Haverhill, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Haverhill, Massachusetts | |
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| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: 42°46′34″N 71°04′40″W / 42.77611°N 71.07778°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Essex |
| Settled | 1640 |
| Incorporated | 1641 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Mayor-council city |
| - Mayor | James J. Fiorentini |
| Area | |
| - Total | 35.6 sq mi (92.3 km2) |
| - Land | 33.3 sq mi (86.3 km2) |
| - Water | 2.3 sq mi (6.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 27 ft (8 m) |
| Population (2007) | |
| - Total | 59,902 |
| - Density | 1,798.9/sq mi (694.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01830 |
| Area code(s) | 351 / 978 |
| FIPS code | 25-29405 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0612607 |
| Website | www.ci.haverhill.ma.us |
Haverhill (pronounced /ˈheɪvrɪl/ HAY-vril) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 58,969 at the 2000 census.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Early History
The town was founded in 1640 by settlers from Newbury, and was originally known as Pentucket, which is the native American word for "place of the winding river."
The town was renamed for the city of Haverhill, England, where many of the original settlers' families were from. In 1701 it was nearly destroyed in an attack by the Abenaki Native Americans.
Haverhill played a role in nearly every era of American history, from the initial colonial settlement, to the French and Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War.
[edit] Witch Hunts
For most of its history, the town was progressive. Judge Nathaniel Saltonstall was chosen to preside over the Salem Witch Trials in the 17th century, however he recused himself, and 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.
[edit] Abolitionism
Haverhill was an early advocate for the abolition of slavery, and still retains a number of stops on the Underground Railroad. In 1834, a branch of the American Anti-Slavery Society was organized in this 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 24 January 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.[1] In addition, poet John Greenleaf Whittier was an outspoken abolitionist.
[edit] Temperance
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 became one of the founders of the settlement at Nantucket.
A temperance society was formed in 1828, and at least one farmhouse on North Main Street served as a speakeasy during Prohibition.
[edit] Stage Coach
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.
[edit] Epidemics
Like most towns, Haverhill has been struck by several epidemics. Throat distemper killed 256 children in Haverhill between Nov. 17, 1735, and Dec. 31, 1737 [2]. In 1826 influenza struck.
[edit] Shoe Industry
Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community, that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power.
In the 18th century, Haverhill developed tanneries, shipping and shipbuilding. The town was for many decades home to a significant shoe-making industry, earning it the title of the "Queen Slipper City of the World." The city was also known for the manufacture of hats.
Incorporated as a city in 1870, Haverhill annexed the town of Bradford in 1897. Bradford had previously been part of the town of Rowley. At the time, this was regarded as a promising move for Bradford, given the wealth and prosperity of the manufacturing center in Haverhill.
Haverhill's international prominence in shoe manufacturing waned, however, after the Great Depression. Historians also cite a lack of reinvestment in newer plants and equipment, as well as competition from less expensive imports as reasons for the erosion of the industry.
[edit] Architectural Development of the City
The original 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 has been 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.
Downtown Haverhill was originally a mix of waterfront mansions and small mills. As the town grew, many of these mansions were moved to other locations nearby rather than be demolished. Former whaler Rowland H. Macy established his first dry goods store on Merrimack Street in 1851, on the site of the present A-1 Deli. That store was the precursor to his later Macy's stores, and he held his first parades in downtown Haverhill. The building no longer resembles the historic engravings used in advertisements, as the top two floors were demolished and the ground floor facade has been altered significantly.
The stretch of Washington Street between Essex Street and River Street has been described as "one of the finest examples of Queen Anne industrial architecture," and it remains largely intact. However, the construction of the "Franchi Building" in 2006 was supposed to recreate the location and facade of the historic structure that burned down at that site. Instead, the final building featured a significant setback from the street, the deletion of most historic details, and the substitution of veneer brick and textured panels for the original patterned brick facade.
The city's architecture spans nearly four centuries, from early colonial houses (the White residence, above; the Duston Garrison 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 HaverhillBank. 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.
[edit] Urban Renewal Controversy
Haverhill embraced Urban Renewal, and received 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.
During Urban Renewal, the iconic high school was declared "unsound" and slated for demolition. Instead, a new high school was built, and City Hall now occupies the existing building.
Urban Renewal polarized the city, and several leading citizens including Byron Matthews, Gregory Laing, and architect Jonathan Woodman, among others, argued to use the funds for preservation rather than demolition. Their plan did not succeed in Haverhill, but they did manage to use the funds to preserve the neighboring town of Newburyport.
Today, Haverhill and Newburyport are regarded as a case study in contrasts regarding preservation and development. Newburyport leveraged its historic assets to transform from a decrepit seaside town into a desirable commuter suburb, while Haverhill has devolved from a desirable neighbor of the affluent community of North Andover into a town struggling with budget issues, and rising rates of violent crimes and drug use.
