Category Archives: Historic Photographs & Images

Historic photographs and images of Newburyport, MA

Newburyport, High Street and the November Election

George Cushing Political Consultant for the Newburyport Blog

George, the political consultant of for the Newburyport Blog is very glad that the editor of the Newburyport Blog, moi, has decided to write again. He likes to see himself on the World Wide Web.

George, web-savvy frog that he is, feels that it would be necessary to include an historic photo in the blog posts about the upcoming elections and the whole conundrum of Newburyport’s proposed Local Historic District (LHD), because people keep landing on the Newburyport Blog looking for historic photographs.

So, Ok George, here’s an early 20^th century postcard of High Street that’s in the public domain. Happy??

Actually, it suits me, I love historic photographs of Newburyport.

I love the historic character of Newburyport, period. It’s why I moved here.

In 1981 (no I’m not a native, Newburyport City Councilor, Tom O’Brien, called me an “almost native”) I drove down historic High Street and by the time I had parked in front of the real estate agent on Green Street, I wanted to live here. And I am hardly alone. High Street is that beautiful and that compelling.

Newburyport, High Street, Early 20th Century Postcard

And having seen High Street almost destroyed by MassHighway in 1999, I don’t take the street for granted anymore. And in 1999, fighting to save High Street, I discovered that a Local Historic District (LHD) would enhance political protection against destructive changes to our historic roadway. I’ve wanted political protection for that particular part of our wonderful city for a long time.

And here we are. It’s now a possibility again. And I would hate to see that political protection slip away yet one more time. It’s not like this is the first time the city has fought over having a LHD for High Street. We’ve been fighting over this since at least the 1970’s. If a LHD had passed in the 1970’s, one could only imagine how incredible the roadway would be today.

Looking back on the Newburyport Blog I found a quote in 2007 that at that time Newburyport had lost a third of its historic housing stock. The number has gone up since then.

So, the upcoming Newburyport Election, on Tuesday, November 8, 2011:

The At Large candidates running for Newburyport City Council who are on record for supporting the process of a Local Historic District, i.e. the economic future of Newburyport are:

Ed Cameron

Barry Connell

Mike Early

Ari Herzog

Steve Hutcheson

Katy O’Connor Ives

And.. You will be voting on the Newburyport Charter. Basically a “Yes” vote means that the mayor of Newburyport, MA will be elected for 4 years instead of 2 years. (It’s a good idea, vote “Yes.”)

Newburyport Website Design

The second free website design that I created, contains three historic photographs of Newburyport, Massachusetts. It was a tough decision to decide which ones to use. But eventually I chose the photographs of the clipper ship in Newburyport’s waterfront harbor, a view of downtown Newburyport, looking up the Merrimac River, and a detail of the a clam worker from the historic photograph, the Clam Houses. All three photographs are in the public domain, courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center at the Newburyport Public Library, in Newburyport, MA. The historic photograph of the Clam shack worker is at the top of this post.

The website design “Old Photographs” can be downloaded for free at Mary Baker Design. A demo of the Newburyport website design can be seen here.

The website design is in a WordPress format. WordPress is a terrific software. It is very flexible, and the person who downloads the website design can put their own title, description, content and navigating information on the top menu bar as well as on the side.

The site can be made to look like a website, a blog or a combination of both. If you are puzzled by what to do with the website once it is downloaded, please contact me at Mary Baker Design.

The first two websites based on the old photographs of Newburyport, MA are a way of giving back to the seacoast, New England city of Newburyport, MA that I love so much. And I figured that if the website designs are downloaded and used, that they would be a great advertising tool for the historic city of Newburyport, MA, a wonderful place to live, to work, to visit, to raise a family, to retire to and just to plain old enjoy and have fun. I’ve also included a snapshot of what the website design of “Old Photographs” actually looks like. You can see the “Old Photograph” website design page here.

