Haverhill, Massachusetts
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Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
border and about 17 miles from the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. The population was 67,787 at the
2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
. Located on the
Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...
, 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 The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the U ...
, and the American Revolutionary and
Civil Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience *Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a membe ...
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 Passaconaway was a 17th century sachem and later ''bashaba'' (chief of chiefs) of the Pennacook people in what is now southern New Hampshire in the United States, who was famous for his dealings with the Plimouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies. ...
, 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 town of Haverhill, England, 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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Judge
Nathaniel Saltonstall Col. Nathaniel Saltonstall (also spelled Nathanial Saltonstall; – May 21, 1707) was a judge for the Court of Oyer and Terminer, a special court established in 1692 for the trial and sentence of people, mostly women, for the crime of witchcraft ...
was chosen to preside over the
Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...
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 Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andove ...
, 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 In English law, oyer and terminer (; a partial translation of the Anglo-French ''oyer et terminer'', which literally means "to hear and to determine") was one of the commissions by which a judge of assize sat. Apart from its Law French name, the ...
. 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 New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...
, in which dozens of civilians were murdered. During
King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...
, Hannah Dustin became famous for killing and then
scalping Scalping is the act of cutting or tearing a part of the human scalp, with hair attached, from the head, and generally occurred in warfare with the scalp being a trophy. Scalp-taking is considered part of the broader cultural practice of the taki ...
her native captors, who were converts to Catholicism, after being captured in the
Raid on Haverhill (1697) The Raid on Haverhill was a military engagement that took place on March 15, 1697 during King William's War. Ordered by Louis de Buade de Frontenac, Governor General of New France, French, Algonquin, and Abenaki warriors descended on Haverhill, ...
. 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 Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In E ...
, the town, then about thirty homes, was raided by a party of French,
Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...
and Abenaki Indians. Like most towns, Haverhill has been struck by several
epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...
s.
Diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...
killed 256 children in Haverhill between November 17, 1735, and December 31, 1737.
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
visited Haverhill on November 4, 1789. Washington was on a "triumphant circuit" touring New England.


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 The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders empha ...
was formed in 1828. Haverhill residents were early advocates for the
abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...
, and the city still retains a number of houses which served as stops on the
Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...
. 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 John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...
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 . 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 the town 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 agree 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 A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Dozens of dry counties exist across the ...
as Bradford was. Businesses in
Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...
,
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, and
Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andove ...
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 Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, French Canadians and Central Europeans (
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and  ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...
, Slovaks,
Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...
, and
Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...
) 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 Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. Haverhill became the first American city with a
socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
mayor in 1898 when it elected former shoe factory worker and cooperative grocery store clerk
John C. Chase John Calvin Chase (1870–1937) was an American trade union activist and politician. Chase was elected to two terms as mayor of Haverhill, Massachusetts, on the Social Democratic ticket. He is considered the first socialist to elected mayor of ...
. 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 Rat-bite fever (RBF) is an acute, febrile human illness caused by bacteria transmitted by rodents, in most cases, which is passed from rodent to human by the rodent's urine or mucous secretions. Alternative names for rat-bite fever include stre ...
, 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 Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
in the 1950s and 1960s, receiving considerable federal funds used to demolish much of the north side of Merrimack Street, most of the
Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
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 Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...
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 Dustin-Duston Garrison House or Dustin House is a historic First Period house in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Built about 1700, it is one of a very small number of surviving period houses built out of brick in Massachusetts. It is also notab ...
, 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 apartment A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...
s 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 development. In 2018, it was announced that the mayor's administration was successful in acquiring $13 million in state funding to go towards increasing pedestrian safety on North Avenue.


