day Essex County from Masconomet, chief of the Agawam Indians, for the sum of twenty English pounds. A memorial stone on Sagamore Hill in southeastern Hamilton marks where Masconomet was buried with his gun and tomahawk around 1658. Hamilton was first settled in 1638 and was originally a section of Ipswich known as "The Hamlet". The first recorded land grant in the Hamlet was Matthew Whipple's farm, dated 1638. Three years later the new stagecoach road from Boston to Newburyport (Bay Road) was laid out through the Whipple land. Other early settlers of the Hamlet, including the Appletons, Winthrops, Lamsons, and Dodges, were attracted by countryside similar to the English farms and estates they had left behind.

The town was incorporated on June 21, 1793, and named for Alexander Hamilton, whose portrait became the town seal in 1903. With the arrival of the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1839, the population center moved gradually southward toward the depot.

The farm village proved to be an attractive location for Boston groups seeking land for recreation and renewal. A Methodist ministers' association first held a camp meeting at Asbury Grove in 1859. In the 1880s, the Myopia Hunt Club, which had been named in jest for its nearsighted founders, moved from Winchester, Massachusetts, to the Gibney Farm in Hamilton. Beginning as a lawn tennis and baseball club, it turned to polo, the hunt, and golf as members built large summer estates in the area. Myopia donated the site for the General George S. Patton Memorial Park to the town of Hamilton. The park continues to be a recreation center for the town.

In 1921, the Mandell family built the Community House in memory of the eight men in Hamilton and Wenham who died in military service during World War I, including their son, Sam. They commissioned Guy Lowell, a respected architect of Boston and New York, to design the building, and gave the Community House in trust for the use of the residents of both towns. Although in its early days the Community House offered activities such as bowling and a men's smoking room, it now features a wide range of classes and activities for all ages.

In 2021, Hamilton became the first town in Massachusetts to mandate composting.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.6 km2, of which 36.7 km2 is land and 1.9 km2, or 4.89%, is water. Hamilton lies 5 mi inland from Massachusetts Bay, and both the eastern and western portion of town are bordered by water, with the Ipswich River to the west and Chebacco Lake and several other small ponds to the east. The highest point in town is found on Blueberry Hill in Bradley Palmer State Park, with an elevation of at least 215 ft, according to the most recent (2011-2012) USGS 7.5-minute topographical map. Several areas of town are protected, including Myopia Hunt Club and parts of Bradley Palmer State Park, Appleton Farm Grass Rides, and the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary.

Hamilton is bordered by Ipswich to the north, Essex to the east, Manchester-by-the-Sea to the southeast, Wenham to the south, and Topsfield to the west. It is located 12 mi south of Newburyport, 8 mi north of Salem and 23 mi northeast of Boston.

Transportation

 * MBTA Commuter Rail provides service from Boston's North Station with the Hamilton/Wenham station on its Newburyport branch of the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The MBTA Commuter Rail is within walking distance of the town hall, homes and the many small shops in town.

 * There are no freeways within town; Route 128 provides the nearest access, in Beverly. Route 1A passes through the center of town, and Route 22 passes through the eastern corner of town between Wenham and its eastern terminus in Essex.

 * The nearest airport is Beverly Municipal Airport, and the nearest national and international air service can be found at Boston's Logan International Airport.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,315 people, 2,668 households, and 2,142 families residing in the town. (Update: The population was 8251 in 2009, down less than 100 from the 8,315 of the 2000 census. Based on the total area, both land and water, the density is therefore 553.8 persons per square mile.) As of the 2000 census, there were 2,825 housing units at an average density of 193.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 94.19% White, 0.47% African American, 0.17% Native American, 4.26% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.

There were 2,668 households, out of which 66.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. Of all households, 15.7% were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $116,900. The per capita income for the town was $50,599. About 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

Education
Hamilton is esteemed for the regional school district it shares with neighboring Wenham, and Hamilton is where the majority of the schools in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District are located. The town serves two elementary schools; the Winthrop, and Cutler schools. The town only has one middle school; the Miles River Middle School. High School students attend Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School.

The Pingree School, a private secondary school, is located on the historic Pingree Family Estate in Hamilton.

Hamilton is also home to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, an interdenominational evangelical theological seminary.

