Newbury’s distinctive rural inland, riverine and coastal landscape features were instrumental in shaping the history of the community from the earliest Native American use of the land to the present day. Although there are no confirmed Native American sites in Newbury, there were presumed settlements on the Artichoke River near its confluence with the Merrimack River and on the Parker River where it flows into the Ipswich River. European settlement of the area occurred in 1634. By the early 1700s the town was dispersed into five parishes of which only the First Parish and Byfield Parish remain as part of Newbury. The first meetinghouse was constructed in 1635, and was replaced a number of times over the next two centuries, until one built in 1806 burned in 1868. The meetinghouse built after that date on High Road remains the First Parish Church today.

Agriculture was the mainstay of the early economic base with thousands of acres cleared for the raising of hay for grazing animals. Water sources also sustained grist and saw mills, fulling mills, and tanneries, which continued to be an important part of the economy through the early 20th century. In the late 18th century, Byfield Village emerged as a mill village with a factory producing machine made nails, a snuff factory, a chaise maker and some small ship building on the Parker River. By the mid 1800s the Byfield Woolen Company was well established and the Byfield Snuff Company was growing with three mill sites. Minor shoe industry up to the mid 19th century also contributed to the local economy. In the 1870s silver and gold were discovered and mined for a short period.

The major north-south routes were High Road (Rt. 1A) and the Bay Road, the latter was laid out in 1639 in the general area of the present-day Middle Road and Boston Street. In the 18th century, Scotland Road became an important east-west route, however it was not well maintained until the mid to late 20th century. The Newburyport Turnpike (Rt. 1) was laid out in 1804 connecting these northern communities to Boston. Two railroad lines, one built in 1840 and the other in 1851, passed through Newbury and Byfield. In 1853 the toll for animals passing over Thurlow’s Bridge over the Parker River was removed. The street railway connected villages with nearby towns for a brief time beginning in 1891. The most significant transportation change in the 20th century was the opening of Rt. 95 in the 1950s providing faster access to and from Newbury.

The population in the 1700s rose to over 3,000 persons; however this number included those living in part of the town that was annexed to Newburyport in 1851. Thus population figures of Newbury are not relevant until after that annexation at which time the population dropped to 1,485 in 1855 and 1,430 in 1870. From the last quarter of the 19th century through the mid-20th century, growth was steady. In the last part of the 20th century the population nearly tripled from about 2,500 residents in 1960 to about 6,500 in 2000. Today the town is divided into three villages each with its own distinct character: Byfield, Plum Island and Old Town.

From Newbury Reconnaisance Report, Essex County Landscape Inventory, Massachusetts Heritage Landscape Inventory Program (pdf document)