Rowley

History

The area was inhabited by the Agawam people under sachem Masconomet. Although the area that would become Rowley was colonized by English settlers starting in 1639, it was not until 1700 that the town would pay Masoconomet's heirs nine pounds for a quitclaim deed. In spring of 1638 Rowley was originally colonized as a plantation by Reverend Ezekiel Rogers, who had arrived from England on the ship John of London with approximately twenty families. Thomas Tenney was a co-founder of Rowley, Massachusetts, and was part of the group led by Reverend Ezekiel Rogers that settled the town in 1639. He came from Rowley, East Yorkshire, England, with his wife Ann, and was an original settler of the area, which was first known as Rogers Plantation. The John of London also brought over the first printing press in the colonies, which was later brought to Harvard University. The following fall, on September 4, 1639, the town was incorporated, and included portions of modern-day Byfield, Groveland, Georgetown, and Haverhill. The town was named after Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire, where Rogers had served as pastor for twenty years before his suspension due to non-conformist Puritan beliefs. Rogers was installed as Rowley's pastor on December 3. 1643 and 1645 saw the construction of a fulling mill and grist mill, respectively. The town became known for its hemp and flax cloth, as well as cotton. In 1642, a keystone arch bridge and a dam were built on the Mill River for the fulling mill, the first such in the colonies. The bridge was the first stone arch bridge in North America, constructed entirely of hand-chiseled granite and contained no mortar. It was rebuilt in the mid-19th century. In 1669, a sawmill was established in town and is still in business today. A wagon factory was…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 10.56%, is water. Rowley lies along the Atlantic Ocean north of Cape Ann, the mainland separated from the ocean by a small portion of Plum Island and Plum Island Sound. The island and a portion of the marshes south of Mud Creek (part of the town's northern border) are protected as part of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. The town has other portions which are protected, including parts of the Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area, the Georgetown-Rowley State Forest, the Willowdale State Forest, the Arthur Ewell Reservation, and the Bay Circuit Trail. Much of the eastern mainland part of town is marshy, feeding Mud Creek, Mill River and the Rowley River, which constitutes part of the town's southern border. This marsh is a portion of the Great Marsh, a major salt marsh which covers the coastal area of the North Shore from Cape Ann north to southern New Hampshire. Rowley is located south of Newburyport, north of Salem, east of Lawrence, and northeast of Boston. It is bordered to the north by Newbury, to the northwest by Georgetown, to the west by Boxford, and the south by Ipswich. Interstate 95 passes through the western end of town, with the nearest exits being in Georgetown and Boxford. U.S. Route 1, known as the Newburyport Turnpike in the area, passes near the geographic center of town, and Massachusetts Route 1A passes through the eastern part of town, through the town center. All three roads are connected by Massachusetts Route 133, which passes from west to east through the town, becoming coextensive with Route 1A just north of the Ipswich town line and heading south with it. Rowley is one of the stations along the Newburyport/Rockport Line…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  56,550
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  54,512
• American herring gull, Smithsonian Gull

  Larus smithsonianus Coues, 1862 · Aves
  52,847
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  52,799
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50,915
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50,170
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  47,900
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  45,870

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 2.6 — 2021-12-07
  38 km SE of Old Orchard Beach, Maine
• 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