Historic Beverly

09/05/2026

Did you know that Historic Beverly is older than Prospect Hill as a neighborhood?

When Historic Beverly was founded in 1891, most of Prospect Hill was separated by land owners (apart from Prospect, Madison, and Munroe, which were constructed earlier.) With the downsizing of the Bancroft Estate (this included their portion of Prospect Hill) this led to the availability of the land for real estate developers, as well as other nearby land owners pitching in their parcels for development. As such, the neighborhood was developed in 1894 and the roads finished construction by 1895. That means that, while not too different in age, Prospect Hill is younger that Historic Beverly!

If you would like to learn more about the Powder House and Prospect Hill, join us for the Prospect Hill Walking Tour! The September 17th tour is full, but there are still spots available

📆: Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 10 A.M.
🔗: https://historicbeverly.net/event/prospect-hill-walking-tour-3/

📷: A photo from the top of Odd Fellows Hall looking north, towards Prospect Hill in the 1880s, before it was developed. The Powder House can be seen, as well as the houses on the aforementioned Prospect, Madison, and Munroe Streets.

09/04/2026

Coffee, conversation, and more than a century of Beverly in photographs! ☕📷

Join us for our next Coffee & Conversation and go behind the scenes of one of Historic Beverly's most valuable resources: our extensive photograph collection.

From fragile glass plate negatives and early photographic prints to modern scanning technology, we'll explore how photographs have been created, preserved, and transformed into digital resources for researchers and the public. Along the way, we'll share some remarkable images from the archives and the stories they tell about Beverly's changing landscape, businesses, people, and everyday life.

Come discover the journey "from light to byte" and learn how we're working to preserve Beverly's visual history for generations to come.

Whether you're interested in Beverly history, genealogy, photography, or just love looking at old photographs, there's something here for you!

And, of course, grab a cup of coffee provided by Beantrustcoffeebar while you enjoy the conversation. ☕

📆: Friday. September 11, 2026, 10 A.M.
📍: 117 Cabot St.
🔗: https://historicbeverly.net/event/coffee-conversation-from-light-to-byte-the-historic-beverly-photo-collection/

09/03/2026

Tomorrow at Historic Beverly! 🌎⚓

Join us for our next First Friday program, From Beverly to the East Indies, featuring Professor Emeritus Dane Morrison of Salem State University.

Discover how Beverly’s merchants and mariners ventured far beyond the North Shore during the Age of Sail, connecting our city to ports and markets thousands of miles away. Morrison will explore Beverly’s role in the East Indies trade and the global connections that helped shape the city’s maritime history.

📆: TOMORROW Friday, September 4 at 2 PM
📍: John Cabot House, 117 Cabot Street

The program is FREE, with a recommended $5 donation.

Spend your Friday afternoon with us and discover just how far Beverly’s maritime connections once reached! ⚓🌏

🔗: https://historicbeverly.net/event/first-friday-from-beverly-to-the-east-indies-featuring-dane-morrison/

09/03/2026

Did you know that writing on photographs with a pen or marker can cause permanent damage to the photo? It can cause pressure indentations and ink smearing.

Join us for this month's 3 in 30: Preserving the Past, One Photo at a Time, where we will talk about steps an archivist takes to ensure photographs are stored properly. We will look at a collection that is in process of being catalogued, and what steps are taken to ensure they will last for future researchers.

📆: Thursday, September 17th at 2:00 pm.
📍: 117 Cabot House
🔗: https://historicbeverly.net/event/3-in-30-preserving-the-past-one-photo-at-a-time/

Image caption: A photograph of Leslie Morgan and Ruth Morgan from Historic Beverly’s collection. The front shows pen marks at the top of the photograph that have caused permanent indentations on the back.

09/02/2026

🎻 Live jazz returns to Hale Farm!

Join us for an afternoon of live music on the lawn as the David Eure Quartet brings jazz, swing, funk, and global musical influences to one of Beverly’s most beautiful historic settings.

You may recognize David Eure from this year’s Reading Frederick Douglass Together event, where he performed following the reading. We’re thrilled to welcome him back to Historic Beverly, this time with his quartet!

A jazz violinist whose work bridges classical and jazz traditions, Eure teaches jazz violin at New England Conservatory and has performed throughout New England and beyond.

Bring a blanket or lawn chair, find a spot on the lawn, and enjoy an afternoon of fantastic music at Hale Farm.

Best of all, this concert is FREE as part of Essex National Heritage’s Trails & Sails! 🎶
📆: Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 2 P.M.
📍: 39 Hale St.

