Essex, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Essex is a town
in Essex County
, Massachusetts
, 26 miles (41.8 km) north of Boston
. The population was 3,504 at the 2010 census.
Part of the town comprises the census-designated place
of Essex
.
and was then called Chebacco Parish
. The first European settlers arrived in 1634. At that time, the land formed part of an area inhabited by Native Americans of the Agawam
tribe. The name Chebacco is Agawam in origin and refers to a large lake whose waters extend into neighboring Hamilton. Conomo Point, the eastern-most part of the town, is named for the Sagamore or Chief of the Agawams, Masconomo
, the leader of the tribe in the late 17th century. Early on, Chebacco Parish lobbied for status as an independent town, asking for permission to build a meeting house. In colonial times, the existence of a meeting house in a settlement conferred de facto
autonomy, so Chebacco Parish was denied permission to build such a structure. Popular history tells that one written dictate was issued stating that "no man shall raise a meeting house", so the residents of the settlement interpreted it as to mean that women would be allowed to do so. It is reported that a local woman, Madam Varney, assembled the town's women and construction of a meeting house was carried out by them while the men looked on.
, the town has a total area of 15.9 square miles (41.3 km²), of which, 14.2 square miles (36.7 km²) of it is land and 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²) of it (11.17%) is water. The town does not have any direct access to Ipswich Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with Essex Bay providing access through the northeast corner of town (the eastern half of the bay lies within Ipswich and Gloucester, with all of the outlet nominally belonging to Gloucester). The central part of Essex lies on marsh land that surrounds the Essex River. Essex River feeds Essex Bay, along with Castle Neck River (which provides most of the town's border with Ipswich) and several creeks, including Walker Creek, Hardys Creek and Soginese Creek. The land that makes up the limits of the town is close to sea level, with a few low hills dotting the landscape. Chebacco Lake and the surrounding wetlands make up most of the southwestern part of the town. Essex's population has increased at a sustainable rate over the last quarter century, so it still maintains a certain rural quality with abundant forested areas, wet lands and open spaces. There are several protected areas within town, including the Allyn-Cox Reservation, a portion of Crane Wildlife Refuge
, the Starvos Reservation and the state Wildlife Management Area. The Crane Wildlife Refuge covers several of the islands in Essex Bay, including Choate Island
.
Essex borders Hamilton
to the west, Manchester-by-the-Sea
to the south, Gloucester
to the east, and Ipswich
to the north. Essex is located 11 miles (17.7 km) northeast of Salem
and 33 miles (53.1 km) northeast of Boston
. Though not accessible directly by a major highway, Route 128 clips the corner of town, with exits located in neighboring Manchester-by-the-Sea and Gloucester. Route 133
passes from northwest to southeast through town, and the eastern end of Route 22 is at Route 133 in the center of town. The Ipswich Essex Explorer bus provides weekend service during the summer connecting with the MBTA Commuter Rail
at Ipswich
along the Newburyport/Rockport Line
, as well as providing service to Crane Beach
and other nearby attractions. The Rockport portion of the commuter rail line passes through neighboring Manchester-by-the-Sea and Gloucester.
of 2000, there were 3,267 people, 1,313 households, and 887 families residing in the town. The population density
was 230.7 people per square mile (89.1/km²). There were 1,446 housing units at an average density of 39.4 persons/km² (102.1 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 98.50% White, 0.15% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 1,313 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples
living together, 7.8% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 32.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $59,554, and the median income for a family was $70,152. Males had a median income of $48,036 versus $32,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $31,613. 6.6% of the population and 4.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 6.1% are under the age of 18 and 10.8% are 65 or older.
Essex's municipal offices are housed in the Essex Town Hall and TOHP Burnham Library
, an exuberant Shingle Style
building erected in 1893-94.
Essex's small size makes New England
's traditional direct-democracy style of government practical. The residents of Essex elect a board of three selectmen to carry out the routine business of local government while relying on the town meeting
system to decide major issues. In recent years, the most important of these issues has been the leasing of public lands at Conomo Point, a school regionalization plan with Manchester-by-the-Sea, and the construction of infrastructure for dealing with sewerage.
