Beverly, Massachusetts was founded in 1626 and was initially part of Salem and included in the Naumkeag Territory. Beverly's first settlers were John Balch, William and John Woodberry, and Roger Conant.
Beverly was eventually separated from Salem and incorporated as a town in 1668. Beverly has staked a claim as the "birthplace of the United States Navy." The first vessel commissioned by the US Navy, the schooner Hannah, first sailed from Beverly Harbor. Marblehead,
MA disputes Beverly's claim and says that it is the birthplace of the US Navy.
Beginning in the mid 1800's and continuing through the early 1900's, Beverly experienced a surge in population growth fueled primarily by extensive immigration. The origin of immigrants was varied but included substantial numbers from Ireland, Italy, Canada, Russia,
England, Scotland, and Sweden.
The establishment of the Boston and Maine Railroad (1835), which built a Boston to Portland route and later laid tracks to Beverly, also led to numbers of Maine residents moving to Beverly, Massachusetts. Railroads also allowed residents of Beverly to commute farther
and led to residents of Boston purchasing summer homes in Beverly. President Taft was a notable summer resident.
Beverly, MA was incorporated as a city in 1894. In 1903, the United Shoe Machinery Company moved into Beverly, becoming the city's largest employer and creating numerous new jobs. Eventually a substantial percentage of Beverly residents would become employees of the
United Shoe Machinery Company. The company went out of business during the 1970's and its buildings are now the modern day Cummings Center (home of the RE/MAX Advantage Real Estate headquarters).
Modern day Beverly, Massachusetts is the home of Endicott College, the North Shore Music Theater, Beverly Hospital, and Beverly Municipal Airport.
Notable Areas of Beverly, Massachusetts:
Beverly Farms, Prides Crossing, Briscoe, Centerville, Fish Flake Hill, Goat Hill, North Beverly, Ryal Side, The Cove, Lynch Park
Here is our List of Things to Love About Beverly, Massachusetts:
Great restaurants:
Brenden Crocker's Wild Horse. The dining room has great food as does the bar. They carry a great variety of beers on tap and have over twenty amazing martinis.
There is great live music on Wednesday nights and there’s always a great crowd and a good vibe.
Kitty O'Sheas is a great Irish bar. They have traditional Irish food. They also are one of the only bars in the area to show European Soccer games on television. They also have live bands and a great
deck located in the back for the summer time.
One more is Mandrake on Cabot Street. They have amazing food and always a good crowd on the weekend nights.
For outdoor fun, Lynch Park (official
name David S. Lynch Memorial Park) is great. They have great outdoor concerts on Sunday nights during the summer. There are all sorts of activities and fun things for every age (kayaking is one example). The Rose Garden is one of the main attractions of Lynch Park.
The Falconer statue is worth viewing as well.
The Beverly YMCA provides lots of activities for everyone. They have three locations through out Beverly including the McPherson Teen Center.
Montserrat College of Art has tons of galleries that are open to the public. Exhibits, galleries, and talks are free and open to the public. There is always something new and exciting
going on at the College. Taking classes there is also very worthwhile.
The coast line of small beaches. Walking the dog on Brackenbury Beach is great too.
Beverly is a city with a small town feel. There is a diverse mix of people and
neighborhoods.
Convenient location: Easy highway access and 3 train stations (for the commuter). You can also get to the mountains of New Hampshire, the coast of Maine, the city of Boston all within 2 hours.
Downtown Beverly with its
variety of restaurants, coffee shops, gift shops, and art galleries.
The Farms Village with its boutiques and ”green grocery” small restaurants and coffee shops.
Cabot Cinema.
Concerts on the Beverly
Common.
The Beverly Public Library.
The idea that whatever neighborhood a person lives or school their child attends, it is “the best.”
Large number of community playgrounds and ball fields.
Independence Park - one of the nicest ocean views on the North Shore.
Beverly, Massachusetts was founded in 1626 and was initially part of Salem and included in the Naumkeag Territory. Beverly's first settlers were John Balch, William and John Woodberry, and Roger Conant.