The Woodwell Shipyard, 1759–1852

Extract

The original settlement at Newbury, Massachusetts, in 1635 was along the Parker River and, although it was an agricultural community, small vessels were built there as early as 1680. The greater facilities of the area fronting the Merrimack, known as the “Port,” caused that section to increase in population and commerce, but not until 1764 was this locality cut off from old Newbury and incorporated as Newburyport.