Newburyport Websites

In this lousy economy I’ve been working on designing websites. And because there now appear to be so many folks blogging in Newburyport, MA, I’ve designed a series of free websites that can be downloaded for free at Mary Baker Design. The websites are in the form of WordPress software and can be configured in any way. The title, description, content and menus on the top and side can be custom created by the person who downloads the website. They can look like a blog, or they can be made to look like a website or a combination of both. If anyone does download a free website, I will be glad to help them set it up. See the contact information at Mary Baker Design.

Because the historic photograph of the Clam Shack Workers is so beloved in Newburyport, MA, I decided to use that photograph in the first free website design. The photograph of the Clam Shack Workers is in the public domain, courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center at the Newburyport Public Library, in Newburyport, MA.

Over the years I’ve discovered that one of the things that folks seem to like best about the Newburyport Blog is the collection of Newburyport historic photographs, from either the Newburyport Public Library or the Library of Congress. The website “Clam Shack” is one of two free websites that uses old photographs of Newburyport, Massachusetts. A demo of the “Clam Shack” website can be seen here.

Newburyport From Another Perspective

A while ago a got an email from a gentleman called Shawn Gearin who has started a site called NBPTMA.com.

According to my email from Mr. Gearin, the site “covers the Newburyport experience from a blue collar perspective from 1950-1990.” In my mind, this would be welcomed perspective on Newburyport, MA on the World Wide Web.

Mr. Gearin’s desire is “to connect with people who remember Newburyport as she was during reconstruction, but prior to the current inflated home prices.”

The site is a work in progress and I hope Mr. Gearin preservers. We need more insight from people who know the history of Newburyport, and who have seen it change, evolve, whatever you would like to call it, over the years.

So far, my favorite part of the site is the marvelous photo album which is at the top right hand side of the site. You can either have a slide presentation, or see the photo album in its entirety. There are so many historic photographs that I have never seen, including one of the clam shacks, which I think is my favorite. So please, treat yourself and go take a look.

I am hoping that this would develop into another “treasure trove” of insight and information for those who love Newburyport, MA.

Central Church, Newburyport

I came across this wonderful picture of Brown Square and Central Church on the online Newburyport Archives.

Central Church
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

What is now the Garrison Inn, can be seen on the left next to the church. It looks as if there could be a glimpse of City Hall to the right (I’m not sure). And then there is the beautiful archway of trees with what is now Central Congregational Church at the end. In the Newburyport Archives it is listed as “Central Church (North).”

I thought that this image, along with all the rest of the remarkable historic photographs and prints that are now available to the public, in the public domain, through the Library of Congress and the Newburyport Archival Center, that have recently been up on the Newburyport Blog, would be a good way to wish the readers of the Newburyport Blog (who I am most grateful to), a very Happy Holiday.

Old South, First Presbyterian Church

I came across this print of Old South, First Presbyterian Church on the Library of Congress online archives. I’d never seen this print before and I thought it was pretty amazing.

Courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-10021 (b&w film copy neg.)
N.W. view of the First Presbyterian Church, Newburyport, Mass

This is the entire page, and here is more of a detailed image without the writing.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Detail, First Presbyterian Church, Newburyport, Mass

I also love the drawing of the original steeple, which was severely damaged by the hurricane of 1938, and in 1949 it was removed and capped with a 105-foot-tall cupola. (The New York Times, May 13, 2006)

Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Detail, steeple
First Presbyterian Church, Newburyport, Mass

The church hopes eventually to fully restore the steeple to its original shape. Please press here to read an earlier entry about Old South Church, and to see the comparison of what the steeple of Old South Church looks like today.

And I also love the street scene to the right of the church. The two houses in the picture, I believe still exist. As I remember it, the first house was where the famous preacher, George Whitefield lived (I have not confirmed this) when he was pastor of Old South, First Presbyterian Church in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Detail, street scene
First Presbyterian Church, Newburyport, Mass

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Editors Note: This is a correction and clarification from an astute reader of the Newburyport Blog:

“Mary, I don’t believe George Whitefield was ever the pastor of Old South. I don’t think he ever stayed in one place long enough to become a pastor. He was a real roving evangelist.

