Surprisingly, the year ‘64 is the signature turning point for ancient Newburyport (Originally Newbury-Port, or simply ‘The Wayside’) That was the year in 1764 in which the good people of the hamlet of Newbury ‘had enough’ with the rather worldly community by the Merrimack River. Whether it was too many grogs, or it was the injection of new ideas from all over the world brought in from the merchant ships. Either way, it was time to part ways.
The Beginnings of the Wayside 1635 to 1763
The First Settlers
The Beginning of the Romantic Era 1764 to 1863
Rev George Whitefield and the First Great Awakening
The International Trade
Newburyport – The Birthplace of the Tea Party?
Newburyport’s Pirates & Privateers
The Triangle Trade – Bibles, Rum & Slaves
Caldwell’s Rum and the Distilleries of Newburyport
Newburyport – The Birthplace of the Bill of Rights
Newburyport – The Birthplace of the Coast Guard
The Abolitionist Movement
Newburyport – The Birthplace of the Clipper Ship
The Beginning of the Manufacturing Era 1864 to 1963
The Tanneries
The Shoe Industry
The Bossy Gillis Era
Prohibition Years
The Great Depression
The Beginning of the Promotional Era 1964 to the Present Day
The early years after World War II & The Loss of Manufacturing jobs
The rise of recreational boating
Newburyport’s Clippership – The spark that began heritage tourism.
The citizens rise up to preserve the city
The HUD years of restoration
The Yankee Homecoming Festival
The restoration of the Custom House
Newburyport Area Industrial Development
The Birth of the Newburyport Preservation Trust
The Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce
Newburyport Development
The founding Matriarchs & Patriarchs of the New City
Historic Infrastructure – The Story behind them
The Bartlett Mall (Pronounced Mahl)
Oak Hill Cemetery
The Old Hill Burying Ground
The Superior Court House
The Custom House
The Old South Presbyterian Church
The First Religious Society of Newburyport
Newburyport’s unique Bollards & Lampposts
Brick & Granite – John Bromfield’s Legacy of Sidewalks & Trees
The Old Gaol
From the Lyceum to the Firehouse Performing Arts Center
The Dalton House
Newburyport’s Lighthouse & Range Lights
Newburyport’s Public Library
The Fire stations of Newburyport
The Institution for Savings Bank
The Challenge of the Future
The Achilles Heel of the City: High Maintenance Costs
The Constant threat of Development
The need to educate the New Demographic