Merrimac is a small
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Essex County,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, United States, located on the southeastern border of
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, approximately northeast of
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
and west of the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
. It was incorporated on April 11, 1876. It is situated along the north bank of 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 ...
in the
Merrimack Valley
The Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region along the Merrimack River in the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The Merrimack is one of the larger waterways in New England and has helped to define the livelihood and culture of those ...
. The population was 6,723 at the
2020 census.
Historically a
mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more List of types of mill#Manufacturing facilities, mills or factories, often cotton mills or factories producing textiles.
Europe
...
, it has long since become a largely
residential
A residential area is a land used in which houses, housing predominates, as opposed to industrial district, industrial and Commercial Area, commercial areas.
Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include ...
community. It is part of the
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...
metropolitan area.
History
Settled by the English in 1638 as a part of
Salisbury
Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
and later as a part of
Amesbury
Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settl ...
around the village of
Merrimacport, it was known throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as an agricultural and fishing community, with a small amount of shipbuilding. When Amesbury separated from Salisbury in 1666, Merrimac was referred to as the West Parish of Amesbury, or simply West Amesbury, although it was unincorporated. When a border dispute between the Massachusetts and New Hampshire colonies was settled in 1741, the new border sliced off the parts of Amesbury that were further from the Merrimack River, with the area then associated with West Amesbury becoming the "new town" of
Newton, New Hampshire.
In 1771, the West Parish of Amesbury (present-day Merrimac) had a population of at least four enslaved Africans. They were held in bondage by town residents Isaac Merrill, Benjamin Morse, and Wells Chase. At least one former enslaved African, "Forte," who was sold by an unknown West Newbury slaver to Christopher Sargent, became locally famous for his fiddling after the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts.
In the nineteenth century, benefiting from a manufacturing boom following the establishment of some of the first planned industrial cities in the United States, nearby
Lawrence and
Lowell, Merrimac came to be known worldwide for its horse-drawn carriage industry. During this period, the town proper of Merrimac, centered around
Merrimac Square, expanded separately from the village of Merrimacport. In 1876, Merrimac, including Merrimacport, separated from Amesbury and officially incorporated itself as a town. It is believed that the town, as well as the river that runs along its southern border, are both named for the
American Indian tribe that occupied the region. "Merrimac" (or ''Merrimack'') means "swift water place" in the language of this tribe. This town center consists of the typical brick buildings and
Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture is a series of Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the st ...
of the late nineteenth century, and it is surrounded by much of the town's population.
Interstate 495 now divides Merrimacport from Merrimac. At the beginning of the twentieth century, as with the rest of the
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
, it went through a period of deindustrialization as the region's industry relocated to the
Midwest
The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
. The communities of the Merrimack Valley, including Merrimac, were particularly affected by this long period of economic decline and have never fully recovered.
Today, Merrimac is a typical small New England community. It went through numerous growth spurts throughout the 1990s and the beginning of the twenty-first century as it was absorbed into the
Lawrence metropolitan area.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.48%, is water. Merrimac is drained by 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 ...
, whose north bank the town lies on. Located in the Merrimack River Valley and on the coastal plain of Massachusetts, Merrimac's land consists mainly of small, forested hills (before the twentieth century, it was mostly pasture). The town also has several ponds, streams and
Lake Attitash (which is located partially in Merrimac, and partially in neighboring Amesbury).
Merrimac is roughly diamond-shaped, and is bordered by
Amesbury
Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settl ...
and
Lake Attitash to the northeast,
West Newbury to the southeast,
Haverhill to the southwest,
Newton, New Hampshire, to the north and northwest,
South Hampton, New Hampshire
South Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 894 at the 2020 census. South Hampton is home to Cowden State Forest and Powwow River State Forest.
History
South Hampton was one of the first to ...
, to the far northeast, and
Plaistow, New Hampshire, on the western corner. The town is northeast of
Lawrence, southeast of
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...
, and north of Boston. Merrimac lies along
Interstate 495, with Exit 115 (old exit 53) giving access to the town.
Massachusetts Route 110 also passes through the town, just north of I-495. There are no bridges crossing the Merrimack directly into the town; the Rocks Village Bridge lies just to the south of town in Haverhill, and the nearest downstream crossing is the Whittier Memorial Bridge in Amesbury.