The first house behind the church was the birthplace of William Lloyd Garrison. There is a plaque denoting that on the house.

George Whitefield was staying with the pastor in the parsonage when he died, because he was to be the guest preacher in the church the next day. The story goes that his fans surrounded the house the night before and demanded that he talk to them, so he preached from the house steps for something like six hours. He was already sick, and he didn’t survive the night.”

Newburyport, Fruit Street

I am not a big snow lover. Ok, today’s snow was fluffy, but there was still a whole lot of it (at least on my street) again. Oy veh.

I found this warmer (it must either be early spring or late fall), snowless photograph of Fruit Street looking towards the water on the online Newburyport Archives.

Fruit Street Looking Towards the Water
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

And in the detail it looks like there is an early automobile. And there is also still, at least one hitching post for horses right above it.

Detail, Fruit Street Looking Towards the Water
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Fruit Street, Newburyport Winters

I remember when rooting around in the Archives at the Newburyport Public Library coming across a beautiful winter scene. But for the life of me, I do not remember where in the Newburyport Archival Center online I had seen it.

But then, eureka, it is discovered once again.

And yes, the historic photograph most certainly is charming and captures not only the feel of Newburyport, for goodness sakes how many years ago, but also, in my mind, the charm and feel of Newburyport’s neighborhoods today.

Fruit Street, Looking up towards High Street
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

And one of the reasons Fruit Street has a similar feel in the year 2007, is because the architecture of the street is basically the same. And a lot of that would be due to just plain “dumb luck,” since The National Architectural Trust says that we have lost one third of our historic housing stock since 1984. But, Fruit Street is now the one street in Newburyport, MA that is protected. Because this year Fruit Street became Newburyport, MA’s first Local Historic District.

Detail, Fruit Street, Looking up towards High Street
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Newburyport Public Library

And looking at the photograph closer, I enjoy the horse and buggy (yet another horse and buggy) coming down Fruit Street, the little boy at the side, and what looks like folks shoveling (no snow blowers here) further up the street. And I wonder, how in the world back then did they plow the streets. I have no idea.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Charming New England Winters

Winter in New England is often described as “charming.”

This winter scene from c. 1860 of Green Street from the Newburyport Archives would certainly be considered “charming.”

Green Street c. 1860
Courtesy Newburyport Archival Center
Newburyport Public Library

And this beautiful detail of the same photograph. The church in the background I believe is the church on Green Street that has been made into a restaurant.

Detail, Green Street c. 1860
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
Newburyport Public Library

Ah, but so often the realities in Newburyport MA look and feel much more like this:

A winter storm
Wikipedia.org

Stephen Tait in the Newburyport Daily News wrote, what in my mind was a fairly “scary” article on what Mr. Karp and the “super-wealthy” have done to Nantucket. (After reading Mr. Tait’s article, “High-End Homogenization” to me seems “quaint.”)

“… it (Nantucket) has lost its innocence..” “I think Karp is going the wrong direction. He wants everything to be upscale and sophisticated…”

“…the island attracting the wealthy, the middle and upper middle class families are no longer traveling to the island for vacation because it is too expensive…”

“.. the super rich don’t necessarily add to the local economy since they fly in their own chefs, their own staff and host parties at their residences…” (Newburyport Daily News, December 17, 2007, by Stephen Tait. Read the whole thing. In fact, it’s a “must read”.)

And the charm of Newburyport, which attracts and has attracted so many, may well be only for a chosen few. And in my mind that would wipe out the “charming” image of Green Street, and replace it with the image of the winter storm.

Ouch.

Newburyport, E. Ross Carriage Work

The lone horse and buggy in the photo of the Chain Bridge (see earlier entry) sent me searching in the Archives of the Newburyport Public Library.

And I found this wonderful (and warm) photograph of E. Ross Carriage Work.

