Located in Essex County and near Massachusetts Bay’s North Shore, the city of Beverly was settled in 1626, incorporated in 1668, and then officially incorporated as a city in 1894. Beverly, a summer resort, residential, and manufacturing community, has a rich history as it is the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution with the first cotton mill, Beverly Cotton Manufactory, built in 1787-1788. It had the first Sunday school in 1810, and also considers itself to be the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, which has become a contentious issue among nearby towns such as Marblehead. The city has also been home to quite a number of famous figures such as President William Howard Taft during the summer, congressman John Appleton, minister John Hale, of the Salem Witch Trials, authors John Updike and Philip Gordon Wylie, 2006 National Medal of Science recipient Rita Colwell, and musician Mary Lou Lord. Bordering Beverly are the towns of Danvers, Peabody, Salem, Manchester-by-the- Sea, and Wenham, along with Boston, which is located 17 miles away.
Beverly is host to a number of historic sites such as Prides Crossing and the John Balch, John Cabot, and John Hale House, which were built during the late seventeenth and eighteenth- century. The city has a wonderful array of natural surroundings, which includes numerous parks: Herling, Patton, Kernwood, Haskell, Innocent, and Lynch Park. There is also a city forest, reservation land, nearby ponds and lakes such as Shoe Pond, Kelleher Pond, Beaver Pond, Norwood Pond, Wenham Lake, a few small coves, fives beaches, and two islands: the Great and Little Misery Islands. In terms of recreational facilities, Beverly has two yacht clubs: Jubilee and Bass Haven Yacht Club, along with Beverly Golf and Tennis, and Harry Ball Field, home of Beverly Little League, which is the first and oldest little league in the country. Beyond Beverly’s natural landscapes and outdoor organizations, the city has a diverse range of educational institutions with five elementary schools (Ayers Royal Side, Centerville, Cove, Hannah, and North Beverly), Briscoe Middle School, Beverly High School, two alternative high schools (Recovery High School and the Northshore Academy at McKeown School), the Landmark School for learning impaired students, and numerous private schools such as St. Mary’s Star of the Sea School, Beverly School for the Deaf, St. John the Evangelist School, the Bright Horizons School, the Waring School, Glen Urquhart School, Harborlight Montessori School, and Kindercare Learning Center. Beverly also has it’s own hospital, Beverly Hospital, and airport, Beverly Municipal Airport. In getting to Beverly, the city is linked by Rt. 22, Rt. 62, Rt. 97 Rt. 127, Rt.128, which connects it to Interstate 95 and US-1), and Rt. 1A. In addition, the MBTA Commuter Rail at the Newbury/Rockport spilt, the MBTA Bus, the Beverly Depot, and the local Beverly Shoppers Shuttle serves Beverly.