Timeline

* 1640 - European settlers arrive. * 1645 ** Town of Haverhill incorporated. ** First Parish Church founded. * 1679 - Town becomes part of Essex County. * 1697 -
Hannah Duston Hannah Duston (also spelled Dustin, Dustan, or Durstan) (born Hannah Emerson, December 23, 1657 – March 6, 1736,
captured during
King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...
. * 1708 - Town raided during
Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In E ...
. * 1735 -
Diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...
epidemic. * 1789 -
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
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 The ''Haverhill Gazette'' (est. 1821) is a weekly newspaper in Haverhill, Massachusetts, owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. of Montgomery, Alabama. For at least part of its history, it was a daily. In 1998 the paper was bought by the E ...
'' begins publication. * 1826 - Influenza outbreak. * 1835 - Farrington & Chace shoe manufactory in business. * 1837 -
Andover and Haverhill Railroad The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970, ...
begins operating. * 1840 - Population: 4,336. * 1850 - Population: 5,877. * 1851 -
Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
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 John Calvin Chase (1870–1937) was an American trade union activist and politician. Chase was elected to two terms as mayor of Haverhill, Massachusetts, on the Social Democratic ticket. He is considered the first socialist to elected mayor of ...
(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 WHAV-LP (97.9 FM) – branded ''97.9 WHAV'' – is a non-commercial low-power radio station licensed to serve Haverhill, Massachusetts. Owned by Public Media of New England, Inc., WHAV-LP services the immediate Merrimack Valley and considers i ...
radio begins broadcasting. * 1961 -
Northern Essex Community College Northern Essex Community College (NECC) is a public community college in Essex County, Massachusetts. The college serves residents of the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. It has campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence. The college is par ...
opens. * 1972 -
Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, also known as “Whittier Tech” and/or “Big Whittier,” was founded in 1972. Located in the city of Haverhill, MA, United States, the school currently serves about 1400 students, with a 12: ...
established. * 1988 - Haverhill Community Television incorporated. * 1989 -
Mason & Hamlin Mason & Hamlin is a piano manufacturer based in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1854, they also manufactured a large number of pump organs during the 19th century. History 19th century Mason & Hamlin was founded in Boston, Massachuse ...
piano manufactory relocates to Haverhill. * 1997 -
John F. Tierney John F. Tierney (born September 18, 1951) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1997 to 2015. He is a Democrat who represented the state's , which includes the state's North Shore and Cape Ann ...
becomes
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for
Massachusetts's 6th congressional district Massachusetts's 6th congressional district is located in northeastern Massachusetts. It contains most of Essex County, including the North Shore and Cape Ann, as well as part of Middlesex County. It is represented by Seth Moulton, who has rep ...
. * 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 Nicola Dickson "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas (; born April 26, 1946) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 2007 to 2019. She held the seat formerly held by her husband, the late Paul Tsongas, for the dis ...
becomes
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for
Massachusetts's 5th congressional district Massachusetts's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in eastern Massachusetts. The district is represented by Katherine Clark. Massachusetts congressional redistricting after the 2010 census has changed the borders of the distr ...
. * 2008 ** Spotlight Playhouse founded. ** Zion Bible College relocates to Haverhill. * 2010 - Population: 60,879. Image:1850 lithograph of Haverhill, Massachusetts from Silver Hill.jpg, View of Haverhill, 1850 Image:1876 bird's eye view map of Haverhill, Massachusetts.jpg, Map of Haverhill, 1876 Image:City hall Haverhill Massachusetts postcard.jpg, City Hall, built 1889 Image:1902 TeddyRoosevelt in Haverhill Massachusetts LC 1s01959u.jpg, Teddy Roosevelt addressing crowd in Haverhill, 1902 Image:2008 aerial Haverhill Massachusetts 2538890730.jpg, Aerial view of Haverhill, 2008


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , 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 Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
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 A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...
with two knobs of almost equal elevation of at least , according to the most recent (2011-2012)
USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
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 West Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Situated on the Merrimack River, its population was 4,500 at the 2020 census. History Originally inhabited by Agawam or Naumkeag peoples, West Newbury was settled by Eng ...
and Groveland to the east, Boxford and a small portion of
North Andover North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...
to the south, Methuen to the southwest, and Salem,
Atkinson Atkinson may refer to: Places *Atkinson, Nova Scotia, Canada * Atkinson, Dominica, a village in Dominica *Atkinson, Illinois, U.S. * Atkinson, Indiana, U.S. *Atkinson, Maine, U.S. *Atkinson Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. *Atkinson, Nebraska, U. ...
and
Plaistow, New Hampshire Plaistow (, ) is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,830 at the 2020 census. History Plaistow was officially established as a town in 1749 after the 1739 resolution ...
, to the north. From its city center, Haverhill is northeast of
Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...
, southwest of
Newburyport Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...
, southeast of
Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...
, and north of
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.