The questions over how to revive downtown Haverhill continue to this day. In 2008, regional papers including the Boston Globe covered the two different visions of how to revive the city and its downtown. The sitting mayor advocated additional demolition, while urbanist Constantine Valhouli presented a Downtown Master Plan for the city of Haverhill that presented strategies for reviving the city that leveraged the city's history and architectural heritage.
[edit] Famous visitors and inhabitants
George Washington visited the city on his victory tour in the 1790s, and proclaimed that Haverhill was "one of the most beautiful villages." In honor of his visit, the city renamed a portion of Merrimack Street to Washington Street, and Washington Square Park was also named in his honor. Washington's claims about the city's charm, at the time, were well stated.
Henry Ford acquired one of the city's historic bridge toll booths and installed it in his Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. It is thought that Ford's project was, in part, an inspiration for the historic Sturbridge Village in western Massachusetts. Another industrialist was so impressed with the design and elegant proportions of the White Church at the Bradford Common that he had the church measured and raised funds to have several replicas built around the United States.
Among the city's other notable visitors were a number of presidents, and the young Henry David Thoreau who visited the city in his professional capacity as a land surveyor in the 19th century.
Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer got his start in show business by operating a chain of theaters in downtown Haverhill. Mayer's theaters were among the many historically significant buildings demolished during the Urban Renewal of the 1950s through the 1980s.
Haverhill is also one of the main inspirations for the comic Archie. The comic's creator, Bob Montana, lived in Haverhill and attended Haverhill High School from 1936 to 1939. He based Riverdale High School on the old high school building (which is now City Hall) and the characters Archie, Jughead, Veronica, Betty, and Reggie on his classmates from Haverhill High School.[3]
The Haverhill City Democratic Committee holds an annual breakfast to honor distinguished Democrats, and the 2008 breakfast was attended by guest speakers United States Senator John Kerry and United States Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas.
[edit] Higher education
Until its closing in 2000, Bradford College provided liberal arts higher education in Haverhill. In 2007, an affiliate of David Green's Hobby Lobby stores purchased the campus. Following an estimated $5 million renovation, it was gifted to the Assemblies of God as the new home of the Zion Bible College.[4]
Haverhill is the home of the main campus of Northern Essex Community College, which has a wide array of courses available for undergraduate students.
[edit] Geography
Haverhill is located at 42°46′41″N 71°5′6″W / 42.77806°N 71.085°W (42.778090, -71.084916).[5] It is bounded by Merrimac, Plaistow (NH), Atkinson (NH), Methuen, Boxford, North Andover, and Groveland.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.6 square miles (92.3 km²), of which, 33.3 square miles (86.3 km²) of it is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) of it (6.48%) is water. The city is among the largest in Massachusetts by land mass. Haverhill is drained by the Little and Merrimack rivers. Ayer's Hill, a drumlin with an elevation of 339 feet (103 m), is the highest point in the city.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 58,969 people, 22,976 households, and 14,865 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,769.4 people per square mile (683.1/km²). There were 23,737 housing units at an average density of 712.2/sq mi (275.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.67% White, 2.41% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.30% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.77% of the population. 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.
The population of Haverhill in 1765–1980, 1776 - 2810, 1790 - 2408, 1800 - 2730, 1810 - 2682, 1820 - 3070, 1830 - 3896, 1840 - 4336, 1850 - 3877, 1907 - 41,242(includes Bradford annexed in 1897).
[edit] Points of interest
- Tattersall Farm
- Winnekenni Castle
- The Buttonwoods Museum -- Haverhill Historical Society
- John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead
- Bradford College
- Haverhill tower clock at Walnut Square School
[edit] Notable residents
- John Mapes Adams, Medal of Honor Recipient during the Boxer Rebellion
- Louis Alter (1902-1980), songwriter ("Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?")
- Daniel Appleton (1785-1849), publisher[7] of Lewis Carroll, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Darwin, Thomas Henry Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and John Stuart Mill.
- William Henry Appleton (1814-1899), son of Daniel Appleton, publisher[7]
- Bailey Bartlett (1750-1830), member of the United State Constitutional Convention
- Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), inventor, 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 horror fiction for children and young adults.
- William Berenberg (1915-2005), Harvard professor and pediatrician
- Tom Bergeron (1955-), game show host
- Isaac Newton Carleton (1832-1902), educator
- Walter Tenney Carleton (1867-1900), businessman
- Stuart Chase (1888-1985), American economist
- Tristram Coffin, among the town's first settlers, who later left to settle Nantucket
- Andre Dubus (1936-1999), American short story writer, essayist, and autobiographer
- Andre Dubus, III, American short story writer, essayist, and novelist
- Euterpe (née Boukis) Dukakis, (1903–2003), mother of Michael Dukakis
- Hannah Duston (1657-1736), controversial colonial heroine, and also the first women in the United States to be honored with a statue.
