Lower Green Area of Newbury, MA

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Along with visiting Historic New England’s Dole Little House and the Museum of Old Newbury during my last trip to the Newbury & Newburyport region in June 2023, I visited the Lower Green Area of Newbury. Back in 2010, Preservation Massachusetts listed this area as one of the ten most threatened historic sites in the state. Stops include places maintained by the Sons and Daughters of the First Settlers of Newbury (SDFSN); a stewardship property protected by a Historic New England (HNE) Preservation Easement Program, and historic signage created by the Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission (MBCTC).

Seddon Tavern

This privately owned home is not open for tours but permanently protected by HNE in partnership with its current owners through a Preservation Easement Program. The tenant-guide at Dole-Little House gave guests a sheet including information about the tavern. This building was first constructed in a different location around 1728 by Samuel Seddon as “a house for the entertainment of travelers”, moved to its current spot in 1933, and reconstructed after a 1940 fire destroyed parts of the original structure. Similar to Dole-Little House, this building shows modern historians how 20th century restorationists thought about early 18th century buildings.

Seddon Tavern; a two-story, brown painted clapboard, Georgian style house with a green door. Shrubs, trees, and a stone wall surround the house,

Lower Green Schoolhouse of 1877

On the day I visited, the adorable, restored one-room schoolhouse was moderated by a highly knowledgeable and engaging guide from the Newbury Historical Commission. This iteration of the Newbury schoolhouse was built in 1877 and considered a “state-of-the-art” facility at the time, according to a pamphlet provided by the guide. The school was closed for a year in 1897 due to low enrollment, but was temporarily reopened in 1898, as the children were struggling to travel to Ridge School about two miles north. The following year, in 1899, with the construction of Woodbridge School, both the Lower Green Schoolhouse and Ridge School closed. A few years later, in 1901, the town built Yellow School in the village of Byfield, about seven miles west of Lower Green Schoolhouse. The town used the schoolhouse as a storage shed until the mid-1970s, when the Bicentennial celebration prompted them to refurbish the school. The town of Newbury raised $9,500 for restoration, while the Massachusetts Bicentennial Commission gave an in-kind donation. Since its dedication on May 8, 1976, the school has acted as a museum. This building is open most Saturdays and Sundays between Memorial Day and Columbus Day (as written on the pamphlet) from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Entry is free of charge, but donations are welcome.

Lower Green Schoolhouse; a one story whitewashed clapboard building with two front doors and a large shrub between them Lower Green Schoolhouse Sign; a white sign with black text describing the history of Lower Green Schoolhouse Lower Green Schoolhouse Wood Box; a wooden box filled with wood and a plaque above the box describing the schoolhouse.
Desks inside Lower Green Schoolhouse; four rows of Victorian Era wooden and metal desks bolted to a wooden floor with a cast iron stove in the middle of a room. A dummy representing a child sits in one of the desks. Antique Map of the United States Affixed to a Chalkboard in Lower Green Schoolhouse Antique Voting Machine; voters place the ballot on the front of the machine, then turn a crank on the side to cast their vote.
Front of the Classroom at Lower Green Schoolhouse; a raised platform holds the teachers desk and a naughty student desk. Behind the platform is a long chalkboard. A dummy of a child sits at the naughty desk, while a dummy of a teacher stands by her desk. Large Antique Globe at Lower Green Schoolhouse Inscription from the Side of the Ballot Box; a black, florid font reading Made By Perfection Ballot Box Co. Worcester, MA

First Settlers Monument

First Settlers Monument on the Lower Green was the impetus for founding the genealogical society SDFSN in 1927. Local historian Anne Colman Perkins Moody originally led the group, which continues to focus on preserving and teaching the history of the Old Newbury area. The bronze ship on top of the monument represents Mary and John, a well-documented vehicle that brought European colonists to Massachusetts from 1607 to 1633, and the replica weights over 150 pounds. Below the ship are the names of first settlers, plus the ancestors of those who contributed money to creating the statue. The last of the listed settlers arrived by 1650. The monument itself has an interesting history. The SDFSN dedicated this monument on Saturday, June 17, 1905, after local historian Elizabeth Little Withington led the group by writing letters to other descendants of the settlers and requesting donations. Nearly seventy years later, in 1974, somebody stole the ship, as it was never attached to the granite base. Fortunately, SDFSN member Burton “Burt” Poor Noyes lead the next campaign to cast a new bronze ship that would be properly secured to the base. Paul King Foundry in Johnston, RI created the new version, which SDFSN rededicated during the Bicentennial year on August 28, 1976.