In 2002 the town hired a Town Administrator to work for the board of selectmen and oversee day-to-day operations. Policy and major decisions are still verified by the town meeting.
to grade 5. The Essex Middle School had previously functioned to educate students to grade 8. But recent regionalization has brought the Essex Middle School children into the Manchester Essex Regional Middle School, located in the same building as both the Manchester Essex Regional High School and the previous Manchester Middle School.
public schools. In 2000, the town approved a plan to create a regional school district with Manchester-by-the-Sea. Under the plan, the two towns are served by a consolidated school system, the 'Manchester-Essex Schools', and a new high school. This marks the first time Essex did not have to send its students to another district to attend high school.
In early 2006, the voters of both Essex and Manchester by the Sea approved a new $49 million regional school project for the purpose of building a new Middle School and High School. Both projects were approved at Town Meeting and then again at the ballot box for a debt-exclusion which will permit the towns to raise funds in excess of the 2.5% property tax cap mandated by Prop. 2.5. A similar $36 million plan three years earlier was defeated in Essex at the polls and approved in Manchester. Construction was completed in the summer of 2009, and students began attending the new middle-high school in the fall of 2009.
trips have become increasingly popular. One major disadvantage that Essex has is that its only beach is not easily accessible by land and as such is not a major draw for tourists as are the beaches of neighboring Gloucester, Ipswich and Manchester-by-the-Sea. Essex, with an abundance of natural beauty, must also compete with nearby Rockport
for tourists in search of quaint New England charm. In the last two decades, there has also emerged a flourishing antiques trade in Essex. The town now boasts of being the municipality with the greatest number of antique shops per square mile in the US.
trade. This industry accounted for most of the revenue of the town from the days of its settlement as Chebacco Parish until the early part of the 20th century. Once a leading supplier of schooner
s for Gloucester and other Atlantic fishing communities, Essex did not adapt to the transition from sail powered wooden ships to engine powered metal vessels and this activity disappeared around World War II
. There have been recent attempts to return to shipbuilding on a small scale as a tourist attraction and they have met with some success. The Essex Shipbuilding Museum stands as a living testament to the wooden shipbuilding industry and the neighboring boat yard owned by generations of the Story Family still constructs and launches classic wooden ships built in the Essex tradition.
and Girl Scouts of the USA
.
Since 1994 the Essex Music Festival, offering bluegrass, blues, folk, maritime, and Celtic
music, has been held at Centennial Grove at Chebacco Lake in Essex. The festival was called
off in 2009 due to Tropical Storm Danny but it resumed the following year. Much of the film
"Grown Ups", filmed in the summer of 2009, used Centennial Grove/ Chebacco Lake for filming.
denominations (Unitarian Universalist, Congregational, Evangelical, Bible Church) as well as a Roman Catholic parish.
, starring Winona Ryder
and Daniel Day-Lewis
, was filmed in Essex. Winona Ryder stayed in a private home on Western Ave. during the filming of The Crucible.
Essex serves as a former residence to physicist Daniel Faraday
(Jeremy Davies
) on ABC
's series Lost
, during the episode "Confirmed Dead
".
Grown Ups, starring Adam Sandler
was filmed in Essex during the summer of 2009 primarily at Chebacco Lake. The movie also shot at Woodman's restaurant in Essex, and in Southborough, Massachusetts, and Water Wiz in Wareham, Massachusetts. The movie was released on June 25, 2010.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Essex County
Essex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Parker River National Wildlife Refuge* Salem Maritime National Historic Site* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site* Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, 26 miles (41.8 km) north of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The population was 3,504 at the 2010 census.
Part of the town comprises the census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
of Essex
Essex (CDP), Massachusetts
Essex CDP is a census-designated place in the town of Essex in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,426 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
History
Essex was incorporated as a town in 1819. It was previously a part of the town of IpswichIpswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
and was then called Chebacco Parish
Chebacco Parish
Chebacco Parish was the southeastern-most part of the town of Ipswich, Massachusetts that later became the separate municipality of Essex. The name comes from Chebacco Lake, part of which is in the town of Essex....