Notable people

 * Bo Burnham, comedian, musician, actor, and filmmaker
 * Michael Carter-Williams, basketball player
 * David M. Kelly, lawyer and politician
 * Masconomet, Native American chief
 * William J. McGarry, Jesuit and president of Boston College
 * David Morse, actor
 * Kevin O'Connor, television host
 * George S. Patton, U.S. Army general
 * George S. Patton IV, U.S. Army general and son of the above
 * John Ryan Pike, former drummer for Ra Ra Riot
 * Justin Rennicks, soccer player
 * John Shea, archaeologist
 * Marcus Zegarowski, former Creighton University basketball player and current NBA player
 * George von Lengerke Meyer, U.S. ambassador to Italy and Russia, Secretary of the Navy, and Postmaster General

Historic places

 * Asbury Grove
 * Austin Brown House
 * Brown House
 * Emeline Patch House
 * Hamilton Historic District
 * Myopia Hunt Club, site of the U.S. Open in 1898, 1901, 1905, and 1908
 * Woodberry-Quarrels House

title: Hamilton, Massachusetts


text:
Haverhill, Massachusetts

Haverhill  is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States census.

Located on the Merrimack River, Haverhill began as a farming community of Puritans, largely from Newbury Plantation. The land was officially purchased from the Pentuckets on November 15, 1642 (One year after incorporation) for three pounds, and ten shillings. Pentucket was renamed Haverhill (after the Ward family's hometown in England) and evolved into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the 18th and 19th century, Haverhill developed woolen mills, tanneries, shipping and shipbuilding. The town was home to a significant shoe-making industry for many decades. By the end of 1913, one tenth of the shoes produced in the United States were made in Haverhill, and because of this the town was known during the time as the "Queen Slipper City".

History
Haverhill has played a role in nearly every era of American history, from the initial colonial settlement, to the French and Indian Wars, and the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

17th century
The town was founded in 1640 by settlers from Newbury, and was originally known as Pentuckett, which is for "place of the winding river". Settlers such as John Ward, Robert Clements, Tristram Coffin, Hugh Sheratt, William White, and Thomas Davis aided in the purchase of Pentuckett. The land was sold by Passaquo and Saggahew who claimed to have permission from Passaconaway, though nothing more is known of these two figures in the historical record and it is not clear whether they were at liberty to sell the land, or indeed whether they had a shared understanding of what such a contract would entail.

Settlers Thomas Hale, Henry Palmer, Thomas Davis, James Davis and William White were Pentuckett's first selectmen. First Court appointments given to end small causes were given to Robert Clements, Henry Palmer, and Thomas Hale. At the same court, it was John Osgood and Thomas Hale that were also appointed to lay the way from Haverhill to Andover. It is said that these early settlers worshipped under a large oak tree, known as the "Worshipping Oak". The town was renamed for the English town of Haverhill, Suffolk, in deference to the birthplace of the settlement's first pastor, Rev. John Ward. The original Haverhill settlement was located around the corner of Water Street and Mill Street, near the Linwood Cemetery and Burying Ground. The home of the city's father, William White, still stands, although it was expanded and renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries. White's Corner (Merrimack Street and Main Street) was named for his family, as was the White Fund at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

Judge Nathaniel Saltonstall was chosen to preside over the Salem witch trials in the 17th century; however, he found the trials objectionable and recused himself. Historians cite his reluctance to participate in the trials as one of the reasons that the witch hysteria did not take as deep a root in Haverhill as it did in the neighboring town of Andover, which had among the most victims of the trials. However, a number of women from Haverhill were accused of witchcraft, and a few were found "guilty" by the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

One of the initial group of settlers, Tristram Coffin, ran an inn. However, he grew disenchanted with the town's stance against his strong ales, and in 1659 left Haverhill to become one of the founders of the settlement at Nantucket.

