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Beverly Farms

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Beverly Farms
Neighborhood of Beverly
Beverly Farms Fire Station on the 4th of July in 2006.
Beverly Farms Fire Station on the 4th of July in 2006.
Nickname: 
Farms
Motto(s): 
"Filled with History and Tradition"
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyEssex
Neighborhood ofBeverly
Population
7,929
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
Zip Code
01915
Area code351 / 978

Beverly Farms is a neighborhood comprising the eastern part of the city of Beverly, Massachusetts, in the state's North Shore region, approximately 20 miles north of Boston. Beverly Farms is an oceanfront community with a population of about 3,500, extending west from the Manchester-by-the-Sea border to another section of Beverly, known as Prides Crossing. The western boundary of Beverly Farms is in dispute. For instance, the boundaries of West Beach were defined by Chapter 157 of the Massachusetts Acts and Resolves of 1852, in terms of landmarks and property lines that existed at the time, and those are sometimes used as the boundaries of Beverly Farms. Others have demarcated the Western border as the location at which a local trolley line from downtown Beverly ended; more specifically, this location is called "Chapman's Corner" and is at the corner of Hale and Boyle's Streets.[1]

History

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Beverly Farms and the adjacent Prides Crossing were originally farming communities. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, wealthy residents of Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York City built summer cottages along the seashore. These properties were the size and stature of those in Newport, Rhode Island, though only a few of the original mansions remain in the neighborhood today.

In 1887, Beverly Farms unsuccessfully petitioned the Massachusetts legislature for incorporation as a town.[2] Town Selectman John Baker argued against the incorporation and in response to a bribery scandal, Oliver Ames vetoed the Act.[3]

By the mid-twentieth century, Beverly Farms resembled a small town, somewhat secluded from the rest of Beverly and culturally interlinked with Prides Crossing. A number of working-class neighborhoods appeared around the town. As of 2020, 82% of individuals in the workforce are in White-collar jobs, with 18% working Blue-collar jobs.[4]

Beverly Hills, California, was named in 1907 after Beverly Farms, which was a vacation spot of then-President Taft.[5][6]

A photograph of Marian Hooper Adams riding on horseback in Beverly Farms.

Institutions

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The community is served by three churches: St. John's Episcopal Church, whose altarpiece was sculpted by artist Hildreth Meiere, North Shore Baptist Community Church and St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church designed by architect William Ralph Emerson.[7] Among other public buildings are a community center, a fire station, a railroad station on the MBTA Commuter Rail, and a recently expanded branch of the Beverly Public Library.

A view of the Beverly Farms public library.

Lifestyle

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The Beverly Farms community is most active during the summer months.

The local community beach, West Beach, is owned by the residents of Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing, and is a major attraction during the summer. Current and former residents of the areas are entitled to beach permits, allowing access to West Beach. Non-residents must apply for an access permit; the waiting period is around six to ten years, because of the limited size of the facility.[8]

Annually on the Fourth of July holiday, a private organization of residents raises upwards of $60,000 through fundraisers to fund a weekend-long agenda of activities. The weekend's activities include community dances, children's events, softball games, fireworks above West Beach and the well-known "Horribles" parade.[9] Since 2016, the Horribles parade has generated significant local and State controversy.[10]

The Oliver Wendell Holmes House is registered on the list of National Register of Historic Places.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Town report" (PDF). City of Beverly Report. Secretary of State of Massachusetts. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  2. ^ Opening argument of Fred H. Williams, testimony, and closing argument of Hon. George M. Stearns, before the Legislative Committee on Towns, 1887, in favor of the incorporation of the town of Beverly Farms. Boston: Rand Avery Co. 1887.
  3. ^ "Acts and resolves passed by the General Court". 1663.
  4. ^ Weichert (2020). Beverly Farms Beverly, MA Overview. https://www.weichert.com/search/community/neighborhood.aspx?hood=16157
  5. ^ Bright, William; Erwin G. Gudde (1998). 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning. University of California Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-520-21271-1.
  6. ^ Beverly, Mass (1 October 2012). Municipal Documents of the City of Beverly, Massachusetts. US, Massachusetts, Beverly: Saraswati Press. ISBN 9781249929239. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  7. ^ Murray, P. (2020). History of Beverly Farms. https://primaryresearch.org/history-of-beverly-farms/
  8. ^ "West Beach", beverlyfarms.org
  9. ^ Fourth of July Celebrations - Beverly Farms website
  10. ^ "Fourth of July parade draws ire for reportedly racist content, personal attacks".
  11. ^ Pitch Pine Hill, at 26 Juniper St., Beverly Farms, MA, was built for Adams and his wife Clover in 1876. David S. Brown, The Last American Aristocrat: The Brilliant Life and Improbable Education of Henry Adams (New York: Scribner, 2020), p. 9.
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