A Park for the Ages: Beverly's Lynch Park
Opens June 4 at the Cabot House
Originally known as Woodberry’s Point, the 16 acres of what is now known as Lynch Park is nestled inside the Cove neighborhood and is one of the shining beacons of Beverly history. The story of the Lynch Park area dates to about 1636 when the first house built in Beverly by an English settler was erected at Woodberry Point. From 1636 to present, over 380 years, Lynch Park history tells the stories of war, tragedy, wealth, beauty, nature, and community.
The 2022 summer exhibit at Historic Beverly’s Cabot House is “A Park for the Ages: Beverly’s Lynch Park” based on the 2017 Historic Beverly publication of the same title. This exhibit is chock full of photographs, maps, and objects that tell the story of this little gem of a park that all of us have come to know and love. On view through October 2, 2022.
Balch Family History Through Time and Trash
Online
Have you heard the expression, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”? Balch Family History Through Time and Trash is a presentation of the treasures found in the trash of the Balch family. Launched to celebrate Massachusetts Archaeology Month, this new online exhibit explores the 1998 excavation performed at the Balch House. Through items found during the dig, the history of the family can be explored to determine who was living on the premises, what they were using, when they were using it, and how they were obtaining it.
Explore the History
Set at Liberty: Stories of the Enslaved in a New England Town
Online
Remarkably, some of the stories of Beverly’s black population have been preserved and can be found at Historic Beverly. These are stories of citizens, black and white, battling against the unjust system of slavery; of enslaved men fighting for freedom for our nation, though not free themselves; of a woman using the law to emancipate her family; and of the racism that affected the lives of Beverly’s black population, long after they were freed from bondage. This online exhibit presents these accounts using the archives of the Historic Beverly collection.
This exhibit is supported in part by a grant from the Beverly Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Emerging from Salem's Shadow
After the tumultuous years of the second half of the 17th century, filled as they were with political upheaval, Indian wars, and culminating in the witchcraft crises of 1692, the new century must have seemed to local residents like entering a calm port.Although religion remained an important aspect of colonial life, the power of the church in civic life was on the wane. Beverly’s economy remained focused on maritime trades and agriculture, but new trades emerged during the period. Clockmakers, cabinet makers, silversmiths and other artisans created objects for an emerging well-to-do class. A spirit of change and possibility emerged in the 18th century, with profound consequences for our local community and America.
Ongoing at the Cabot House