E. Ross Carriage Work
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
Newburyport Public Library

It also goes back to my thoughts about the different mix of people and places that added color, interest and vibrancy to Newburyport, MA. I am thinking, once again, of New England Development, Mr. Karp and “High-End Homogenization.”

The Newburyport Daily News has an excellent story today, December 17, 2007, by Stephen Tait, about the possible future of Newburyport, MA, judging by how Nantucket, another one of Mr. Karp’s outposts, has evolved.

“Whitey Wilauer, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said he often hears complaints from retailers, mostly regarding the ever-rising rents.

“He (Karp) is very sophisticated in his approach,” he said. “He has a staff down here, and they are looking at each property and trying to determine if they are profitable or not profitable. He is trying to bring profitable outfits into the town. That’s what happens when you have investors to please; the actual cultural aspects aren’t paid much attention to…”  

“They just have that attitude that they don’t care: either pay it or they’ll find somebody else who can,” Brownell said…” (Newburyport Daily News, December 17, 2007, by Stephen Tait)

And here is a close up of the group of men standing in front of Mr. Ross’ establishment.

Detail, E. Ross Carriage Work
Newburyport Archival Center
Courtesy of the Newburyport Public Library

One of the things I also love about this photograph is the advertising on the roofs. Obviously an era long before modern billboards.

What an ingenious way to market a product. I’ve seen “advertisements” painted on existing brick walls, and on brick walls in old photographs of Newburyport, MA. But this is the first time I’ve ever noticed advertising on roofs.

Detail, Roofs
E. Ross Carriage Work
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
Newburyport Public Library

(And the fact the roofs are snow and ice free, today, December 17, 2007, is also quite enjoyable.)

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Chain Bridge

Finding the photographs of the clam shacks yesterday had me rooting around in the archives of the Library of Congress too, trying to find photographs that have not been on the Newburyport Blog.

I found this image of the Chain Bridge that I do not remember seeing before.

Since yesterday was so stressful for so many folks, with all the snow and the unbelievably bad commute for some, I thought I would put up this calm, serene and warm photograph of the Merrimac River and the Chain Bridge on the Newburyport Blog.

Chain Bridge, bridge spanning water, Newburyport, MA
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Frances Loeb Library, Gund Hall, Cambridge MA
Reproduction Number: 119600

And I also love this detail of the horse and buggy crossing the Chain Bridge from the same photograph.

Detail, Chain Bridge Newburyport, MA
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Frances Loeb Library
Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport Clam Shacks

When I was in the Newburyport Archival Center this week, at the Newburyport Public Library, low and behold my favorite photograph of the men shucking clams in front of the clam shacks was there. Eureka.

Clam Shack Workers
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
at the Newburyport Public Library

“Images capturing the men at work, with the small shacks at their backs, were some of the most popular and recognized photographs of Newburyport… “It was like the motif No. 1″..” (Newburyport Daily News, August 23, 2007, by Steven Tait)

And in thinking about the “flavor” or “color,” the “spirit and essence,” the “diversity” of Newburyport, MA on the Newburyport Blog for the last 10 days or so, the image of the men clamming at Joppa kept coming to mind.

…”the clam shacks that once lined the north side of Water Street helped to define an era in Newburyport and distinguished a neighborhood that instilled a sense of pride in its residents that lasts to this day.” (Newburyport Daily News, August 23, 2007, by Steven Tait)

The clam shacks, one is still left, were located where Union and Water Street meet in Newburyport’s South End.

And In the Newburyport Archival Center I also found this photograph of the “clam houses.”

Clam Houses
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
at the Newburyport Public Library

Detail, Clam Houses
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
at the Newburyport Public Library

Mary Baker Eaton
Newburyport

This story is also now on the new website that coordinates with the interactive history map, HistoryNewburyport.com.

History ~ Newburyport, a new Website about Newburyport’s stories

The story on the Clam Shacks can be found here at the new website History ~ Newburyport HistoryNewburyport.com along with a fun jigsaw puzzle.