Haverhill was for many years a frontier town, and was occasionally subjected to Indian raids, which were sometimes accompanied by French colonial troops from New France, in which dozens of civilians were murdered. During King William's War, Hannah Dustin became famous for killing and then scalping her native captors, who were converts to Catholicism, after being captured in the Raid on Haverhill (1697). The city has the distinction of featuring the first statue erected in honor of a woman in the United States. In the late 19th century, it was Woolen Mill Tycoon Ezekiel J. M. Hale that commissioned a statue in her memory in Grand Army Republic Park. The statue depicts Dustin brandishing an axe. Her captivity narrative and subsequent escape and revenge upon her captors caught the attention of Cotton Mather, who wrote about her, and she also received from the colonial leaders a reward per Indian scalp. In recent years some have criticized Hannah Dustin since the Native American Indians she killed and scalped in order to escape were allegedly not her original captors and among the people she killed were young children. Hannah, born Hannah Emerson, is often maligned for coming from a troubled family: in 1676 her father Michael Emerson was fined for excessive violence toward his 12-year-old daughter Elizabeth, who in 1693 was hanged for concealing the deaths of her illegitimate twin daughters; and in 1683 Hannah's sister Mary was whipped for fornication. There were never any allegations of any sort against Hannah herself.

18th century
In 1708, during Queen Anne's War, the town, then about thirty homes, was raided by a party of French, Algonquin and Abenaki Indians. Like most towns, Haverhill has been struck by several epidemics. Diphtheria killed 256 children in Haverhill between November 17, 1735, and December 31, 1737.

George Washington visited Haverhill on November 4, 1789. This tour was part of "A tour through the Eastern states in order to acquire knowledge of the face of the Country, the growth and agriculture thereof and the temper and disposition of the inhabitants toward the new government," according to Washington.

19th century
The Bradford Academy was established in 1803. It began as a co-educational institution, then became women-only in 1836.

In 1826, an influenza struck. A temperance society was formed in 1828.

Haverhill residents were early advocates for the abolition of slavery, and the city still retains a number of houses which served as stops on the Underground Railroad. In 1834, a branch of the American Anti-Slavery Society was organized in the city. In 1841, citizens from Haverhill petitioned Congress for dissolution of the Union, on the grounds that Northern resources were being used to maintain slavery. John Quincy Adams presented the Haverhill Petition on January 24, 1842. Even though Adams moved that the petition be answered in the negative, an attempt was made to censure him for even presenting the petition. In addition, poet and outspoken abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier was from Haverhill.

The Haverhill and Boston Stage Coach company operated from 1818 to 1837 when the railroad was extended to Haverhill from Andover. It then changed its name and routes to the Northern and Eastern Stage company.

It was Ezekiel Hale Jr. and son Ezekiel James Madison Hale (descendants of Thomas Hale) that gave Haverhill a great head of steam. It was in the summer of 1835, the brick factory on Winter St was erected by Ezekiel Hale Jr. and Son. It was intended to run woolen flannel at a whopping six hundred yards of flannel per day. It was Ezekiel JM Hale, age 21 and graduate of Dartmouth College that came to the rescue when fire destroyed the operation in 1845. He rebuilt the mill at Hale's Falls, now more than twice as large produced nearly three times the output. Ezekiel JM Hale became Haverhill's Tycoon. EJM Hale served a term in the State Senate and was much revered in the area. Hale donated large sums of money to build the hospital and library.

Haverhill was incorporated as a city in 1870.

In the early morning hours of February 17, 1882, a massive fire destroyed much of the city's mill section, in a blaze that encompassed over 10 acre. Firefighting efforts were hampered by not only the primitive fire fighting equipment of the period, but also high winds and freezing temperatures. The nearby water source—the Merrimack River—was frozen, and hoses dropped through the ice tended to freeze as well. A New York Times report the next day established the damage at 300 businesses destroyed and damage worth approximately $2M (in 1882 dollars).

Annexation
Bradford fits naturally into Haverhill but they were separate towns until January 1, 1897, when Bradford joined the City of Haverhill. Bradford was originally the western part of Rowley until it split from Old Rowley in 1672. In 1850, the East part of Bradford left and was founded as the independent town of Groveland. When Haverhill became a city in 1870, there were calls for Bradford to be annexed. This would go on for another 26 years. Neither town agreed to a plan, until in late 1896, the vote came up and both sides agreed to join.

There were many reasons for the decision. Finances played a part into the annexation; a lot of people who lived in Bradford had businesses in Haverhill and wanted lower taxes. Traditionalists wanted Haverhill to be a dry town as Bradford was. Businesses in Lawrence, Portsmouth, and Andover wanted Haverhill to be a dry town so more business would show up and increase businesses in those towns. The demand for municipal services like hospitals, schools, and a new factory downtown were in Haverhill while Bradford had none of the three. The Bradford Center of town wanted to join Haverhill but the Ward Hill section of town did not at the time since it was a substantial distance from both Bradford and Haverhill.