- Frank Fontaine (1920-1978), comedian, Crazy Gugenheim 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
- Moses Hazen (1733-1803), Continental Army General
- Rowland H. Macy (1822-1877), merchant
- Dr. Duncan MacDougall, physician whose studies inspired the film 21 Grams
- Louis B. Mayer (1884-1957), movie producer
- Bob Montana (1920-1975), Archie cartoonist
- William Henry Moody (1853-1917), Supreme Court Justice, and prosecutor in the [Lizzie Borden] trial.
- Carlos Peña, Professional Baseball Player (Tampa Bay Rays)
- Seth Romatelli, actor, host of Uhh Yeah Dude
- James E. Rothman, notable cell biologist
- Mike Ryan, MLB baseball player
- Nathaniel Saltonstall (1639-1707), judge at Salem Witch Trials
- Jon Shain, (1967-) folk musician
- Spider One, ne 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
- John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), poet; his poem Snow-Bound is set in Haverhill
- Rob Zombie (1965-), ne Robert Cummings, musician and founding member of White Zombie, film director
[edit] References to Haverhill
- 21 Grams
- John Belleairs, various stories.
- Jack Kerouac, passing reference in On the Road
- Stephen King, "The Cell."
- H. P. Lovecraft, "Dreams of the Witch House" and minor references in other stories.
- The West Wing Episode #154 mention of train derailment between Haverhill, MA and Plaistow, NH.
[edit] Transportation
- 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
- MVRTA provides local bus service to Haverhill and beyond (map)
[edit] References
- Arrington, Benjamin F. (1922). Municipal History of Essex County in Massachusetts. Volume 2 - Haverhill. Volume 3 Biographical. Volume 4 Biographical. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company.
- Chase, George Wingate (1861). History of Haverhill. Haverhill, MA: self-pub.
- Mirick, B L (1832). History of Haverhill. Haverhill: A W Thayer.
- Haverhill - Facts of Interest (1880).
- Haverhill Board of Trade (1889). Haverhill an Industrial and Commercial Center. Haverhill, MA: Chase Brothers.
- Regan, Shawn, "Literary Haunts" Eagle-Tribune, October 22, 2006 [1]
- Thomas, Samuel (1904). Whittier-land: A Handbook of North Essex.
- White, Daniel (1889). The Descendants of William White, of Haverhill, Mass..
- Topsfield Historical Society (1910). Vital Records of Haverhill to 1849, vol 1 - Births. Image and OCR at archive.org. Text version at http://www.ma-vitalrecords.org/EssexCounty/Haverhill/ .
Maps.
- Bailey, O.H. (1893) Panoramic Map of Haverhill.
- Fowler, T.M. (1914) Panoramic Map of Haverhill.
- McFarland, James and Josiah Noyes. 1795 Map of Haverhill.
- Gale, James. 1832 Map of Haverhill . This is a very interesting map showing all the mills and mill streams and names of prominent rural home owners. Click on map for very large image.
- Beers D G. 1872 Altas of Essex County. Map of Haverhill - Plates 32, 33 . City Center - Plate 35. Published 1872.
- Walker, George H. 1884 Atlas of Essex County. Map of Haverhill - Plates 164, 165. City Center - Plate 163. Published 1884.
- Walker, George H. Atlas of Haverhill and Bradford. Published 1892. Images at Salemdeeds. Select plate number, then click on map to get the very large image.
- USGS. Historic USGS Maps — Haverhill - 7.5 Minute Series 1943, 1944, 1952, 1955. 15 Minute Series - 1893,1935,1956.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Miller, William Lee (1995). Arguing About Slavery. John Quincy Adams and the Great Battle in the United States Congress. Vintage Books. p. 430–431. ISBN 0-3945-6922-9.
- ^ "Throat Distemper in Haverhill from Essex Antiquarian Vol.3 1899 page 10.". http://www.rootsweb.com/~maessex/EssexAntiquarian/Volume1/189701.html#TDinHaverhill.
- ^ www.whereishaverhillusa.com
- ^ "Zion Bible College has new home and new president". Assemblies of God News Service. 2007-10-03. http://ag.org/top/news/news_article_template.cfm?ArticleID=10037&NamedFormatID=2001Article&SearchDepartment=01-140&SearchStartDate=09/04/2007&SearchMaxRows=3&SearchMaxRecordCount=3263. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Haverhill, Massachusetts |
- City of Haverhill, Massachusetts Official Website
- Haverhill Public School system website.
- Haverhill Massachusetts Community Information and Guide - This Haverhill Massachusetts web site provides information about Haverhill for its residents, neighbors and visitors.
- Early History, Families, etc. of Haverhill at Rootsweb.
- Ghosts of Bradford College - Ghost stories from Haverhill
- [2] Master Plan for Downtown Haverhill, The Hammersmith Group, 2008.
- Haverhill Public Library
- Northern Essex Community College
- Zion Bible College
- Haverhill, Massachusetts is at coordinates 42°46′41″N 71°05′06″W / 42.77809°N 71.084916°WCoordinates: 42°46′41″N 71°05′06″W / 42.77809°N 71.084916°W