. The first European settlers arrived in 1634. At that time, the land formed part of an area inhabited by Native Americans of the Agawam
Agawam (tribe)
The Agawam tribe was a Native American tribe in New England at the arrival of the English colonists in the early 17th century. Decimated by pestilence shortly before the English colonization and fearing attacks from their hereditary enemies among the tribes of Maine, they invited the English to...
tribe. The name Chebacco is Agawam in origin and refers to a large lake whose waters extend into neighboring Hamilton. Conomo Point, the eastern-most part of the town, is named for the Sagamore or Chief of the Agawams, Masconomo
Chief Masconomet
Masconomet, spelled many different ways in colonial deeds, was sagamore or chief of the Agawam tribe among the Algonquian peoples during the time of the English colonization of the Americas...
, the leader of the tribe in the late 17th century. Early on, Chebacco Parish lobbied for status as an independent town, asking for permission to build a meeting house. In colonial times, the existence of a meeting house in a settlement conferred de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
autonomy, so Chebacco Parish was denied permission to build such a structure. Popular history tells that one written dictate was issued stating that "no man shall raise a meeting house", so the residents of the settlement interpreted it as to mean that women would be allowed to do so. It is reported that a local woman, Madam Varney, assembled the town's women and construction of a meeting house was carried out by them while the men looked on.
Geography and transportation
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 15.9 square miles (41.3 km²), of which, 14.2 square miles (36.7 km²) of it is land and 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²) of it (11.17%) is water. The town does not have any direct access to Ipswich Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with Essex Bay providing access through the northeast corner of town (the eastern half of the bay lies within Ipswich and Gloucester, with all of the outlet nominally belonging to Gloucester). The central part of Essex lies on marsh land that surrounds the Essex River. Essex River feeds Essex Bay, along with Castle Neck River (which provides most of the town's border with Ipswich) and several creeks, including Walker Creek, Hardys Creek and Soginese Creek. The land that makes up the limits of the town is close to sea level, with a few low hills dotting the landscape. Chebacco Lake and the surrounding wetlands make up most of the southwestern part of the town. Essex's population has increased at a sustainable rate over the last quarter century, so it still maintains a certain rural quality with abundant forested areas, wet lands and open spaces. There are several protected areas within town, including the Allyn-Cox Reservation, a portion of Crane Wildlife Refuge
Crane Wildlife Refuge
The Crane Wildlife Refuge, located in Ipswich and Essex, Massachusetts, is a property managed by The Trustees of Reservations. Located nearby are the Trustees of Reservations managed Castle Hill and Crane Beach.-External links:*...
, the Starvos Reservation and the state Wildlife Management Area. The Crane Wildlife Refuge covers several of the islands in Essex Bay, including Choate Island
Choate Island (Massachusetts)
Choate Island, also known as Hog Island, is an island located in the Essex River Estuary in Essex, Massachusetts. It is part of the Crane Wildlife Refuge, which is owned and managed by The Trustees of Reservations. The island is a refuge for a variety of birds and animals...
.
Essex borders Hamilton
Hamilton, Massachusetts
Hamilton is a town located in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts. It is primarily a suburban bedroom community, most commonly known for its equestrian estates...
to the west, Manchester-by-the-Sea
Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Manchester-by-the-Sea is a town on Cape Ann, in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 5,228.-History:...
to the south, Gloucester
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
to the east, and Ipswich
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
to the north. Essex is located 11 miles (17.7 km) northeast of Salem
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
and 33 miles (53.1 km) northeast of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Though not accessible directly by a major highway, Route 128 clips the corner of town, with exits located in neighboring Manchester-by-the-Sea and Gloucester. Route 133
Massachusetts Route 133
Route 133 is an east–west Massachusetts state route that runs from Lowell to Gloucester.-Route description:Route 133 begins at the junction of Route 38 and Route 110 in Lowell, where Route 110 begins a concurrency with Route 38 northbound. Route 133 heads east from this point, heading...
passes from northwest to southeast through town, and the eastern end of Route 22 is at Route 133 in the center of town. The Ipswich Essex Explorer bus provides weekend service during the summer connecting with the MBTA Commuter Rail
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...
at Ipswich
Ipswich (MBTA station)
Ipswich is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Newburyport/Rockport Line. Before service on the line was restored to Newburyport, Ipswich was the terminus of the line. Just south of the end of the platform are two auxiliary tracks that were used to store trains during that time. In...
along the Newburyport/Rockport Line
Newburyport/Rockport Line
The Newburyport/Rockport Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running northeast from downtown Boston, Massachusetts towards Cape Ann and the Merrimack Valley, serving the North Shore. The first leg serves Chelsea, Lynn, Swampscott, Salem, and Beverly. From there, a northern branch of...