RSVP for headcount here; https://historicbeverly.net/event/david-eure-quartet-at-hale-farm/

09/02/2026

We're officially in the "ber" months which means the weather is cooling and, historically, the people who lived in this area for thousands of years would have been preparing for harvest. One of the largest and most common crops in the area was corn. Flint corn, also known as calico corn or tricolor corn, is known for its colorful kernels and has been grown in the Americas for thousands of years. Flint corn was primarily a food crop, but unlike modern sweet corn, it usually wasn’t eaten fresh off the cob. Because the kernels are hard and dry when mature, they could be stored for long periods and then processed.

For Indigenous communities in New England, dried corn could be ground or pounded into meal and used in porridges, breads, and other dishes. It could also be cooked whole after being dried, including in soups and stews. Corn was especially valuable because once properly dried, it provided a food supply that could be stored through the winter.

What better way to celebrate the seasons than to come and make your own!

📍: Cabot House, 117 Cabot St.
🕰: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 9:30-4, Thursday 12-8.

09/02/2026

You never know what you might uncover when you research at Historic Beverly. Sometimes, you might even rewrite the history you thought you knew!

During a recent research appointment, a visitor came in hoping to learn more about the history of their home and the people they believed were its first residents. But as they worked their way through the records, they discovered something unexpected: their house had an earlier owner.

The story became even more interesting from there. The original owner had fallen behind on his taxes, and the property was eventually seized and sold at auction. The buyers? The very people our researcher had previously believed were the home's original owners.

That discovery pushed the known history of the house back by at least ten years, and now the research continues to find out just how much older it might be!

This is one of the things we love about historical research. Sometimes you come in looking for an answer and leave with an entirely new question.

Interested in researching your own house, family, or another piece of Beverly history? Reach out to [email protected] to schedule a research appointment. We hope to see you here!

Image: 34 Abbott Street, the house at the center of this particular historical mystery.

09/01/2026

🏰🎬 FREE Friday Night at Hale Farm: THE PRINCESS BRIDE!

Inconceivable! A Friday night at Hale Farm featuring romance, adventure, sword fights, a giant, a six-fingered man, and possibly the greatest movie ever made? We’re in.

Join us Friday, September 11 at 7:15 p.m. for a special outdoor screening of The Princess Bride on the lawn at Hale Farm, 39 Hale Street.

Bring your own chairs and blankets, dress for the weather, and prepare yourself for a night of true love, revenge, adventure, and questionable rodents. 🐀

🍿 FREE popcorn
🍭Candy and drinks will be available for purchase
🎮 The Castle will be providing games before the movie
💰 Suggested donation: $5
🎬 Movie rated PG — recommended for ages 10+
☔ Weather permitting

And remember: “As you wish.”

This special community event is sponsored by Salem Five Bank helping us make movie magic happen under the stars.

So gather your favorite people, head to Hale Farm, and “Have fun storming the castle!”

👉 RSVP REQUIRED here:
https://historicbeverly.net/event/princess-bride-at-hale-farm/

09/01/2026

William R. Driver Stories Pt 1

In transcribing the Civil War letters written by soldiers to Hannah Rantoul (or her nephew Robert Samuel Rantoul), one of the first people to have written multiple letters is a man named William R. Driver

William Driver was born January 2, 1839 in Beverly, to David Driver and Emma Hammond Driver. He was 22 years old when he mustered into the Union Army in April 1861, joining the 8th Massachusetts Infantry, Company I (Company I was primarily from Salem). This would be the first regiment he would belong to, only serving a 3 month contract. The first two letters written by him were from his service in this unit

Both letters are addressed to Robert S Rantoul Esquire, and describe various goings on. Among them, he sends a thanks for a brand new revolver so kindly furnished by the people of Beverly for him, as well as his declining a request by his friend Charlie to join him in China. He also discusses an incident that had happened in New York between a number of his company and a company of sappers. He dispels the rumor that the second officer of the company, Lieutenant Austin, was to blame. He notes that the actual incident had been between the enlisted men, and none of the officers.

If you would like to learn more about William Driver, Robert S Rantoul, or many of the other countless names found within the Civil War letters, feel free to make a research appointment here at Historic Beverly (117 Cabot Street). For research appointment requests, please send an email to [email protected].

Image Caption: A Glass Plate photo of William R Driver as a member of the local GAR post after the Civil War

09/01/2026

Congratulations Henry's Market!

🎉 Celebrating 85 Years! 🎉

Since 1941, Henry’s Market has been proud to serve our community with fine foods, superior service, and a commitment to quality that has carried us through generations.

To our loyal customers, dedicated employees, friends, and neighbors — THANK YOU for 85 incredible years! Your support has made this milestone possible, and we’re grateful to have been part of your family traditions, celebrations, and everyday meals.

Here’s to 85 years of Henry’s… and many more to come! 🥂🎂

1941–2026 | 85 Years of Fine Foods & Superior Service