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 The settlers were younger and more socially prominent
than settlers of other towns in the area, and were
forced out of England by declining economic
opportunities. In 1635, Reverend Thomas Parker from
Wiltshire applied to the General Court for the liberty
to settle and begin a plantation on land that is now
Newbury. The proprietors made the land grants in such a
way that 60% of the land was controlled by 10% of the
population. As the community grew, fishing became an
important industry, as did small scale shipbuilding,
weaving, tanning and shoemaking. Farmers dealt in cattle
and sheep and by 1791 there were 3,000head of cattle
grazing on town lands. About the same time, the town set
a pattern of diversified industry, producing woolen
goods made by the first American-made wool carding
machines as well as snuff , chaises and slate.
Competition from England's woolen mills decreased the
emphasis on woolens and led to greater cotton fabric
production and the establishment of cooperage, machine
made nail factory and scythe mill. In the late18th and
early 19th century, industry rivaled agricultural
employment in the town. In 1844, James Steam Mills was
established, in 1850 the railroads arrived in town and
by 1745 45,000 pairs of shoes were made. After the Civil
War, manufacturing initiative died as water power gave
way to steam power. The economy of the town swung back
to agriculture and by the end of the 19th century there
was a big shift to dairying in Newbury. By 1905, instead
of shoes, 450,000 gallons of milk were produced and
poultry and eggs became a significant business. Newbury
hosts a number of New England's most important examples
of Colonial architecture, one of which is the Tristram
Coffin House, built in 1654. The Plum Island section of
town is a residential area, much loved by its summer and
year-round residents.
(Narrative based on
information provided by the Massachusetts Historical
Commission)
FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Board of Selectmen
Open Town Meeting
 YEAR INCORPORATED
As a town: 1635
TRANSPORTATION AND ACCESS
The development of transportation resources in the
Merrimack Valley Region, where Newbury is situated, was
shaped by the history of the region as a major site of
American industrial development in the nineteenth
century. The area has exceptionally good highways and
rail facilities linking the major cities and towns to
each other and to the port, airport, and intermodal
facilities of Boston.
MAJOR HIGHWAYS
Principal highways are Interstate Route 95 and U.S.
Route 1, which both run from Maine to Florida.
RAIL
There is no freight or passenger rail service in
Newbury, but the network of intermodal facilities
serving eastern Massachusetts is easily accessible.
BUS
Newbury is a member of the Merrimack Valley Regional
transit Authority (MVRTA) but does not receive services.
The Newburyport-Plum Island Airport, a privately owned
public-use facility, is easily accessible from Newbury.
It has a 2,520'x 50' asphalt runway. Instrument
approaches available: Non-precision.
*(Information from the
Mass.gov website)
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