, as well as providing service to Crane Beach
Crane Beach
Crane Beach is a conservation and recreation property located in Ipswich, Massachusetts, immediately north of Cape Ann. It consists of a four mile long sandy beachfront, dunes, and a maritime pitch pine forest...
and other nearby attractions. The Rockport portion of the commuter rail line passes through neighboring Manchester-by-the-Sea and Gloucester.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,267 people, 1,313 households, and 887 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 230.7 people per square mile (89.1/km²). There were 1,446 housing units at an average density of 39.4 persons/km² (102.1 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 98.50% White, 0.15% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 1,313 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.8% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 32.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $59,554, and the median income for a family was $70,152. Males had a median income of $48,036 versus $32,000 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $31,613. 6.6% of the population and 4.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 6.1% are under the age of 18 and 10.8% are 65 or older.
Government
Essex Town Hall and TOHP Burnham Library
Essex Town Hall and TOHP Burnham Library is an exuberant Shingle Style building at 30 Martin Street in Essex, Massachusetts in the United States. Containing town offices, a public library and an auditorium, it was built in 1893-94, and its architect was Frank W...
, an exuberant Shingle Style
Shingle Style architecture
The Shingle style is an American architectural style made popular by the rise of the New England school of architecture, which eschewed the highly ornamented patterns of the Eastlake style in Queen Anne architecture....
building erected in 1893-94.
Essex's small size makes New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
's traditional direct-democracy style of government practical. The residents of Essex elect a board of three selectmen to carry out the routine business of local government while relying on the town meeting
Town meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
system to decide major issues. In recent years, the most important of these issues has been the leasing of public lands at Conomo Point, a school regionalization plan with Manchester-by-the-Sea, and the construction of infrastructure for dealing with sewerage.
In 2002 the town hired a Town Administrator to work for the board of selectmen and oversee day-to-day operations. Policy and major decisions are still verified by the town meeting.
Primary
Essex has one public school, Essex Elementary School, that offers instruction to children from pre-kindergartenPre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
to grade 5. The Essex Middle School had previously functioned to educate students to grade 8. But recent regionalization has brought the Essex Middle School children into the Manchester Essex Regional Middle School, located in the same building as both the Manchester Essex Regional High School and the previous Manchester Middle School.
Secondary
The town of Essex does not include a high school, and in years past has had to send its grade 9 through 12 students to neighboring districts. Arrangements in the past have included sending high school students to Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester and Hamilton-WenhamWenham, Massachusetts
Wenham is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,875 at the 2010 census.The Town of Wenham was originally settled in 1635 and has retained much of its unique historic character and tranquil rural scenery...
public schools. In 2000, the town approved a plan to create a regional school district with Manchester-by-the-Sea. Under the plan, the two towns are served by a consolidated school system, the 'Manchester-Essex Schools', and a new high school. This marks the first time Essex did not have to send its students to another district to attend high school.
In early 2006, the voters of both Essex and Manchester by the Sea approved a new $49 million regional school project for the purpose of building a new Middle School and High School. Both projects were approved at Town Meeting and then again at the ballot box for a debt-exclusion which will permit the towns to raise funds in excess of the 2.5% property tax cap mandated by Prop. 2.5. A similar $36 million plan three years earlier was defeated in Essex at the polls and approved in Manchester. Construction was completed in the summer of 2009, and students began attending the new middle-high school in the fall of 2009.
