Valley of the Poets
Encyclopedia
Valley of the Poets is one description used for the Merrimack River Valley of Massachusetts
.
Stretching from Amesbury
, North Andover
and Lawrence
in the north to Newburyport
at the mouth of the Merrimack
, this area of Essex County
has spawned and supported some of the most beloved and famous of American poets.
It all began with Anne, our first published poet. On June 14, 1630, Mistress Anne Dudley Bradstreet
(1612–1672) first stepped into the New World
at Salem
from her ship, the Arbella
. Never again did she see her beloved England
.
After moving six times in 16 years, her final home became North Andover, http://www.townofnorthandover.com/Pages/NAndoverMA_WebDocs/about the original Andover Parish. On May 6, 1646 the General Court confirmed that John Woodbridge
VI of Newbury, Massachusetts
and Edmond Faulkner had purchased a tract of land from Cutshamache for the sum of 6 pounds and a coat and incorporated said land as Andover. (See s:Page:Anne Bradstreet and her time.djvu/195 for more information)
Anne lived the remainder of her life in Andover Parish until her death on September 16, 1672. The town http://northandoverhistoricalsociety.org/buildings.php was also founded (1646) by the Barker, Farnum, http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~legends/farnum.html, Johnson, Osgood http://osgoodfamilyassociation.com/ and Stevens families along with the Bradstreets and their brother-in-law, Rev. Woodbridge.
Mistress Bradstreet lived, raised her eight children, wrote and died in the heart of the Valley of the Poets.
The founding in 1778 of Phillips Academy
http://www.andover.edu/About/Pages/default.aspx began a level of excellence in secondary school
education never before seen in America. Even the song, "America
" ("My country 'tis of thee") was written on the Phillips Andover campus by Samuel Francis Smith
for the July 4th festivities of 1831 in Boston
. At that time, Andover was still one large town.
T. S. Eliot
has a "Hidden Garden" on the grounds of the academy.
On National Poetry Day in England (October 8, 2009 http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/info/npd/history/npd09/), the BBC
announced that Mr. Eliot (September 26, 1888 ~ January 4, 1965) was voted the favourite poet of the United Kingdom.
The original Andover was founded in the northern section of town, known as the Old Center with the North Parish Church http://www.northparish.org/index.php the linchpin then as it still is today. The town split on April 7, 1855 when the original Andover became North Andover and the southern area took the name "Andover."
In Haverhill
http://www.ci.haverhill.ma.us/, John Greenleaf Whittier
was born December 17, 1807. His birthplace http://www.johngreenleafwhittier.com/ is open for tours from spring through fall, as is his home in Amesbury
http://whittierhome.org/. He was so loved while alive, his birthday was declared a public holiday
. The city of Whittier, California
http://www.cityofwhittier.org/ is named in his honor.
Isabelle Moodie Frost http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Moodie-1 brought 11-year old Robert Frost
http://frostfoundation.org/ and his sister Jeanie http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Frost-5 to Lawrence, Massachusetts
after the May, 1885 death of their father Robert Prescott Frost, Jr. http://genealogy.about.com/od/famous_family_trees/a/robert_frost.htm in San Francisco
. Mrs. Frost and the children came back east to family, to their roots and Robert thrived in such a hard-scrabble, working-class environment. He composed his first poems and began to discover his voice, a solid New England
vision of the world in this "Immigrant City" http://www.lawrencehistorycenter.org/ upon the banks of the Merrimack.
The Robert Frost Foundation http://frostfoundation.org/Robert_Frost_Foundation/Enewsletter.html celebrates his life each year on the fourth Saturday in October with the Frost Festival at the Lawrence Public Library http://lawrencefreelibrary.org.
The Powow River Poets http://powowriverpoets.com/ group was founded in the 1990s by Rhina Espaillat
. They meet in Newburyport where the Merrimack flows to the Atlantic Ocean
.
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...
.
Stretching from Amesbury
Amesbury, Massachusetts
Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Though it officially became a city in 1996, its formal name remains "The Town of Amesbury." In 1890, 9798 people lived in Amesbury; in 1900, 9473; in 1910, 9894; in 1920, 10,036; and in 1940, 10,862. The population was 16,283 at...
, North Andover
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. North Andover is the home of Merrimack College, a private, Catholic four-year institution ....
and Lawrence
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
in the north to Newburyport
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
at the mouth of the Merrimack
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
, this area of 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:...
has spawned and supported some of the most beloved and famous of American poets.
It all began with Anne, our first published poet. On June 14, 1630, Mistress Anne Dudley Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet
Anne Dudley Bradstreet was New England's first published poet. Her work met with a positive reception in both the Old World and the New World.-Biography:...
