Quick History Stops: Newbury & Newburyport, MA

By -
A black, white, and light blue header image with the words Quick History Stops: Newbury & Newburyport, MA

Besides many great museums and historic houses in Newbury and Newburyport, some of which I will explore during my next trip to the Essex National Heritage Area, I visited several quick history stops along the Newburyport Harborwalk & Clipper City Rail Trail. The Custom House Maritime Museum is located along the route, along with sculptures from New England artists, lighthouses, and signage describing historical events and buildings in the area.

Entering Newburyport Sign; a standard Massachusetts town sign, with a book-like shape, the blue Massachusetts state seal in the center, a white background, and black, all caps, san serif font. This sign reads Entering Newburyport Est. 1764 18th Century House in Newbury Historic District; a three-story, Federalist style house with yellow painted clapboard exterior, a white painted cupala with a pair of windows, and a prominent entryway Entering Newbury Sign; a standard Massachusetts town sign, with a book-like shape, the blue Massachusetts state seal in the center, a white background, and black, all caps, san serif font. This sign reads Entering Newbury Est. 1635
Bike Lane Icon at Newburyport Harborwalk & Rail Trail; a white painted icon of a person with an oversized helmet sitting in an awkward position between two ovals intended to represent bicycle wheels Sign for Newburyport Harborwalk; a metal sign with red rust reading Newburyport Harborwalk Rail Trail in a small caps, san serif font. The seal of Newburyport is at the top middle of the sign. Behind the sign is a view of the grassy beach, paved trail, and harbor. The sky is bright blue with few clouds. Essex National Heritage Area kiosk; a four-sided, ten foot tall informational sign with images and descriptions of sites localed north of Boston.

The Old Waterfront

Signage on The Old Waterfront showcases the docks that once existed by the water from the 18th to mid 19th century. Somerby’s Landing was built in 1752 as a public walkway and now hosts a sculpture park. Custom House Slip allowed international ships to dock and pay duties at the 1835 Custom House.

Sign for Sumerby's Landing; the sign reads THE OLD WATERFRONT SOMERBY'S LANDING LAID OUT IN 1752 BY THE TOWN OF NEWBURY AS A PUBLIC WAY TO AND FROM THE WATERFRONT View of the harbor from the Old Waterfront; large rocks make up the edge of the Old Waterfront. Patches of beach grass fade into the clear blue water of the harbor. An American flag flies on a pole in the distance. Mid-sized motor boats dot the harbor. Sign for Custom House Slip; the sign reads THE OLD WATERFRONT CUSTOM HOUSE SLIP BERTH FOR CUTTERS WHICH MET INCOMING VESSELS. DUTIES WERE PAID IN THE GRANITE CUSTOM HOUSE WHICH WAS BUILT IN 1835.

Newburyport Lighthouses

The lighthouses near the harborwalk in Newburyport are preserved by The Lighthouse Preservation Society. The tall, red brick Newburyport Rear Range Lighthouse is now a catering location shared by several local restaurants, while the short, white painted Newburyport Front Range Lighthouse is not accessible to the public. Nearby is the Newburyport Art Association’s Range Lights Community Sculpture Garden, an area founded in 2016. Walkers sit on benches and enjoy the juried art sculptures before continuing down the path. The lighthouses and garden are especially pretty near sunset.

View of Newburyport Rear Range Light from the Harborwalk; seen across a small parking lot, a whitewashed brick lightout about five stories high connects to a unpainted, clapboard, two-story building in an early 19th century maritime style. View of Newburyport Front Range Light from the Harborwalk; a whitewashed, three story lighthouse with a reddish roof View of Newburyport Rear Range Light from the Newburyport Art Association Sculpture Garden; the five-story lighthouse partially obscured by a two-story, red brick building with the sign Newburyport Art Association on the front, and a larger sign advertising an annual art auction

Harborwalk Sculptures

Visitors will see more sculptures sponsored by the Newburyport Art Association along the path. Many of these sculptures were erected within the past five years. My favorites include “Osprey: Pandion Haliaetus” by Wendy Klemperer, a New Hampshire artist who uses scrap metal to create skeletal outlines of native wildlife; and “Harboring Thoughts” by Joseph Gray, a New England based sculptor whose simple yet instantly recognizable figures are found at multiple trails and flower shows.