Seafood, tourism and antiques
The main source of income for the town of Essex comes from the shellfish industry and tourism. The fried clam was reportedly "invented" in Essex by Chubby Woodman early in the 20th century. Due to the exceptional quality of the clam that lives in the tidal river in Essex, local restaurants thrive by preparing it along with other types of seafood. Tourists are mainly drawn to Essex for its restaurants, but in recent years leisure activities such as excursions down the Essex River in boats or self-guided kayakKayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
trips have become increasingly popular. One major disadvantage that Essex has is that its only beach is not easily accessible by land and as such is not a major draw for tourists as are the beaches of neighboring Gloucester, Ipswich and Manchester-by-the-Sea. Essex, with an abundance of natural beauty, must also compete with nearby Rockport
Rockport, Massachusetts
Rockport is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,952 at the 2010 census. Rockport is located approximately 25 miles northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula...
for tourists in search of quaint New England charm. In the last two decades, there has also emerged a flourishing antiques trade in Essex. The town now boasts of being the municipality with the greatest number of antique shops per square mile in the US.
Former shipbuilding center
The town of Essex was once home to a prosperous shipbuildingShipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
trade. This industry accounted for most of the revenue of the town from the days of its settlement as Chebacco Parish until the early part of the 20th century. Once a leading supplier of schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s for Gloucester and other Atlantic fishing communities, Essex did not adapt to the transition from sail powered wooden ships to engine powered metal vessels and this activity disappeared around World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. There have been recent attempts to return to shipbuilding on a small scale as a tourist attraction and they have met with some success. The Essex Shipbuilding Museum stands as a living testament to the wooden shipbuilding industry and the neighboring boat yard owned by generations of the Story Family still constructs and launches classic wooden ships built in the Essex tradition.
Culture
There are several active youth sports teams as well as other youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts of AmericaScouting in Massachusetts
Scouting in Massachusetts includes both Girl Scout and Boy Scout organizations. Both were founded in the 1910s in Massachusetts. With a vigorous history, both organizations actively serve thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.-Moby Dick Council:Moby Dick...
and Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
.
Since 1994 the Essex Music Festival, offering bluegrass, blues, folk, maritime, and Celtic
music, has been held at Centennial Grove at Chebacco Lake in Essex. The festival was called
off in 2009 due to Tropical Storm Danny but it resumed the following year. Much of the film
"Grown Ups", filmed in the summer of 2009, used Centennial Grove/ Chebacco Lake for filming.
Religion
Essex has several churches of various Protestant ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
denominations (Unitarian Universalist, Congregational, Evangelical, Bible Church) as well as a Roman Catholic parish.
Conomo Point
Conomo is a summer community that is over 100 years old. There are 104 seasonal cottages and year-round homes on Conomo Point, a picturesque summer colony on town-leased land.Points of interest
- Choate HouseChoate House (Massachusetts)There is a Choate House located in New York, formerly owned by the same Choate family.Choate House is a historic house on Choate Island in the Crane Wildlife Refuge, Essex, Massachusetts, owned and administered by the nonprofit Trustees of Reservations....
, birthplace of Rufus ChoateRufus ChoateRufus Choate , American lawyer and orator, was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a descendant of an English family which settled in Massachusetts in 1643. His first cousin, physician George Choate, was the father of George C. S. Choate and Joseph Hodges Choate... - Crane Wildlife RefugeCrane Wildlife RefugeThe Crane Wildlife Refuge, located in Ipswich and Essex, Massachusetts, is a property managed by The Trustees of Reservations. Located nearby are the Trustees of Reservations managed Castle Hill and Crane Beach.-External links:*...
- Bell cast by Paul Revere in 1797 hangs in the belfry of the First Congregational Church on Main Street; meetinghouse built 1792.
- Stavros Reservation
- Woodman's of EssexWoodman's of EssexWoodman’s of Essex is a seafood restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts . A local favorite, it is also known internationally for its fried clams and New England clam bakes...
- Essex Shipbuilding Museum
- Essex Town Hall
- Cogswell's GrantCogswell's GrantCogswell's Grant was the summer home of Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little, preeminent collectors of American decorative arts in the mid 20th century. Through her research and innumerable publications, Mrs...
- c. 1728 - Cox Reservation - Essex County Greenbelt Association conservation Land
- Conomo Point
- Lake Chebacho the lake that crosses Hamlinton,and Wenham home of Ice House.
Film references
1995. The feature film The CrucibleThe Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
, starring Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
and Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is an English actor with both British and Irish citizenship. His portrayals of Christy Brown in My Left Foot and Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood won Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Actor, and Screen Actors Guild as well as Golden Globe Awards for the latter...