(1612–1672) first stepped into the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
at 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...
from her ship, the Arbella
Arbella
The Arbella or Arabella was the flagship of the Winthrop Fleet on which, between April 8 and June 12, 1630, Governor John Winthrop, other members of the Company and Puritan emigrants transported themselves and the Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company from England to Salem, thereby giving legal...
. Never again did she see her beloved England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
After moving six times in 16 years, her final home became North Andover, http://www.townofnorthandover.com/Pages/NAndoverMA_WebDocs/about the original Andover Parish. On May 6, 1646 the General Court confirmed that John Woodbridge
John Woodbridge
John Woodbridge VI was an English nonconformist, who emigrated to New England. He had positions on both sides of the Atlantic, until 1663, when he settled permanently in New England.-Life:...
VI of Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,666 at the 2010 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town , Plum Island and Byfield, home of The Governor's Academy , a private preparatory school.- History :Newbury Plantation was settled and incorporated...
and Edmond Faulkner had purchased a tract of land from Cutshamache for the sum of 6 pounds and a coat and incorporated said land as Andover. (See s:Page:Anne Bradstreet and her time.djvu/195 for more information)
Anne lived the remainder of her life in Andover Parish until her death on September 16, 1672. The town http://northandoverhistoricalsociety.org/buildings.php was also founded (1646) by the Barker, Farnum, http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~legends/farnum.html, Johnson, Osgood http://osgoodfamilyassociation.com/ and Stevens families along with the Bradstreets and their brother-in-law, Rev. Woodbridge.
Mistress Bradstreet lived, raised her eight children, wrote and died in the heart of the Valley of the Poets.
The founding in 1778 of Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
http://www.andover.edu/About/Pages/default.aspx began a level of excellence in secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
education never before seen in America. Even the song, "America
My Country, 'Tis of Thee
"My Country, 'Tis of Thee", also known as "America", is an American patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The melody derived from Muzio Clementi's Symphony No. 3, and is shared with "God Save the Queen," used by many members of the Commonwealth of Nations...
" ("My country 'tis of thee") was written on the Phillips Andover campus by Samuel Francis Smith
Samuel Francis Smith
Samuel Francis Smith, , Baptist minister, journalist and author, is best known for having written the lyrics to "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", which he entitled America.-Early life:...
for the July 4th festivities of 1831 in 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...
. At that time, Andover was still one large town.
T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
has a "Hidden Garden" on the grounds of the academy.
On National Poetry Day in England (October 8, 2009 http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/info/npd/history/npd09/), the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
announced that Mr. Eliot (September 26, 1888 ~ January 4, 1965) was voted the favourite poet of the United Kingdom.
The original Andover was founded in the northern section of town, known as the Old Center with the North Parish Church http://www.northparish.org/index.php the linchpin then as it still is today. The town split on April 7, 1855 when the original Andover became North Andover and the southern area took the name "Andover."
In Haverhill
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
http://www.ci.haverhill.ma.us/, John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
was born December 17, 1807. His birthplace http://www.johngreenleafwhittier.com/ is open for tours from spring through fall, as is his home in Amesbury
Amesbury, Massachusetts
Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Though it officially became a city in 1996, its formal name remains "The Town of Amesbury." In 1890, 9798 people lived in Amesbury; in 1900, 9473; in 1910, 9894; in 1920, 10,036; and in 1940, 10,862. The population was 16,283 at...
http://whittierhome.org/. He was so loved while alive, his birthday was declared a public holiday
Public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year....
. The city of Whittier, California
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
http://www.cityofwhittier.org/ is named in his honor.
Isabelle Moodie Frost http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Moodie-1 brought 11-year old Robert Frost
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
http://frostfoundation.org/ and his sister Jeanie http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Frost-5 to Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
after the May, 1885 death of their father Robert Prescott Frost, Jr. http://genealogy.about.com/od/famous_family_trees/a/robert_frost.htm in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Mrs. Frost and the children came back east to family, to their roots and Robert thrived in such a hard-scrabble, working-class environment. He composed his first poems and began to discover his voice, a solid 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...
vision of the world in this "Immigrant City" http://www.lawrencehistorycenter.org/ upon the banks of the Merrimack.
The Robert Frost Foundation http://frostfoundation.org/Robert_Frost_Foundation/Enewsletter.html celebrates his life each year on the fourth Saturday in October with the Frost Festival at the Lawrence Public Library http://lawrencefreelibrary.org.
The Powow River Poets http://powowriverpoets.com/ group was founded in the 1990s by Rhina Espaillat
Rhina Espaillat
Rhina Espaillat was born in the Dominican Republic in 1932 and has lived in the United States since 1939. She taught English in the New York City public schools for many years, and retired to Newburyport, Massachusetts, where for more than a decade she has led a group of New Formalist poets known...
. They meet in Newburyport where the Merrimack flows to the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.