A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing. Beverly is a rival of Marblehead for the title of being the birthplace of the U.S. Navy. The city name is also the origin for the Los Angeles neighborhood of Beverly Hills.
Some History on Beverly
Originally part of Salem and the Naumkeag Territory, the area was first settled in 1626 by Roger Conant. Because of religious differences with Governor John Endecott, Beverly would be set off and officially incorporated in 1668, when it was named "Beverley" after Beverley in Yorkshire, England. Surviving from the settlement's early history is the Balch House, built, according to dendrochronological testing performed in 2006, about 1679.
The first ship commissioned for the US military, by the US Army (the US Navy had yet to exist), was the armed schooner Hannah. It was outfitted at Glover's Wharf and first sailed from Beverly Harbor on September 5, 1775. For this reason Beverly calls itself the "Birthplace of America's Navy" — a claim disputed by other towns, including nearby Marblehead. The Hannah can be found on the patch of the city's police department.
Beverly has also been called the "birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution” as the site of the first cotton mill in America (1787), and largest cotton mill of its time. The town is the home of one of the country's first Sunday schools (which was built in 1810). Beverly was incorporated as a city in 1894.
In 1902, the United Shoe Machinery Corporation built a quarter-mile stretch of factory buildings in Beverly. The stretch was an early landmark example of reinforced concrete construction, devised by concrete pioneer Ernest L. Ransome. In 1906 it went into production. Closed in 1987, the complex was bought by Cummings Properties in 1996, and developed into a campus of hi-tech companies and medical offices. Parker Brothers, makers of Monopoly and other games, has offices in Beverly. The city is also home to the Landmark School, known worldwide for the education it provides for students with learning disabilities.
President William Howard Taft rented a house for the summer White House from Mrs. Maria Evans in Beverly. In the summers of 1909 and 1910, he lived in a house located at what is now the site of the Italian Garden in Lynch Park, the city's principal public park, and in 1911 and 1912 he rented a different house a mile away, "Parramatta", from Mrs. Robert Peabody. Beverly Hills, California, was named in 1907 after Beverly Farms in Beverly because Taft vacationed there.
Points of Interest
· The Beverly Cotton Manufactory site, the first cotton mill in America. The monument sits in North Beverly next to the Veterans Memorial and North Beverly fire station.
· The Cabot Street Cinema Theatre, boasted the world's longest running magician's show; Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company ran from February 1977 through May 2012.
· Harry Ballfield, home of the Beverly Little League—first and oldest little league in Massachusetts
· Hurd Stadium (home of the Beverly Panthers)
· John Balch House (c. 1679)
· John Cabot House (1781)
· Exercise Conant House (1695)
· John Hale House (c. 1694)
· Lynch Park & Beaches, located in the city's Cove section, is a popular summer spot for swimming, kayaking, sun bathing, and picnics.
· The North Shore Music Theatre, offering a program of musicals and celebrity concerts
· The Odd Fellows' Hall, on the corner of Cabot and Broadway streets