Story on the Clam Shacks on the new website, History ~ Newburyport

Nostalgic Historic Newburyport Gardens

The photographs of historic Newburyport Garden plans and photographs of historic Newburyport gardens, stir up both a deep sense of nostalgia for something that beautiful, that cared for and that loved, as well as a certain practical impatience, that it could be very difficult, short of being part of a museum or a full time gardener, to have such a wondrous oasis in the year 2007.

Anyway, here are two more photographs that I discovered that are in the public domain. One is a photograph of an historic garden and one is of an historic garden plan.

Enjoy.

89-91 High Street, Garden

Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
at the Newburyport Public Library

Old Mosely Garden, plan of garden,
182 High Street, Newburyport, MA

Estate of Col. Ebenezer Mosely

Courtesy of the Library of Congress
The Frances Loeb Library
Graduate School of Design
Harvard University

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Historic Gardens, Newburyport

My practical and down to earth friend, who loves historic gardens, wrote me an email concerning the previous post.

As a professional Landscape Designer she did take a class in historic preservation and to quote my friend, “There are tons of good questions, and not nearly as many good answers,” (about how to integrate an historic garden into the lives of people in the 21st Century.)

Oh, well. But not entirely surprising.

Because these photographs are so delightful, I thought I would put them on the Newburyport Blog for readers to enjoy on this Newburyport New England summer day.

Brockway Estate, Garden
83-85 High Street, Newburyport, MA

Courtesy of the Library of Congress
The Frances Loeb Library
Graduate School of Design,
Harvard University

Abraham Wheelwright House & Garden,
77 High Street, Newburyport, Essex County, MA

Courtesy of the Library of Congress,
Prints and Photograph Division,
Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Historic American Buildings Survey
Frank O. Branzetti, Photographer
Aug. 14, 1940
View of Garden, Looking East

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport’s Historic Gardens and the 21st Century

I went and talked to a delightful friend of mine who loves and appreciates historic gardens and who is very down to earth, to get a reality check.

The subject was/is how to live with historic preservation, only this time outside.

As I said in an earlier post, I went on a hunt for historic garden photos and historic garden designs in Newburyport, MA.

And one of the things that struck me, was that it would be A) very expensive to maintain these gardens in the year 2007 and B) like so many other things, life has changed, and the gardens might not fit in with the life style of your average family in the 21 st Century.

As my friend (again, who loves historic gardens) pointed out that kitchens are different now, bathrooms are different now, and houses have open concepts and people just plain live differently.

So I would think that one of the issues that a family might think about, if they were thoughtful, and bought an historic home, that had an historic garden, would be how does one integrate an historic landscape with lets say a family with young children and a dog?

I am quite sure that there are PhD programs (there have got to be) that address this issue, so I feel a little foolish contemplating this question on the Newburyport Blog.

But, here are two photos. One is an historic garden and one is an historic garden plan. And I ask myself how a family of four with let’s say 2 dogs, would think about being stewards of such a property and also play and enjoy their backyard?

Joseph Moulton House & Garden

Courtesy of the Library of Congress,
Prints and Photograph Division, Washington, D.C.
Historic American Buildings Survey
Frank O. Branzetti, Photographer Oct. 29, 1940

Please press here for larger photo

Newburyport Gardens, Plan, Newburyport, MA

Courtesy of the Frances Loeb Library
Graduate School of Design, Harvard University.
Library of Congress
Prints and Photograph Division
Washington, D.C.

Please press here for larger photo

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Memory and Newburyport’s Historic Gardens

I started thinking about “memory” (see earlier entry) again and what it means to a sense of place and historic preservation, because I started to think about historic gardens, mainly along High Street, how beautiful they are, but whether or not they make sense in day to day living in the year 2007.

All of this came into my head as I watched the work on 87 High Street take place.

Again, when is it appropriate to impinge on the past, and when is it appropriate to preserve it? And again, for me, there is often no easy answer.

And historic High Street gardens are not exactly a new topic.