Finally, another reason why Haverhill wanted to annex Bradford was to return the town to majority English instead of the plurality of Irish, French Canadians and Central Europeans (Hungarians, Slovaks, Germans, and Italians) it had become with the influx of mill workers. Haverhill gladly approved with the first ballot in 1870 and Bradford was no more starting January 1, 1897. Bradford remains the only town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to be annexed to a neighboring city other than Boston.

Haverhill became the first American city with a socialist mayor in 1898 when it elected former shoe factory worker and cooperative grocery store clerk John C. Chase. Chase was re-elected to this position in 1899 but was defeated the following year.

20th century
Haverhill was the site of a riot in 1915 as well as the eponymous Haverhill fever, also known as rat-bite fever, in 1926.

In the early part of the 20th century, the manufacturing base in the city came under pressure as a result of lower priced imports from abroad. The Great Depression exacerbated the economic slump, and as a result city leaders enthusiastically embraced the concept of urban renewal in the 1950s and 1960s, receiving considerable federal funds used to demolish much of the north side of Merrimack Street, most of the Federal homes along Water Street (dating from the city's first hundred years of development), and throughout downtown. Many of the city's iconic buildings were lost, including the Oddfellows Hall, the Old City Hall, the Second Meetinghouse, the Pentucket Club, and the Old Library, among others.

In 1932, French residents erected a statue of Marquis de Lafayette which still stands today in the aptly named intersection called Lafayette Square.

During Urban Renewal, the iconic high school—the inspiration for Bob Montana's Archie Comics —was declared "unsound" and slated for demolition. Instead, the historic City Hall on Main Street was demolished, and city began using the High School of Archie's Gang as the new City Hall.

Urban Renewal was controversial. Several leading citizens argued to use the funds for preservation rather than demolition. Their plan was not accepted in Haverhill, which chose to demolish much of its historic downtown, including entire swaths of Merrimack Street, River Street, and Main Street. However, examples of the city's architecture, spanning nearly four centuries, abound: from early colonial houses (the White residence, the Dustin House, the 1704 John Ward House, the 1691 Kimball Tavern, and the historic district of Rocks Village) to the modernist 1960s architecture of the downtown Haverhill Bank. The city's Highlands district, adjacent to downtown, is a fine example of the variety of Victorian mansions built during Haverhill's boom years as a shoe manufacturing city.

21st century
Throughout the 21st century, Haverhill has undergone a substantial renaissance of many sorts. Housing trends, combined with a rezoning by the city led by longtime Mayor James Fiorentini and the use of Federal and State brownfield's money to clean up abandoned factories, resulted in the conversion of several abandoned factories in downtown into loft apartments and condominiums. There has been a total of $150 million in public and private investment in the old factory district area. Additionally, the Washington Street area gained new dining and entertainment spots, with federal, state and local funds contributing to removing an abandoned gas station on Granite Street. The site was cleaned up and converted into a 350-space parking garage. The city was also able to obtain federal, state and local money to put in a new boardwalk and boat docks in the downtown area aside the Merrimack River.

In recent years, the city completed a rezoning of downtown proposed by Mayor Fiorentini designed to encourage artist loft live work space and educational uses for the downtown area. Despite the city's efforts, old buildings remain vacant or underutilized, such as the former Woolworth department store, which has been boarded up for over 40 years at the intersection of Main Street and Merrimack Street. The building was eventually purchased, with plans put into place to renovate and repurpose the site; however, this never actually happened. On March 19, 2015, the Woolworth building was demolished to make way for a $68 million (~$ in ) development.

In 2018, it was announced that the mayor's administration was successful in acquiring $13 million (~$ in ) in state funding to go towards increasing pedestrian safety on North Avenue, a major northern route connecting the city to Plaistow, New Hampshire.

