This opinion piece first appeared on The Townie website on April 14 2026 There’s a familiar rhythm to the current housing debate in Newburyport. On one side, a practical argument, often pitched by developers and many in real estate. Older homes are replaced with newer ones. Values rise. Tax revenues follow. The city benefits. On…
by Elizabeth Harris and Linda Miller At the beginning of the nineteenth century, citizens of Newburyport who fell on hard times relied on a combination of public assistance in the form of incarceration in the poorhouse or jail (if a debtor), or some limited subsidies that paid for some expenses of the truly indigent. One…
If This House Could Talk begins on July 26, coinciding with the start of Yankee Homecoming. Homeowners are encouraged to hang a poster to share a story or information about their house or the people who have lived in it. Need inspiration? Read some of the stories from past participants. When Nicholas Lake, a merchant…
If you ask people what they know about the history of the Pink House, you may hear the story of it being a “spite house” – a replica of a house built on a forsaken piece of land as part of a nasty divorce settlement. The complete story, while still unseemly, is a bit more complex and has been corroborated by two independent research efforts.
Researching the history of Newburyport homes often leads to the discovery of interesting facts that provide a deeper understanding of our city’s development. An analysis of Deacon Joshua Beck’s will of 1747 more clearly defines a three-and-a-half acre parcel of land on the south side of Newburyport including most of Beck and School Streets. Deacon…
People who have lived in the North End of Newburyport for a long time or who grew up there might be aware that the brick house at the corner of Kent and Russia streets was once a school but for most area residents this long-ago identity will come as a surprise. At first glance the…
