Beverly, Massachusetts

Beverly, Massachusetts
Official seal of Beverly, Massachusetts Seal
Location in Massachusetts
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Essex County
Settled	1626
Incorporated	1626
Government
• Type	Mayor-council city
• Mayor	William Scanlon, Jr. (D)
Area
• Total	22.7 sq mi (58.9 km2)
• Land	16.6 sq mi (43.0 km2)
• Water	6.1 sq mi (15.9 km2)
Elevation	9 ft (3 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	39,862
• Density	2,401.2/sq mi (927.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	01915
Area code	978 / 351
Website	www.beverlyma.gov

Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Boston's North Shore. The population was 39,862 at the 2000 census. A resort, residential and manufacturing community, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing. Beverly is located on the North Shore and is home to Endicott College and Montserrat College of Art.

History

Originally part of Salem and the Naumkeag Territory, the area was first settled in 1626 by Roger Conant. But because of religious differences with Governor John Endicott, Beverly would be set off and officially incorporated in 1668, when it was named after Beaver Lake in England. Surviving from the settlement's early history is the Balch House, built about 1636, one of the two oldest wood-frame houses in the United States.

The first ship commissioned by the United States military (actually the US Army, as the US Navy did not yet exist), was the armed schooner Hannah. It was outfitted at Glover's Wharf, and first sailed from Beverly Harbor on September 2, 1775. For this reason Beverly describes itself as the "Birthplace of America's Navy"—a claim disputed by other towns, including nearby Marblehead. The Hannah can be found on the patch of the city's police department. Beverly is also the site of the first cotton mill in 1787, as well as one of the first Sunday schools in the country in 1810. Beverly would be incorporated as a city in 1894.

In 1902, the United Shoe Machinery Corporation built at Beverly a quarter-mile stretch of factory buildings, which in 1906 went into production. Closed in 1987, the complex was bought by Cummings Properties in 1996, and developed into a campus of hi-tech companies and medical offices. Cherry Hill Industrial Park, straddling the boundary with Danvers, is home to many businesses and offices. Parker Brothers, makers of Monopoly and other games, has offices in Beverly. Beverly is also home to the Landmark School, which is known world-wide for the education it provides to learning disabled students.

President William Howard Taft maintained a summer home in Beverly; in the summers of 1909 and 1910 he lived in a house located at what is now the site of the Rose Garden in Lynch Park, Beverly's largest public park.

Beverly has a former Nike missile site on L.P. Henderson rd. right near the Beverly Municipal Airport. This site was in operation from March of 1957 until August of 1959 when it was handed over to the National Guard by the army. It is now being used by Beverly as a storage site and is under the scrutiny of many environmental organizations as it and the surrouding areas such as Casco Chemical have polluted the ground water which could be potentially hazardous to the nearby Wenham lake water supply.

• 
  Thorndike Street in 1908
• Post Office in 1919
  Post Office in 1919
• Taft Residence in 1909
  Taft Residence in 1909

Geography

Beverly is located at 42°33′40″N 70°52′33″W (42.560995, -70.875702)Template:GR less than twenty miles north of Boston.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 58.9 km² (22.7 mi²). 43.0 km² (16.6 mi²) of it is land and 15.9 km² (6.1 mi²) of it (27.00%) is water. Situated beside Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Beverly is drained by the Danvers River.

Demographics

File:Soldiers' Monument, Beverly, MA.jpg

Soldiers' Monument in 1907

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 39,862 people, 15,750 households, and 9,906 families residing in the city. The population density is 927.2/km² (2,401.4/mi²). There are 16,275 housing units at an average density of 378.5/km² (980.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 85.97% White, 5.04% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 6.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 15,750 households out of which 28.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% are married couples living together, 9.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% are non-families. 29.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 3.02.

In the city the population is spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $53,984, and the median income for a family is $66,486. Males have a median income of $45,348 versus $35,659 for females. The per capita income for the city is $28,626. 5.7% of the population and 4.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.5% of those under the age of 18 and 5.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Points of interest

• John Balch House (c. 1636)
• John Cabot House (1781)
• John Hale House (c. 1694)
• The North Shore Music Theatre offers a program of musicals and celebrity concerts. The North Shore Music Theatre is also the home of one of New England's largest non-profit music theater education departments.
• The Cabot Street Cinema Theatre boasts the world's longest running magician's show. Marco the Magi and Le Grand David are two characters prominent in the show. The theater itself is early 20th century style, and also shows films on a regular basis.
• Lynch Park Beach, located in the Cove section, is a popular summer spot for swimmer, kayakers, sun bathers, and picnics.

Notable residents

• Frederick L. Ashworth (1912-2005), Naval officer who served as the weaponeer on the B-29 Bockscar that dropped the atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945.
• John Appleton (1815-1864), United States Congressman from Maine
• Will Barnet, artist
• Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), industrialist (summer resident)
• Reverend John Hale, minister who played a significant role in the Salem Witch Trials
• Kerry Healey, former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
• Joshua Herrick (1793-1874) was a United States Representative from Maine
• Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809-1894), author (summer resident)
• Stu Irving 1972 USA Men's Hockey Silver Metal Recipient, Sapparo, Japan
• Le Grand David, stage magician
• Lucy Larcom, poet
• Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., U.S. senator, Vice presidential candidate, U.S. ambassador
• Marco the Magi, producer, director, stage magician
• Mary Lou Lord, musician
• Jacob Bannon, artist, musician
• Howard Petrie (1906-1968), television and film actor
• William Howard Taft (1857-1930), former U.S. president (summer resident)
• John Updike, author
• Philip Gordon Wylie (1902-1971), author

Film references

• The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) A bank robbery scene was filmed at Beverly National Bank, North Beverly Plaza. A car theft scene was filmed in front of Woolworth's (no longer there).
• Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970) A night time driving scene was filmed on Cabot St. from Washington St. to Bow St.
• The Good Son (1993) Scenes were filmed in a house constructed for the movie at Lynch park.
• Mrs. Winterbourne (1996) An exterior scene was filmed on Mechanic Street.
• The Crucible (1996) Parts of the United Shoe Building (now Cummings Center) were used as a sound stage for interior scenes.
• State and Main (2000) A house on Abbott St. at Monument Square was used as the home of the Mayor (Charles Durning) and his wife (Patti Lupone.) A parked Beverly Police cruiser appears in scenes shot through the front door.

External links

• City of Beverly
• Beverly Historical Society & Museum
• Beverly Farms
• Beverly Public Library
• Cummings Center History
• Endicott College
• History of Beverly
• Montserrat College of Art
• Beverly High School
• Beverly Police Department
• Beverly Panthers Football
• Beverly Fire Department