Amesbury is a city in
Essex
County
, Massachusetts
, United
States
, but still refers to itself as the Town of
Amesbury. In 1890, 9798 people lived in Amesbury; in 1900,
9473; in 1910, 9894; in 1920, 10,036; and in 1940, 10,862. The
population was 16,450 at the 2000 census. A former farming and
mill town, Amesbury is today largely
residential.
History
Settled in
1642, Amesbury was first recognized as "Salisbury New Town" in 1666
when it formally separated from Salisbury
. It was incorporated as "Amesbury" in 1668,
after Amesbury
in Wiltshire
, England
.
Originally the boundary between Amesbury and Salisbury was the
Powwow River. In 1876 Merrimac was created out of West Amesbury. In
1886 West Salisbury was annexed to Amesbury so the mill area on the
Powwow River was unified. See the maps linked below.
Beginning as a modest farming community, it would develop an
aggressive maritime and industrial economy.
The 90 foot drop in
the falls of the Powwow
River
provided water power for
sawmills and gristmills. Shipbuilding,
shipping
and
fishing were also important.
The
ferry across the Merrimack River to Newburyport
was a lively business until the construction of
bridges to Deer Island. Newton
, New
Hampshire
would be set
off from Amesbury in 1741, when the border between the two colonies
was adjusted.
In the 19th century,
textile mills were
built at the falls, as was a mechanized nail-making factory,
believed to be the nation's first. The
Merrimac Hat
Company produced more hats than any of its competitors.
Beginning in 1853, Amesbury became famous for building carriages, a
trade which would evolve into the manufacture of automobile bodies.
The industry, however, would end with the
Great Depression. Amesbury also produced
Hoyt's Buffalo Brand Peanut Butter Kisses.
In 1876, the town of
Merrimac
was set off from Amesbury. In 1996, the town
changed its status to a city, and adopted the mayor and municipal
council form of government, although it retained the title "Town of
Amesbury." The current mayor is Thatcher W. Kezer III.
The community has an impressive collection of early
architecture, particularly in the
Federal and
Victorian styles. Following a recent
restoration of the historic downtown, many new restaurants opened.
The "
Doughboy," a memorial sculpture by
Leonard Craske, stands on the front lawn of the Amesbury Middle
School. It was dedicated
November 11,
1929.
Craske is best known as sculptor for the
"Fishermens' Memorial" in Gloucester
. There is here a monument erected to
Josiah Bartlett, who was born in
Amesbury.
Image:Macy House, Amesbury, MA.jpg|
Thomas Macy House in c.
1905Image:Mills, Amesbury, MA.jpg|
Mills in
1914Image:Josiah Bartlett's Statue, Amesbury, MA.jpg|
Bartlett's
statue in c. 1910Image:Whittier's Home, Amesbury,
MA.jpg|
Whittier's home in 1909
Geography
Amesbury is located at . According to the
United States Census Bureau, the
city has a total area of 13.6 square miles (35.4 km²), of
which, 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²) of it is land and
1.2 square miles (3.2 km²) of it (9.08%) is water.
Amesbury
is drained by the Powwow
River. Powwow Hill, elevation 332 feet
(98 m), is the highest point in town.
Once the site of
Indian
gatherings, or "powwows," it has views to Maine
and Cape Ann
.
Demographics
For additional demographic
information on the central urban area of Amesbury, which is a
census-designated place, see
the article Amesbury 
, Massachusetts. It provodes details
that are included in the aggregate numbers reported
here.
Main Street from Market Square in
1911
As of the
census of 2000, there were 16,450
people, 6,380 households, and 4,229 families residing in the city.
The
population density was
1,326.3 people per square mile (512.2/km²). There were 6,623
housing units at an average density of 206.2 persons/km² (534.0
persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 60.19%
White, 30.64%
African American,
0.22%
Native American,
0.58%
Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from
other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. 10.95% of the
population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 6,380 households out of which 34.5% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were
married couples living together, 11.3% have a woman
whose husband does not live with her, and 33.7% were non-families.
26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.09.
Lake Attitash in 1911
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age
of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to
64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was
37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,906, and the
median income for a family was $62,875. Males had a median income
of $43,489 versus $31,968 for females. The
per capita income for the city was
$24,103. 5.9% of the population and 3.9% of families were below the
poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.0% are
under the age of 18 and 8.2% are 65 or older.
Education
Amesbury's high school football rival is Newburyport
; the two teams play against each other every
Thanksgiving
Day.
Points of interest
Notable residents
- Susanna North Martin,
victim of Salem Witch trials in 1692, *
- Josiah Bartlett (1729-1795),
signer of the Declaration of
Independence, first Governor of New Hampshire
- Paine Wingate(1739-1838),
preacher, statesman
- Daniel Blaisdell, (1762-1833),
United States Congressman
from New Hampshire
- Luther Colby, (1814-1894), journalist, spiritualist.
- Dennis Carroll, Film producer, writer, and director. AHS
graduate, 1991.
- John Greenleaf
Whittier(1807-1892), poet
- William Ezra Northen, (1819-1897), vice
president and engineer of the New York and New Haven
Railroad, chief engineer of the Chicago
Main Drainage Canal.
- Mary Baker Eddy(1821-1910),
founder of Christian Science
- Harriet Prescott
Spofford(1835-1921), author
- William A. Paine(1844-1929), businessman
- Robert Frost(1874-1963), poet
- Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888)
American Lithographer, Currier and
Ives
- Jeffrey Donovan, actor. Star of
television show Burn
Notice
- Chris Plante,
Dave Drouin, Joe Plante, Kelly Kane, members of the rock band,
The Brew
Sister City
Amesbury is sister cities with:
References
- Merrill, Joseph, History of Amesbury, from the History of
Essex County Volume 2 Chapter 125 , pages 1495-1535, Compiled
by D.Hamilton Hurd, published by J.W.Lewis 1888.
Publications
- Bigelow, E.H. Amesbury and Salisbury Mills. Birds eye view at the
Boston Public Library Website.
- Norris, George E. Amesbury. Panaramic View. Published 1890.
Burleigh Lith.Est. At the Library of Congress Website.
- Hughes & Bailey. Amesbury. Panoramic View. Published 1914.
External links
86 Friend St.
(1850) 120 Friend St.
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