“Gardens of the New Republic: Fashioning the Landscapes of High Street, Newburyport, Massachusett” is all about the significance of gardens in Newburyport, MA. The book is available at the Newburyport library and bookstores. It can also be obtained through the website historicgardensofnewburyport.org.

And in 2006 Preservation Massachusetts named the Wheelwright Gardens as one of Massachusetts’ “10 Most Endangered Resources.”

This is from the Newburyport Current , Tuesday, September 26, 2006, by Ulrika Gerth:

“The fact that this extremely rare Federal style garden has remained intact for over 120 years is amazing,” said Jim Igoe, president of Preservation Massachusetts. “This horticultural gem shares the same historic significance as the main house on this property and should benefit from the same type of protection granted to it.”

All of this had me scurrying to find old photographs and garden plans of gardens in Newburyport, MA to share with readers of the Newburyport Blog.

This is a an old photograph of the Wheelwright Garden at 75 High Street.

And I’ve been told, and I haven’t verified this, that there is a replica of Old South Church at the top of that wonderful wooden structure at the end of the garden.

The Garden at 75 High Street,
The Wheelwright House,
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
at the Newburyport Public Library

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Joppa, Simmons Beach

Joppa Landing, Newburyport, MA
From a c. 1906 postcard
Simmons Beach is South of Joppa Landing

I’m really glad to eat my hat on this one.

I was a little skeptical when Larry McCavitt was elected in the special election in the Fall of 2006, for Ward 1 Newburyport City Councilor. But Mr. McCavitt has proven to be a really, really good Newburyport City Councilor.

Yeh.

I like the way Mr. McCavitt votes on issues on the Newburyport City Council floor and I like the way Mr. McCavitt cares about and represents his constituency.

And I really like the fact he is not giving up in his quest to make Simmons Beach an asset for Ward 1 and the city of Newburyport, MA, even though the project was not awarded any money from the Community Preservation Fund. (Newburyport Daily News, June 25, 2007)

Simmons Beach has always been one of my favorite hidden treasures in Newburyport, MA. I smile every time I walk past it.

I can always imagine the kids that have played on that small, delightful sliver of beach, tucked away on the mouth of the Merrimac River, cooling off on a hot, New England summer’s day.

Simmons Beach is located on Water Street in Newburyport’s South End on the way to Plum Island, next to the old clam shack, along the way to where Water Street meets Union Street.

And Councilor McCavitt is hoping to restore it for the “Joppa” neighborhood by putting an historic marker, plantings and benches. I think it’s a very cool idea.

Congrats to Newburyport City Councilor Larry McCavitt.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Historic Photographs, 43 Winter Street

One of the most popular things on the Newburyport Blog appears to be the historic photographs of Newburyport. I had one more left that I had found from the Library of Congress, and I thought I would share it with the readers of the Newburyport Blog.

The photograph is of 43 Winter Street c. 1725 that was demolished in 1934 “For Highway Cut-Off,” to make room for what is now Route 1.

The Library of Congress has two wonderful exterior shots.

I not only love the house, but I also love the barn that is to the left of the dwelling in the first photograph below.

43 Winter Street
Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur C. Haskell, Photographer, 1934.

The Library of Congress has an interior shot of 43 Winter Street as well. It might not make other people’s hearts go pitter-patter, but to me it is amazing. And it is particularly amazing because so many of the interiors of Newburyport’s historic assets are being ripped out without thought.

This interior invokes all kinds of memories for me, and I love it. It would be wonderful if people could be reverent not only of the exterior of our historic assets but of the interior of our historic houses as well.

And again here is this quote by Donovan Rypkema:

“…And if memory is necessary for significance, it is also necessary for both meaning and value. Without memory nothing has significance, nothing has meaning, nothing has value…

The city tells it own past, transfers its own memory, largely through the fabric of the built environment. Historic buildings are the physical manifestation of memory – and it is memory that makes places significant.”
© Donovan D. Rypkema, 2007, PlaceEconomics

Interior, 43 Winter Street
Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur C. Haskell, Photographer, 1934

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Urban Renewal

Given what I call Newburyport’s often “historic amnesia” I am very grateful to the Newburyport Daily News for their series on Newburyport’s Urban Renewal, “A Port In Progress.”