Timeline

 * 1640 - European settlers arrive.
 * 1645
 * Town of Haverhill incorporated.
 * First Parish Church founded.
 * 1679 - Town becomes part of Essex County.
 * 1697 - Hannah Duston captured during King William's War.
 * 1708 - Town raided during Queen Anne's War.
 * 1735 - Diphtheria epidemic.
 * 1789 - George Washington visits town.
 * 1790 - Population: 2,408.
 * 1796 - Haverhill Social Library organized.
 * 1803 - Bradford Academy founded.
 * 1812 - Haverhill Musical Society organized.
 * 1814 - Merrimack Bank incorporated.
 * 1818 - Haverhill and Boston Stage Coach in operation.
 * 1821 - Haverhill Gazette begins publication.
 * 1826 - Influenza outbreak.
 * 1835 - Farrington & Chace shoe manufactory in business.
 * 1837 - Andover and Haverhill Railroad begins operating.
 * 1840 - Population: 4,336.
 * 1850 - Population: 5,877.
 * 1851 - Macy's dry good shop in business.
 * 1852 - Haverhill Athenaeum established.
 * 1853 - Smiley & Sons machinery dealer in business.
 * 1859 - Haverhill Library Association established.
 * 1868
 * Primrose Street Schoolhouse built.
 * Herman F. Morse & Co. picture store in business.
 * 1869 - Morse & Son's Circulating Library in business.
 * 1870 - City of Haverhill incorporated.
 * 1871 - Haverhill Hat Company incorporated.
 * 1873 - Fire.
 * 1875 - Winnekenni Castle (residence) built.
 * 1877 - Jennings & Spaulding and E.H. Emerson & Co. shoe manufactories in business.
 * 1878 - Haverhill Furniture Exchange in business.
 * 1880 - Population: 18,472.
 * 1882 - February - Fire.
 * 1883 - Merrimac Bridge constructed.
 * 1885
 * Bon Ton Bazar opens.
 * Pentucket Wheel Club organized.
 * 1889
 * City Hall rebuilt.
 * Intervale Factory built.
 * 1890 - John C. Tilton Elementary School was built.
 * 1895 - Peabody School built.
 * 1897 - Town of Bradford becomes part of Haverhill.
 * 1898
 * John C. Chase (socialist) becomes mayor.
 * Haverhill Historical Society incorporated.
 * 1900 - Population: 37,175.
 * 1901 - St. Michael the Archangel Parish founded.
 * 1906 - Board of Trade Building constructed.
 * 1916 - Rotary Club established.
 * 1947 - WHAV radio begins broadcasting.
 * 1961 - Northern Essex Community College opens.
 * 1972 - Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School established.
 * 1988 - Haverhill Community Television incorporated.
 * 1989 - Mason & Hamlin piano manufactory relocates to Haverhill.
 * 1997 - John F. Tierney becomes U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 6th congressional district.
 * 1998 - Pentucket Lake School Opens
 * 2003
 * City website online.
 * James J. Fiorentini elected mayor. Mayor Fiorentini is the longest-serving mayor in Haverhill's history, which has had Mayors since 1870.
 * 2007 - Niki Tsongas becomes U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district.
 * 2008
 * Spotlight Playhouse founded.
 * Zion Bible College relocates to Haverhill.
 * 2010 - Population: 60,879.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.3 km2, of which 85.4 km2 is land and 6.9 km2, or 7.47%, is water. The city ranks 60th in the Commonwealth in terms of land area, and is the largest city or town in Essex County. Haverhill is drained by the Little and Merrimack rivers, the latter separating the Bradford section of town from the rest of Haverhill. The highest point in the city is found on Ayers Hill, a drumlin with two knobs of almost equal elevation of at least 335 ft, according to the most recent (2011-2012) USGS 7.5-minute topographical map. The city also has several ponds and lakes, as well as three golf courses.

Haverhill is bordered by Merrimac to the northeast, West Newbury and Groveland to the east, Boxford and a small portion of North Andover to the south, Methuen to the southwest, and Salem, Atkinson and Plaistow, New Hampshire, to the north. From its city center, Haverhill is 8 mi northeast of Lawrence, 14 mi southwest of Newburyport, 27 mi southeast of Manchester, New Hampshire, and 32 mi north of Boston.

Geology
The overall terrain within Haverhill is heavily influenced by various glacial formations. With drumlins, moraines, eskars, glacial erratics, and kettle ponds being common. Gravel mining operations are conducted along eskars and glacial deposites of readily accessible gravel.

Much of the soil within Haverhill is consolidated glacial till; inceptisols with moderate pedological development being the most common, as well as spodidols seen within the coniferous forests local to the area. Various fluvial deposits can be seen surrounding the river banks of the Merrimack and its tributaries.