Range Lights Community Sculpture Garden entrance; a large stone arch forming a seven foot tall doorway. 'Osprey: Pandion Haliaetus'; sculpture; the form of an osprey made from rusted scrap metal, mounted on stone, and viewed against a clear blue sky 'Harboring Thoughts'; the form of a seal and its pup made from carved stone and set on the stony edge of the Harborwalk, with the grassy beach and blue harbor water in the background Sign for Range Lights Community Sculpture Garden; a metal sign embedded in stone, marking the garden's opening on September 11, 2016 Sign for 'Osprey: Pandion Haliaetus'; a metal sign also giving the name of artist Wendy Klemperer and the year of creation, 2019. Sign for 'Harboring Thoughts'; a metal sign also giving the name of artist Joseph Gray and the year of creation, 2021

Historical Trail Signs

My favorite part of the trail were the many beautifully designed and expertly researched informational signs, complete with reproductions of old photographs, sketches, and maps. I learned additional information about the Custom House, lighthouses, the United States Coast Guard, and the birth of the United States Navy (suspiciously with no mention of John Paul Jones). The signs had plenty of fun facts about historic methods of transportation, including the city’s maritime trade and the railroad system the replaced it. As a big fan of trains, especially the Providence & Worcester Railroad, I was excited to learn about the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad (P&R), which first came to Newburyport in 1873 and is found on the board game Monopoly. Later, the city railroad was owned by Boston & Maine Railroad (B&M) — no relation to Burnham & Morrill Company, which makes B&M Baked Beans.

'The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Newburyport Custom House' sign; printed in shades of blue and gray, the informational sign describes the custom house using text, photographs, and written letters 'Newburyport and the United States Coast Guard' sign; printed in shades of blue and gray, the informational sign describes the history of the United States Coast Guard using text, transcribed journal entries, seals, prints, and photgraphs. 'The City Railroad's Radical Transformation of Newburyport' Sign; printed in shades of blue and gray, the informational sign describes the history of the Newburyport railroad using text and photographs 'Bound for China - Long Voyages of 19th Century Trading Ships' sign; printed in shades of blue and gray, the informational sign describes the history of international maritime trade with China using text, journal excerpts, photgraphs, a painting, and a print of a ship. 'The Tumultuous Birth of the U.S. Navy: Two Frigates Designed and Built in Newburyport in 1776'; printed in shades of blue and gray, the informational sign describes the history of the U.S. Navy using a print, a painting, a photograph, and text 'Coombs Warf: The Long Reach of the Wars between England and France' sign; printed in shades of blue and gray, the informational sign describes the history of Coombs Warf using a map, a print, and the image of a gold medal

Joppa Park

Established in 1971 as a “gateway to the wildlife of the Merrimack River Estuary’, Joppa Park serves as a place where birdwatchers spot ospreys, bald eagles, Ross’s gulls, and many seagulls. Mass Audubon maintains an education center at Joppa Flats near the entrance of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, all located on nearby Plum Island. From the 18th through early 20th century, before this area was protected, local residents harvested clams and built shanties for processing them. Local officials banned clam harvesting due to the pollution of the Merrimack River, and most of the shanties were demolished. Modern, licensed clammers have been allowed to gather since 2013.

Sign for Custom House Way; a granite pillar with a colorful glass depiction of a skipper ship in the harbor near sunset. Below the image are the words CUSTOM HOUSE WAY engraved in the granite. Oldies Marketplace; a red metal industrial building with a large white garage door used as an antique shop Sign for Joppa Park; a shield-shaped sign with the words JOPPA PARK ESTABLISHED 1971 SIGN BEQUEST OF THE MAYOR GAYDEN W. MORRILI CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
'JOPPA PARK: GATEWAY TO WILDLIFE OF THE MERRIMACK RIVER ESTUARY' sign; printed in shades of blue and gray, the informational sign describes the wildlife of the Greater Newburyport Area using a satallite map, photographs, and text 'HISTORY OF CLAMMING IN JOPPA FLATS' sign; printed in shades of blue and gray, the informational sign describes clamming using text and historical photographs 'HUNTING AT JOPPA' sign; printed in shades of blue and gray, the informational sign describes the history of hunting at joppa using historical photographs and text