The series can be found online. According to the Newburyport Daily News, the newspaper would like to “carry “A Port in Progress” over a long haul.”

My hope would be that the Newburyport Daily News would leave this series up permanently, because it is the only thing that I am able to find online about Newburyport’s Urban Renewal.

From an informal conversation, it sounds as if the Newburyport Daily News has been working on this for a long time, not only on the stories, but going through various archives for the photographs about Newburyport’s Urban Renewal as well.

And for me, having those photographs easily available to the public of what Newburyport was like, is priceless.

I moved here in 1981, just after downtown Newburyport had been restored. The rest of Newburyport, MA was beginning to follow. And it was far from the “upscale metropolis” that it is now in 2007.

One of my concerns as I’ve been blogging, is that the people who have moved here “recently” (and that can be defined in so many ways) have no idea of the kind of trauma and then growing pains this small New England seaport city has experienced in the last 4 decades, a very short amount of time.

One look at some of the photographs of the demolition and then agonizing restoration, puts so much of what Newburyport has been through in perspective, almost instantaneously.

So check out this series ” A Port In Progress ” by the Newburyport Daily News. It is a series to be learned from and it is a real service to our community.

A very big “thank you” to the Newburyport Daily News.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Historic Assets, Newburyport City Hall

Something delightful to blog about. The Preservation Awards given out by the Newburyport Historical Commission on February 8, 2007.

Newburyport City Hall
Photograph courtesy of Mary Baker Eaton

The first Preservation Award was given to Newburyport City Hall for “Restoration and repair of building exterior, including replacement of historic brownstone and wooden architectural elements.”

A plaque was awarded with many names including Mayor John Moak, the Newburyport City Council, former Mayor Mary Anne Clancy and our State Representatives, Steven Baddour and Michael Costello.

Here is the text from the Newburyport Historical Commission, Linda Smiley, Commission Chair.

“We are especially pleased to present this restoration award to the City of Newburyport for an outstanding job on the exterior of our historic City Hall. The restoration and repair of historic brownstone and wooden architectural elements is outstanding. I’d like to point out that a blend of historically authentic as well as modern materials were used. Lime mortar to match the original was used on the brickwork. Our compliments to the craftsmen(masons) who completed this work as well as the architects, designers, conservators and planners. It was clearly a team effort and the results are wonderful. We now have a City Hall that we can all be proud of and for that we thank the City. We would especially like to thank Geordie Vining for his excellent work as project manager. Geordie held the restoration team together and made it happen despite the thousands of minor and major obstacles that presented themselves. Geordie has our highest respect and should be applauded for the fine job he did.”

Newburyport City Hall– A preservation success story.

City Hall, Newburyport, MA; from a c. 1910 postcard
Image is in the public domain

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

The Newburyport Blog

About Newburyport, MA, 35 miles northeast of Boston on the mouth of the Merrimac River

Category Archives: Historic Photographs & Images

Newburyport, High Street and the November Election

Newburyport Website Design

Newburyport Websites

Newburyport From Another Perspective

Central Church, Newburyport

Old South, First Presbyterian Church

Newburyport, Fruit Street

Fruit Street, Newburyport Winters

Charming New England Winters

Newburyport, E. Ross Carriage Work

Newburyport, Chain Bridge

Newburyport Clam Shacks

Nostalgic Historic Newburyport Gardens

Historic Gardens, Newburyport

Newburyport’s Historic Gardens and the 21st Century

Memory and Newburyport’s Historic Gardens

Newburyport, Joppa, Simmons Beach

Newburyport, Historic Photographs, 43 Winter Street

Newburyport, Urban Renewal

Newburyport, Historic Assets, Newburyport City Hall