The river systems within Haverhill have also been heavily altered by glacial activity, with drainage patterns being inconsistent and variable. Because of this inconsistency, and examples of each drainage pattern in some capacity being observable, streams and rivers within Haverhill would be classified as having a deranged drainage pattern.

Within close proximity of the Clinton-Newbury fault line, the bedrock topography of Haverhill is part of the Berwick Formation, consisting of metasandstone quartzite and sulfuric mica schists dating from the Silurian period. However other metamorphic rocks such as gneiss and shale are relatively common. Granite, feldspars, and other igneous silicates are also abundant.

Points of interest

 * Main Street Historic District
 * Museum of Printing
 * Winnekenni Park Conservation Area, including Winnekenni Castle and Lake Saltonstall

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 60,879 people, 25,576 households, and 14,865 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,846.5 PD/sqmi. There were 23,737 housing units at an average density of 712.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 88.3% White, 4.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.30% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino made up 14.5% of the population (5.8% Puerto Rican, 4.6% Dominican, 0.9% Mexican, 0.5% Guatemalan, 0.3% Salvadoran, 0.3% Colombian, 0.2% Cuban). 16.8% were of Irish, 14.6% Italian, 10.1% French, 9.0% English, 7.8% French Canadian and 6.3% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 22,976 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,833, and the median income for a family was $59,772. Males had a median income of $41,197 versus $31,779 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,280. About 7.0% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Crime
In 2019, Haverhill's violent crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants was higher than the average rate of violent crime in both the state of Massachusetts and the nation as a whole. The rate of violent crime in Haverhill has declined in the past several years, however, from a recent peak of 391 in 2017 to a low of 304 in 2020.

Government
 City government

Haverhill operates under a mayor–council form of government. The current mayor is Melinda Barrett, who has been Mayor of Haverhill since 2024. She is the first female mayor of Haverhill, The city council has nine members, elected every two years. The most recent election was in 2023.

State representation

Haverhill is represented in the state legislature by officials elected from the following districts:
 * Massachusetts Senate's 1st Essex district.
 * Massachusetts House of Representatives' 2nd Essex district
 * Massachusetts House of Representatives' 3rd Essex district
 * Massachusetts House of Representatives' 14th Essex district
 * Massachusetts House of Representatives' 15th Essex district

Education
Haverhill is the home of the main campus of Northern Essex Community College. Until its closing in 2000, Bradford College provided liberal arts higher education in Haverhill. In 2007, it became the new home of the Zion Bible College, now called Northpoint Bible College. The University of Massachusetts Lowell has a satellite campus in Haverhill in the Harbor Place building, and also offers several courses at Northern Essex Community College. Haverhill completed the reconstruction of the Hunking middle school in the Bradford part of the city. Haverhill is also home to the historic Walnut Square School, first built in 1898 at a cost of $30,000 (~$ in ). The school's tower clock was created by Mr. Edward Howard, a famous clock maker of the 1890s, at a cost of $1,300.

Public schools in the city are operated by the Haverhill Public Schools District.

Transportation
Haverhill lies along Interstate 495, which has five exits throughout the city. The town is crossed by five state routes, including Routes 97, 108, 110, 113 and 125. Routes 108 and 125 both have their northern termini at the New Hampshire state border, where both continue as New Hampshire state routes. Four of the five state routes, except Route 108, share at least a portion of their roadways in the town with each other. Haverhill is the site of six road crossings and a rail crossing of the Merrimack; two by I-495 (the first leading into Methuen), the Comeau Bridge (Railroad Avenue, which leads to the Bradford MBTA station), the Haverhill/Reading Line Railroad Bridge, the Basiliere Bridge (Rte. 125/Bridge St.), the Bates Bridge (Rtes. 97/113 to Groveland), and the Rocks Village Bridge, to West Newbury, just south of the Merrimac town line. In 2010, a project began to replace the Bates Bridge, 60 ft downstream, with a modern bridge. The project is expected to take two to three years and cost approximately $45 million.

MBTA Commuter Rail provides service from Boston's North Station with the Haverhill and Bradford stations on its Haverhill/Reading Line. Amtrak provides service to Portland, Maine, and Boston's North Station from the same Haverhill station. Additionally, MVRTA provides local bus service to Haverhill and beyond. The nearest small-craft airport, Lawrence Municipal Airport, is in North Andover. The nearest major airport is Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester, and the nearest international airport is Logan International Airport in Boston.

