Essex National Heritage Area
Rocks Village Historic District
Haverhill, Massachusetts


Rocks Village, in Haverhill's East Parish, was settled circa 1643. A ferry was established soon after. East Broadway, one of the oldest roads in Haverhill, leads into Rocks village which then follows along the Merrimack River into Merrimacport. In the 18th century, Rocks Village evolved into a maritime site. Several of Haverhill's shipyards were located here. It was also a center for trade of both imported and exported goods. Comb manufacturing was also carried on here. Haverhill's industrial growth in the 19th century bypassed the East Parish, preserving much of the rural Georgian architecture. Among structures of interest are the hand-cranked drawbridge and the firehouse. Rocks Village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.



Nearby Area Sites

Haverhill History

Haverhill's distinctive landscape features – the Merrimack River, the many ponds, wetlands and varied topography – were instrumental in shaping the history of the community from the earliest use of the area by Native Americans through the long tradition of shoe manufacturing to land uses that continue today.

Native American activity along the Merrimack River prior to European settlement was intense with several tribes known to have been in the Haverhill area, including the Pentuckets, Pawtuckets and Agawams, all sub-tribes of the Penacook group. The first European settlement took its name from one of the Native American tribes, when Pentucket was established in 1640 and one of the four shires of the plantation was called Haverhill, named after the birthplace in England of Haverhill’s first minister, John Ward. The area was not incorporated as a city until 1870, the same year in which Bradford was annexed to Haverhill.

Agriculture, fishing and shipbuilding were the economic base well into the 19th century. In the early 1800s there was a strong cattle market which gave rise to the shoe industry. By the 1830s and into the early 20th century Haverhill became a leader in shoe manufacturing. Known as the “Queen Slipper City” Haverhill was noted for its shoe designers and makers. After World War I the shoe industry began its decline in Haverhill. In the 1950s the arrival of Western Electric was a boost to the local economy; however the large plant moved out of Haverhill in the late 20th century.

The Merrimack River served as a key mode of transportation from prehistoric times into the early 19th century. Once the railroad opened in 1839 there was a shift in transportation which also fostered the shift in the economy to the shoe industry. Mid 20th century interstate highway development resulted in the city’s strategic location between Rt. 93 and Rt. 95 on Rt. 495.

One of the larger municipalities in Essex County, Haverhill’s population by 1850 had risen to 5,754 and continued to increase substantially throughout the 19th century. Between 1880 and 1920 the population more than tripled to 53,884. However, as the shoe industry declined, the population decreased slowly but steadily throughout much of the 20th century until the 1990s when it recovered and exceeded the 1920 level. In 2000 the population was nearly 59,000.

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

See also:

1985 Massachusetts Historical Commission Reconnaissance Survey Town Report

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