Climate


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 accessable 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 it's 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 The Museum of Printing (MoP), located in Haverhill, Massachusetts, is a museum dedicated to preserving the history of printing technologies and practices, the graphic arts, and their role in the development of culture and literacy. History In ...
* Winnekenni Park Conservation Area, including Winnekenni Castle and Lake Saltonstall


Demographics

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 60,879 people, 25,576 households, and 14,865 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 1,846.5 people per square mile (683.1/km2). There were 23,737 housing units at an average density of 712.2 per square mile (275.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.3%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 4.5%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.3% Native American, 1.6%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.03%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 4.30% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
made up 14.5% of the population (5.8% Puerto Rican, 4.6% Dominican, 0.9% Mexican, 0.5% Guatemalan, 0.3%
Salvadoran Salvadorans (Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvad ...
, 0.3% Colombian, 0.2%
Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...
). 16.8% were of
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, 14.6%
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
, 10.1% French, 9.0%
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, 7.8% French Canadian and 6.3%
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
ancestry according to
Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...
. 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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $23,280. About 7.0% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, 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 James J. Fiorentini, who has been mayor of Haverhill since 2004 and was most recently re elected in 2021. The City Council has nine members, elected every two years. The most recent election was during 2021. State representation Haverhill is represented in the state legislature by officials elected from the following districts: *
Massachusetts Senate's 1st Essex district Massachusetts Senate's 1st Essex district in the United States is one of 40 legislative districts of the Massachusetts Senate. It covers 23.0% of Essex county population. Democrat Diana DiZoglio of Methuen has represented the district since 2019 ...
. *
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 2nd Essex district Massachusetts House of Representatives' 2nd Essex district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of Essex Cou ...
*
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 3rd Essex district Massachusetts House of Representatives' 3rd Essex district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of the city of Haverhill in Essex County. Democra ...
*
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 14th Essex district Massachusetts House of Representatives' 14th Essex district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of Essex County. Democrat Christina Minicucci of ...
*
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 15th Essex district Massachusetts House of Representatives' 15th Essex district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of Essex County. Democrat Ryan Hamilton of Methu ...


Education

Haverhill is the home of the main campus of
Northern Essex Community College Northern Essex Community College (NECC) is a public community college in Essex County, Massachusetts. The college serves residents of the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. It has campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence. The college is par ...
. Until its closing in 2000,
Bradford College Bradford College is a further and higher education college in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, with approximately 25,000 students. The college offers a range of full and part-time courses from introductory level through to postgraduate l ...
provided
liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...
higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...
in Haverhill. In 2007, it became the new home of the Zion Bible College, now called
Northpoint Bible College Northpoint Bible College and Seminary is a private Pentecostal Bible college and seminary in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The college's sole purpose is to teach and train students for Pentecostal ministry for the spread of the Christian gospel. It ...
. The
University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of Massachusetts public ...
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. 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. In late October 2022, there was a strike initiated by Haverhill teachers as part of the local teacher's union, the Haverhill Education Association (HEA). The purpose of this strike was to renegotiate teacher contracts as well as future salary increases to adjust for inflation. A lower average pay for the district in comparison to the overall state average lead to years of tension between the union and Haverhill school committee, eventually culminating in the strike. Schools closed for four days as negotiations proceeded between union representatives and members of the school committee. The strike ended after an agreement was met between both parties. Both the strike and the eventual agreement met were overwhelmingly supported by HEA members during internal votes within the union; with over 600 members supporting the strike and 25 against it, and 99% of the union supporting the eventual negotiated agreement.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Haverhill lies along Interstate 495, which has five exits throughout the city. The town is crossed by five state routes, including Routes 97,
108 108 may refer to: * 108 (number) * AD 108, a year * 108 BC, a year * 108 (artist) (born 1978), Italian street artist * 108 (band), an American hardcore band * 108 (emergency telephone number), an emergency telephone number in several states in Ind ...
,
110 110 may refer to: *110 (number), natural number *AD 110, a year *110 BC, a year *110 film, a cartridge-based film format used in still photography *110 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route *110 (song), 2019 song by Capi ...
,
113 113 may refer to: *113 (number), a natural number *AD 113, a year * 113 BC, a year *113 (band), a French hip hop group * 113 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route * 113 (New Jersey bus), Ironbound Garage in Newark and run ...
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, 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 North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtrak ...
with the Haverhill and Bradford stations on its Haverhill/Reading Line.
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
provides service to
Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...
, and Boston's North Station from the same Haverhill station. Additionally,
MVRTA Merrimack Valley Transit, formerly known as Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, United States, charged with providing public transportation to an area consisting of the cities and town ...
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 General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partial ...
in Boston.