Broadband internet service is provided by Comcast Communications (XFINITY) throughout the majority of the city. Atlantic Broadband also provides its Breezeline internet service, but still in limited areas as of 2024.

Notable people

 * John Mapes Adams, Medal of Honor recipient during the Boxer Rebellion
 * Mabel Albertson (1901–1982), actress
 * Louis Alter (1902–1980), songwriter ("Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?")
 * Daniel Appleton (1785–1849), publisher
 * William Henry Appleton (1814–1899), Daniel Appleton's son, publisher of Lewis Carroll, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Darwin, Thomas Henry Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and John Stuart Mill
 * Gerald Ashworth (1942- ) Track athlete and Olympic gold medal winner
 * Bailey Bartlett (1750–1830), member of the United States Constitutional Convention
 * Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), Scottish-born inventor, who spent considerable time in Haverhill initially as a tutor to the deaf son of a prominent shoe magnate who later invested in Bell's telephone concept
 * John Bellairs (1938–1991), author of gothic horror fiction for children and young adults
 * William Berenberg (1915–2005), Harvard University professor and pediatrician
 * Tom Bergeron (born 1955), television personality, comedian, and game show host.
 * Peter Breck (1929–2012), actor
 * Isaac Newton Carleton (1832–1902), educator
 * Walter Tenney Carleton (1867–1900), businessman
 * Stuart Chase (1888–1985), economist
 * Tristram Coffin, among the town's first settlers, who later left to settle Nantucket
 * Russ Conway (1949–2019), investigative journalist and Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award recipient
 * David Crouse, writer
 * Andre Dubus III (born 1959), novelist and short story writer
 * Hannah Duston (1657–1736), colonial heroine, first woman in the United States to be honored with a statue
 * Frank Fontaine (1920–1978), comedian, Crazy Guggenheim on The Jackie Gleason Show
 * Jeff Fraza, boxer and contestant on reality television show The Contender
 * Charlotte Fullerton, author and Emmy-winning children's television writer/producer
 * Jordan Harris (born 2000), NHL hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens
 * Moses Hazen (1733–1803), Continental Army general
 * Sylvia Hitchcock, Miss Alabama USA 1967, Miss USA 1967, Miss Universe 1967
 * Red Howard (1900–1973), football player
 * Duncan MacDougall, physician whose studies inspired the film 21 Grams
 * Rowland H. Macy (1822–1877), merchant
 * Louis Burt Mayer (1884-1957) American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM)
 * Karen McCarthy, Missouri politician
 * Charles Minot (1810–1866), railroad executive at Erie Railroad
 * Bob Montana, Archie Comics co-creator
 * William Henry Moody (1853–1917), Supreme Court justice, and prosecutor in the Lizzie Borden trial
 * Carlos Peña, Major League Baseball player
 * Anthony Purpura (born 1986), USA Rugby National Team player
 * Effie Alberta Read (c. 1873–1930), scientist at the US Food and Drug Administration
 * Stephen Robert (born 1940), former chairman and CEO of Oppenheimer & Co., former Chancellor of Brown University
 * Seth Romatelli, actor, host of Uhh Yeah Dude
 * James E. Rothman, notable cell biologist and Nobel Prize winner
 * Joseph Ruskin (1924–2013), née Joseph Richard Schlafman, actor, had roles in four Star Trek series and films including The Magnificent Seven and Prizzi's Honor
 * Mike Ryan, Major League Baseball player
 * Nathaniel Saltonstall (1639–1707), judge at the Salem witch trials
 * Jon Shain (born 1967), folk musician
 * Spider One, née Michael Cummings, musician, brother of Robert Cummings a.k.a. Rob Zombie
 * Charles Augustus Strong (1862–1940), philosopher, of the American school of critical realism
 * Noah Vonleh, professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics
 * John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892), poet; his poem Snow-Bound is set in Haverhill
 * Charlotte White (1782–1863), first unmarried American woman missionary, arrived India 1816
 * Rob Zombie (born 1965), born Robert Cummings, musician and founding member of White Zombie, film director, mainly horror genre

title: Haverhill, Massachusetts