First Settlers Monument on the Lower Green in Newbury; a granite base with a bronze plaque listing names on the side and a bronze ship on top. Bronze Plaque with the Dedication to the First Settlers of Newbury Bronze Plaque with List of Settlers on the First Settlers Monument on the Lower Green in Newbury

Newman Farm Meadow

Newman Farm Meadow is four acres of land near the Lower Green belonging to Greenbelt, a land trust in Essex County, MA. Pawtucket Native Americans first cleared the land to create an agricultural village and called the area Quascacunquen or Kwaskwaikikwen, meaning “best place to plant”. European colonists first settled in the area around the mid-17th century after living in Ipswich. Newbury residents bought the land around 2011 and donated it to the organization to prevent the construction of housing developments.

Sign for Greenbelt Newman Farm Meadow; includes the Greenbelt logo, a curved swatch of light blue, a cuved swatch of bright green, and a curved swatch of dark green, representing a river, a meadow, and a mountain. Informational Sign for Newman Farm Meadow; the Greenbelt logo on the upper left corner with further text information written below. On the right two-thirds of the sign is a map of the meadow.

Jackman-Willett House

This lovely restored colonial Jackman-Willett House was built around 1696 for Richard and Elizabeth Plummer Jackman, a descent of early settlers of Newbury. Their daughter, also named Elizabeth, inherited along with her husband, Joseph Willett, giving the house its current name. Their son, John Willet, inherited the house in 1729 but lived only ten more years, dying in 1739. The house changed hands many times over the next a hundred years until SDFSN purchased the property in 1930. They moved the house from its original location along High Road and north of what is now Cottage Road to the foot of Little Oldtown Hill not far from First Settlers Burying Ground. Fifty years later, in 1983, SDFSN moved the house back to within 100 feet of the first location where it stands today.

Jackman-Willett House; a two story, dark mustard yellow painted clapboard First Period house with Federalist period windows.

Landing Place of First Settlers Sign

The MBCTC set up this sign in 1930 to celebrate approximately three hundred years of permanent European settlement in Massachusetts. The sign explains that the triangular patch of grass and trees in the middle of a quiet road was once the landing place on a part of Parker River since filled in, and the first wave of colonists arrived between 1635 and 1650.

Landing Place of First Settlers Sign; metal sign with the title and brief explanation of importance. At the top of the sign is the Massachusetts state insignia. At the bottom, the sign is credited to Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission.

Evergreen Cemetery

After the end of the American Revolutionary War but before the Constitution was ratified, Newbury residents stopped using First Settlers Burying Ground and created Evergreen Cemetery in 1786. The cemetery goes by many names, including Lower Green Cemetery and Dole’s Pasture, while the back half of the property is called Old Town Cemetery. The cemetery includes members of the Dole, Little, and Ilsley families among many others.

Sign for Evergreen Cemetery; a wooden sign with the words 1786 Evergreen Cemetery Newbury, MA painted in green, all caps, stenciled letters on a white background. Dole Family Gravestone; a red granite stone with the name Dole carved into the base and additional information about the family carved above it.

Burial Ground of the First Settlers

The history of the burial ground is well documented, as we know what day the cemetery opened — May 18, 1638 — and how much the land cost — £3, equivalent to £511.48 in 2023 money according to the Bank of England Inflation Calculator, or $662.09 USD — and who made the purchase — John Emery, who was buried in his cemetery upon his death in 1683. Other people buried in the cemetery include members of the Emery, Little, Dole, and Ilsley families, which are familiar names to those who visit Historic New England houses! The cemetery closed in 1794, and restoration of the cemetery began with the formation of SDFSN in 1927. In more recent years, SDFSN created replicas of early gravestones to replace the crumbling originals.

Burial Ground of the First Settlers Sign; also written on the sign are the words Mary & John 1635. At the top in the center is a silhouette of a ship. Entrance to Burial Ground of the First Settlers in Newbury; a pair of granite columns about three feet high with a five foot gap in between. The left column is carved with the words First Burying Ground of the Settlers. The right column is carved with the words Newbury 1635 and has a bronze plaque underneath with additional information. Small American flags are attached to wooden fence posts abutting the side of the columns opposite the entrance.
Replica Gravestone for Richard Dole; elaborate First Period carving of six-pointed stars and a stylized skull around the edges with information about Richard Dole in the center. Replica Gravestone for Mrs. Hannah Rolfe; identical carvings to the headstone of Richard Dole, her husband.
Metal Plaque Stuck in the Ground Denoting Richard Dole as a First Settler in Newbury Original Gravestone with Unclear Name; similar carving style to Richard Dole and Hannah Rolfe.
Replica Gravestone for Abraham Toppan; the family crest, including a knight helmet and a shield, is carved above the information about Toppan Replica Gravestone for Percival Lowell; the family crest, including a fist holding three arrows, is carved above the information about Lowell
Replica Gravestone for Mr. Edward Woodman; a ship on the wavy ocean with a pair of seashells carved on either side is above the information about Woodman. Replica Gravestone for George Little & Alice Poore; a plain stone with no additional carvings.
Location: Lower Green, Newbury, MA 01951, USA