, was filmed in Essex. Winona Ryder stayed in a private home on Western Ave. during the filming of The Crucible.
Essex serves as a former residence to physicist Daniel Faraday
Daniel Faraday
Dr. Daniel Faraday, often referred to as Dan or simply by his surname, Faraday, is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Jeremy Davies. Faraday is introduced in the season four premiere as a physicist, suffering from memory loss, and is part of the team aboard the ...
(Jeremy Davies
Jeremy Davies
Father Jeremy Davies , an English Roman Catholic priest whose parish is based around Old Hall Green, is a former doctor and also a leading exorcist....
) on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, during the episode "Confirmed Dead
Confirmed Dead
"Confirmed Dead" is the second episode of the fourth season and 74th episode overall of the ABC's serial drama television series Lost. It was aired on ABC in the United States and on CTV in Canada on February 7, 2008. The episode was written by co-executive producer Drew Goddard and co-producer...
".
Grown Ups, starring Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
was filmed in Essex during the summer of 2009 primarily at Chebacco Lake. The movie also shot at Woodman's restaurant in Essex, and in Southborough, Massachusetts, and Water Wiz in Wareham, Massachusetts. The movie was released on June 25, 2010.
Notable residents
- Rufus ChoateRufus ChoateRufus Choate , American lawyer and orator, was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a descendant of an English family which settled in Massachusetts in 1643. His first cousin, physician George Choate, was the father of George C. S. Choate and Joseph Hodges Choate...
, (1799–1859), lawyer, orator, US Congressman, Senator. A close friend of Daniel WebsterDaniel WebsterDaniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
, Choate was chosen to serve out his unfinished term in the US Senate. Choate is considered today to be one of the fathers of traditional American conservatism. Choate St, named after the Choate family, connects John Wise Ave to Chebacco Rd. - Michael Gerald FordMichael Gerald FordMichael Gerald Ford is the oldest of four children of former U.S. president Gerald R. Ford and his wife Betty Ford.He is a minister, and leads the Office of Student Development, which oversees all student organizations at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
(born 1950), eldest son of U.S. President Gerald R. Ford lived in Essex at the same time his father occupied the White House. Ford made Essex his home while studying at nearby Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary. - Jonathan KnightJonathan KnightJonathan Rashleigh Knight is an American singer. Knight is part of the boyband New Kids on the Block. The band also includes Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and Jonathan's younger brother Jordan...
, member of 80's-90's boy band New Kids on The BlockNew Kids on the BlockNew Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and... - John WiseJohn Wise (clergyman)John Wise was a Congregationalist reverend and political leader in Massachusetts during the American colonial period...
(1652–1725), pastor of Chebacco Parish (when this parish remained part of the neighboring town of Ipswich), who spoke out against "taxation without representation" more than a half century before the American Revolutionary War. John Wise Ave (a section of MA Route 133) is named for him. - Evan DandoEvan DandoEvan Griffith Dando is an American musician, most famous for fronting the alternative rock band The Lemonheads. He is the only original member left in the current Lemonheads line-up, having served as lead singer since the band's original formation in 1986...
, founder and frontman of the popular alternative rock band The LemonheadsThe LemonheadsThe Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
, is an Essex native. - Arthur Dana Story, (1854–1932), shipbuilder credited with constructing nearly 430 vessels including the Adams, Warwick, the famous Gertrude L. ThebaudGertrude L. ThebaudGertrude L. Thebaud was an American fishing and racing schooner built and launched in Essex, Massachusetts in 1930. A celebrated racing competitor of the Bluenose. The vessel was designed by Frank Paine and built by Arthur D. Story for Louis A. Thebaud, and named for his wife, Gertrude Thebaud. ...
(considered the last of its kind) and the famous Columbia, widely regarded as the most beautiful schooner ever built. The Essex Shipbuilding Museum occupies his old shipyard by the Essex River.
External links
- Anderson, Philader. 1830 Map of Essex.
- Beers, D.G. 1872 Atlas of Essex County. Town of Essex Map - Plate 75. Click on map for a very large image.
- Old USGS maps of Essex.
- Historical Resources for Essex at Rootsweb.