Notable people

* John Mapes Adams,
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
recipient during the Boxer Rebellion *
Mabel Albertson Mabel Ida Albertson (July 24, 1901 – September 28, 1982) was an American actress of television, stage, radio and film who portrayed Phyllis Stephens in the TV sitcom ''Bewitched''. Early years Mabel Ida Albertson was born on July 24, 1901, in ...
(1901–1982), actress *
Louis Alter Louis Alter (June 18, 1902 – November 5, 1980) was an American pianist, songwriter and composer. At 13, he began playing piano in theaters showing silent films. He studied at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Stuar ...
(1902–1980), songwriter ("Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?") * Daniel Appleton (1785–1849), publisher *
William Henry Appleton William Henry Appleton (January 27, 1814 – October 19, 1899) was an American publisher, eldest son and successor of Daniel Appleton. Early life William Henry Appleton was born on January 27, 1814 at Haverhill, Massachusetts. He was the elde ...
(1814–1899), Daniel Appleton's son, publisher of Lewis Carroll, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Darwin, Thomas Henry Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and John Stuart Mill * Bailey Bartlett (1750–1830), member of the
United States Constitutional Convention The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Although the convention was intended to revise the league of states and first system of government under the Articles of Confederation, the intention fr ...
* 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 John Anthony Bellairs (January 17, 1938 – March 8, 1991) was an American author best known for his fantasy novel '' The Face in the Frost'' and many Gothic mystery novels for children featuring the characters Lewis Barnavelt, Rose Rita Potti ...
(1938–1991), author of gothic horror fiction for children and young adults * William Berenberg (1915–2005),
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
professor and pediatrician *
Tom Bergeron Thomas Raymond Bergeron (born May 6, 1955) is an American television personality, game show host, comedian and actor, best known for hosting ''Hollywood Squares'' from 1998 to 2004, ''America's Funniest Home Videos'' from 2001 to 2015, and ''Danci ...
(born 1955), television personality, comedian, and game show host. *
Peter Breck Joseph Peter Breck (March 13, 1929 – February 6, 2012) was an American character actor. The rugged, dark-haired Breck played the gambler and gunfighter Doc Holliday on the ABC/Warner Bros. Television series ''Maverick'' as well as Victoria Bar ...
(1929–2012), actor * Isaac Newton Carleton (1832–1902), educator *
Walter Tenney Carleton Walter Tenney Carleton (24 December 1867 – 6 July 1900) was an early international businessman. He was one of the three founding directors of NEC Corporation, the first Japanese joint venture with foreign capital. Youth and education He w ...
(1867–1900), businessman * Stuart Chase (1888–1985), economist * Tristram Coffin, among the town's first settlers, who later left to settle Nantucket *
Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number on ...
(1949–2019), investigative journalist and
Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award The Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award is an accolade presented annually to a print newspaper columnist or reporter in recognition of their achievements covering the game of ice hockey. The award is "to recognize distinguished members of the newspaper ...
recipient *
David Crouse David Crouse (born 1971 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a short story writer and teacher. Crouse's work explores issues of identity and alienation, and his stories are populated with characters living on the fringes of American society. The Flanne ...
, writer *
Andre Dubus III Andre Dubus III (born September 11, 1959) is an American novelist and short story writer. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Early life and education Born in Oceanside, California, to Patricia (née Lowe) a ...
(born 1959), novelist and short story writer *
Hannah Duston Hannah Duston (also spelled Dustin, Dustan, or Durstan) (born Hannah Emerson, December 23, 1657 – March 6, 1736,
(1657–1736), colonial heroine, first woman in the United States to be honored with a statue *
Frank Fontaine Frank Fontaine (April 19, 1920 – August 4, 1978) was an American stage, radio, film and television comedian, singer and actor. Early years and personal life Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fontaine came from a family of entertai ...
(1920–1978), comedian, Crazy Guggenheim on ''
The Jackie Gleason Show ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...
'' *
Jeff Fraza ''The Contender 2'' is a reality television show based on the sport of boxing, but with an element of the (welterweight) competitor's lives and relationships with each other within the show's living quarters, based in Pasadena, California. Filmed ...
,
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...
and contestant on reality television show '' The Contender'' *
Charlotte Fullerton Charlotte Louise Fullerton (born March 20) is an American writer of television, novels, comic books and video games. Biography Fullerton graduated with a BA in cinema-television/production from the University of Southern California, and starte ...
, author and Emmy-winning children's television writer/producer * Jordan Harris (2000-), hockey player for the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
*
Moses Hazen Moses Hazen (June 1, 1733 – February 5, 1803) was a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, he saw action in the French and Indian War with Rogers' Rang ...
(1733–1803), Continental Army general * Sylvia Hitchcock, Miss Alabama USA 1967, Miss USA 1967, Miss Universe 1967 * Red Howard (1900–1973), football player * Dr. 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 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...
studios (MGM) *
Karen McCarthy Karen McCarthy (March 18, 1947 – October 5, 2010) was an American educator and politician. She served as the U.S. representative for the fifth district of Missouri from 1995 to 2005. Early life McCarthy was born in Haverhill, Massachuset ...
, Missouri politician * Charles Minot (1810–1866), railroad executive at Erie Railroad * Bob Montana, Archie Comics co-creator *
William Henry Moody William Henry Moody (December 23, 1853 – July 2, 1917) was an American politician and jurist who held positions in all three branches of the Government of the United States. He represented parts of Essex County, Massachusetts in the Uni ...
(1853–1917), Supreme Court justice, and prosecutor in the
Lizzie Borden Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and despite ost ...
trial *
Carlos Peña Carlos Felipe Peña (born May 17, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, C ...
, Major League Baseball player * Anthony Purpura (born 1986), USA Rugby National Team player * Effie Alberta Read (–1930), scientist at the US Food and Drug Administration *
Stephen Robert Stephen Robert (born June 13, 1940)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 Joseph Ruskin (born Joseph Richard Schlafman; April 14, 1924 – December 28, 2013) was an American character actor. Also appeared in several underworld character roles on the tv series The Untouchables (1959-1963) Early life Ruskin was born ...
(1924–2013), née Joseph Richard Schlafman, actor, had roles in four '' Star Trek'' series and films including ''
The Magnificent Seven ''The Magnificent Seven'' is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges. The screenplay by William Roberts is a remake – in an Old West–style – of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film ''Seven Samurai'' (itself initially relea ...
'' and ''
Prizzi's Honor ''Prizzi's Honor'' is a 1985 American black comedy crime film directed by John Huston, starring Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner as two highly-skilled mob assassins who, after falling in love, are hired to kill each other. The screenplay co-w ...
'' * Mike Ryan, Major League Baseball player *
Nathaniel Saltonstall Col. Nathaniel Saltonstall (also spelled Nathanial Saltonstall; – May 21, 1707) was a judge for the Court of Oyer and Terminer, a special court established in 1692 for the trial and sentence of people, mostly women, for the crime of witchcraft ...
(1639–1707), judge at the
Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...
* Jon Shain (born 1967), folk musician *
Spider One Michael David Cummings (born August 25, 1968), better known as Spider One, is an American singer, Producer, and Director. He is the founder and only consistent member of the rock band Powerman 5000. He is the younger sibling of singer and filmm ...
, 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 Noah Vonleh (born August 24, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. High school career Vonl ...
, professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics * John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892), poet; his poem ''
Snow-Bound ''Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl'' is a long narrative poem by American poet John Greenleaf Whittier first published in 1866. The poem, presented as a series of stories told by a family amid a snowstorm, was extremely successful and popular in its t ...
'' is set in Haverhill *
Charlotte White Charlotte White (July 13, 1782 – December 25, 1863), also known as Charlotte Atlee and Charlotte Rowe, was the first American woman appointed as a missionary and sent to a foreign country. She was sponsored by the Baptist Board of Foreign Missio ...
(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