Demographics
As of the census
of 2000, there were 6,138 people, 2,233 households, and 1,699 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,295 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.27%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.39%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.11%
Native American, 0.28%
Asian, 0.29% from
other races, and 0.65% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population.
There were 2,233 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,692, versus $65,401 statewide, and the median income for a family was $69,118. Males had a median income of $48,718 versus $35,325 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,869. About 1.9% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Merrimac is governed by the
New England town meeting form of government, a kind of participatory
direct democracy
Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the Election#Electorate, electorate directly decides on policy initiatives, without legislator, elected representatives as proxies, as opposed to the representative democracy m ...
. Five residents are elected to the
Select Board
The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common num ...
, the executive arm administering local government. But all major decisions, as well as many minor decisions, are handled during the town's
annual town meeting, as well as
special town meetings, if required. The Select Board of Merrimac has five seats. The current Chair of the Board is Chris Manni, Janet M. Bruno is the clerk, and the other member-at-large are Robert L. Gustison II, Wayne Adams, and Irina Gorzynski.
Per the constitution of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, any resident of Merrimac may introduce legislation with the support of 10 registered voters.
Merrimac is part of the
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, Massachusetts, Essex county population. Massachusetts Democratic Party, Democrat Pavel ...
.
Education
The following schools in the
Pentucket Regional School District serve the town of Merrimac. All regional schools, however, are located in neighboring
West Newbury. Merrimac High School operated until 1958, but closed when
Pentucket Regional High School opened.
* Frederick N. Sweetsir School – named for a doctor who practiced in Merrimac
* Helen R. Donaghue School – named for a former principal of the school
* Pentucket Regional Middle School
*
Pentucket Regional High School
For high school, students also have the option of attending the following vocational/agricultural schools.
*
Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School
*
Essex Agricultural and Technical High School
Notable people
*
Dennis Berran, outfielder for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
*
Pat Freiermuth, Tight End for the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
's
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, drafted 55th overall in 2021
*
Richard P. Gabriel, computer scientist known for his contributions to the
Lisp programming language
Lisp (historically LISP, an abbreviation of "list processing") is a family of programming languages with a long history and a distinctive, fully parenthesized Polish notation#Explanation, prefix notation.
Originally specified in the late 1950s, ...
community
*
Ephraim Morse, early settler of
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
and one of the founders of
Balboa Park
*
Henry Boynton Smith
Henry Boynton Smith (November 21, 1815 - February 7, 1877), United States theologian, was born in Portland, Maine. He is best known for introducing many Americans to avant-garde German historical scholarship, especially in his ''History of the Chu ...
, Presbyterian theologian
*
Kevin J. Sullivan, Massachusetts politician and former mayor of
Lawrence
*
George W. Weymouth, Massachusetts politician and former
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
*
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...
, Poet and Activist
Sites of interest
*
Lake Attitash (and Indian Head Park)
* The Merrimac Public Library, which is part of the
Merrimack Valley Library Consortium.
*
Merrimac Square
*
Merrimac Town Forest
* Merrimac Training Field
*
Merrimacport
Annual events
Merrimac is home to several regional events:
* The Merrimac Santa Parade
*
Merrimac Old Home Days
Image:Merrimac Town Hall, MA.jpg, Town Hall on the Square
Image:Pilgrim Congregational Church, Merrimac MA.jpg, Pilgrim Congregational Church
Image:Merrimac-westnewbury-aerial.jpg, Aerial view of Merrimac and neighboring West Newbury
References
External links
Town of Merrimac official websiteMerrimac Public Library1872 Map of Amesbury(Merrimac was then known as West Amesbury) from plate 9 of the 1872 Atlas of Essex County.
1884 Map of Merrimacfrom plate 172 of the 1884 Atlas of Essex County.
1884 Map of Merrimacportfrom plate 154 of the 1884 Atlas of Essex County.
1884 Map of Merrimac Villagefrom plate 151 of the 1884 Atlas of Essex county.
1888 Merrimac articleby William T. Davis on pages 1535–1556 in Volume II of the History of Essex County Massachusetts with Biographical Sketches, published by D. Hamilton Hurd in 1888.
1922 Merrimac articleChapter 30 on pages 313–318 of Volume I of the Municipal History of Essex County, edited by Benjamin F. Arrington, published 1922 by Lewis Historical Publishing.
{{authority control
Towns in Essex County, Massachusetts
Towns in Massachusetts
Massachusetts populated places on the Merrimack River