Haverhill

History

Haverhill has played a role in nearly every era of American history, from the initial colonial settlement, to the French and Indian Wars, and the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The town was founded in 1640 by settlers from Newbury, and was originally known as Pentucket, which is for "place of the winding river". Settlers such as John Ward, Robert Clements, Tristram Coffin, Hugh Sheratt, William White, and Thomas Davis aided in the purchase of Pentuckett. The land was sold by Passaquo and Saggahew who claimed to have permission from Passaconaway, though nothing more is known of these two figures in the historical record and it is not clear whether they were at liberty to sell the land, or indeed whether they had a shared understanding of what such a contract would entail. Settlers Thomas Hale, Henry Palmer, Thomas Davis, James Davis and William White were Pentuckett's first selectmen. First Court appointments given to end small causes were given to Robert Clements, Henry Palmer, and Thomas Hale. At the same court, it was John Osgood and Thomas Hale that were also appointed to lay the way from Haverhill to Andover. It is said that these early settlers worshipped under a large oak tree, known as the "Worshipping Oak". The town was renamed for the English town of Haverhill, Suffolk, in deference to the birthplace of the settlement's first pastor, Rev. John Ward. The original Haverhill settlement was located around the corner of Water Street and Mill Street, near the Linwood Cemetery and Burying Ground. The home of the city's father, William White, still stands, although it was expanded and renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries. White's Corner (Merrimack Street and Main Street) was named for his family, as was the White Fund at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.47%, is water. The city ranks 60th in the Commonwealth in terms of land area, and is the largest city or town in Essex County. Haverhill is drained by the Little and Merrimack rivers, the latter separating the Bradford section of town from the rest of Haverhill. The highest point in the city is found on Ayers Hill, a drumlin with two knobs of almost equal elevation of at least , according to the most recent (2011–2012) USGS 7.5-minute topographical map. The city also has several ponds and lakes, as well as three golf courses. Haverhill is bordered by Merrimac to the northeast, West Newbury and Groveland to the east, Boxford and a small portion of North Andover to the south, Methuen to the southwest, and Salem, Atkinson and Plaistow, New Hampshire, to the north. From its city center, Haverhill is northeast of Lawrence, southwest of Newburyport, southeast of Manchester, New Hampshire, and north of Boston. The overall terrain within Haverhill is heavily influenced by various glacial formations. With drumlins, moraines, eskars, glacial erratics, and kettle ponds being common. Gravel mining operations are conducted along eskars and glacial deposites of readily accessible gravel. Much of the soil within Haverhill is consolidated glacial till; inceptisols with moderate pedological development being the most common, as well as spodidols seen within the coniferous forests local to the area. Various fluvial deposits can be seen surrounding the river banks of the Merrimack and its tributaries. The river systems within Haverhill have also been heavily altered by glacial activity, with drainage patterns being inconsistent and variable. Because of this inconsistency, and…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  19,964
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,477
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,119
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  18,071
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  17,305
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  16,308
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  16,084
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,063

Largest nearby schools

• Lawrence High School
  High · Lawrence · 3,084 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Haverhill High
  High · Haverhill · 1,944 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Methuen High
  High · Methuen · 1,916 students · 13:1 ratio
• Andover High
  High · Andover · 1,702 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
  High · Andover · 1,692 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• North Andover High
  High · North Andover · 1,336 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Whittier Regional Vocational
  High · Haverhill · 1,277 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• Donald P Timony Grammar
  Elementary · Methuen · 1,263 students · 12.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2025-01-27
  9 km SE of York Harbor, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.8 — 2016-03-21
  4 km ESE of Warner, New Hampshire
• M 2.61 — 2013-10-11
  New Hampshire
• M 4.67 — 2012-10-16
  5 km W of Hollis Center, Maine