See also

*
List of mill towns in Massachusetts * Adams * Amesbury * Athol * Attleboro * Chicopee * Clinton * Dalton * Dedham * Fall River * Fitchburg * Framingham * Gardner * Grafton * Greenfield * Haverhill * Holyoke * Hopedale * Hudson * Lawrence * Lowell * Ludlow * Lyn ...


Notes


Bibliography


The Story of Hannah Dustin

"The Great Fire at Haverhill"
from ''The New York Times'' archive
"Haverhill's Great Loss"
from ''The New York Times'' archive
Disaster Genealogy - The Haverhill Fire
;published in 19th century * Mirick, B L (1832)
''History of Haverhill''
Haverhill: A W Thayer. * * * * *
Haverhill - Facts of Interest (1880)
* * * * White, Daniel (1889)
''The Descendants of William White, of Haverhill, Mass.''
;published in 20th century * * Thomas, Samuel (1904)
''Whittier-land: A Handbook of North Essex''"> ''Whittier-land: A Handbook of North Essex''
* * * * * Arrington, Benjamin F. (1922). ''Municipal History of Essex County in Massachusetts''
Volume 2 - HaverhillVolume 3 BiographicalVolume 4 Biographical
New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. * * ;published in 21st century * Regan, Shawn
"Literary Haunts"
''Eagle-Tribune'', October 22, 2006


External links

* {{authority control Cities in Massachusetts Populated places established in 1640 Massachusetts populated places on the Merrimack River Populated places on the Underground Railroad Cities in Essex County, Massachusetts 1640 establishments in Massachusetts