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Amesbury History Committee
Lion's Mouth Road
Phone: (978) 388-1420
Amesbury Public Library
149 Main St.
Designed by architect Penn Varney in 1900 in the Romanesque Revival style. It was listed in 2004 as one of the Ten Most Endangered Resources in Massachusetts due to the fact that portions of the building are in danger of being destroyed in favor of expansion.
Amesbury and Salisbury Mills Village Historic District
Market Sq. roughly bounded by Boardman, Water, Main and Pond Sts
Bartlett Museum
270 Main St.
Victorian-style schoolhouse built in 1870. Contains memorabilia of Amesbury's history including indian artifacts, natural science items, and carriages. Open between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, Fridays through Sundays form 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. (The Museum is also open 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM on holidays.) To see the Museum during other times, or to make arrangements for group tours, call 918-388-4528 or 978-388-7950.
The Captain's Well
Main St. (in front of the Middle School)
Original well was dug by Capt. Valentine Bagley and made famous by the John Greenleaf Whittier poem, "The Captain's Well", which tells the story of the shipwreck of Captain Valentine Bagley, on the coast of Arabia, and his sufferings in the desert where he vowed to dig a well so that no man should suffer from thirst as he did.
Friends Meeting House
120 Friend St
The building was constructed in 1850, with poet John Greenleaf Whittier serving on the building committee. From 1851 to 1962 , the meetinghouse hosted the Salem Quarterly meeting. The Amesbury Monthly Meeting of Friends is a current thriving congregation, with Meeting for Worship every Sunday at 10 AM. The facing bench displays a small plaque that reads, "Whittier's Bench."
Harriet Prescott Spofford Home
Deer Island
Harriet Prescott Spofford was an American writer whose Gothic romances are set apart by luxuriant description and her unconventional handling of the female stereotypes of her day. The house was first used as a local tavern and later converted to a fine dining restaurant. During Mrs. Prescott's lifetime, the house was host to prominant American litarary figures including Emerson, Holmes, Whittier, Lowell, and Higgenson. The house is now a private residence.
John Greenleaf Whittier Home
86 Friend Street
May 1 through October 31, Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Last tour at 3:15 p.m. Visit the home of John Greenleaf Whittier, one of America's greatest poets and abolitionists. The house and the furnishings remain nearly the same as when the Whittier family lived in Amesbury from 1836 until 1892. Whittier wrote most of his poetry and prose including his classic "Snow Bound" in the Garden Room.
Lowell's Boat Shop
459 Main Street
Founded by Simeon Lowell in 1793, the boat shop designed and produced some of the finest small fishing vessels used by American mariners. The shop is a "working museum" where visitors can see boats under construction.
Macy/Colby House
257 Main Street (found at the entrance to Union/Bartlett Cemetery from Main St.) The home of Thomas Macy until his departure to Nantucket island in 1659. Macy was one of the original negotiators for Nantucket island, which was bought for thirty pounds and two beaver hats. He also was featured as the hero of Whittier's poem The Exiles.
Mary Baker Eddy Historic House
277 Main Street
Open Saturdays, 10 am - 3 pm
from May to October and by appointment.
The home of Squire Lowell Bagley and then his daughter Sarah. Mary Baker Eddy was a guest in Sarah Bagley's home during the summer and early fall of 1868 and again briefly in 1870. She did some of her earliest writing on Christian Science in this house. Of particular interest are the furnishings, which have remained substantially unchanged since the time Mrs. Eddy and the Bagley family lived there. The history of the house
Merrimac Hat Company Mills Also known as Towle Manufacturing Company Building
Merrimac St. at Bailey Pond
Listed on National Register of Historic Places. Amesbury was once one of the nation's biggest hat producers. The Merrimac Hat Collection is a collection of Merrimac Hats and memorabilia on display at 9 Water St. by appointment only. (978) 388-0091
Michael Walsh Home
421 Main Street
Michael Walsh, an outstanding mathematician of early America, lived in a foursquare colonial house on Main Street. His book, "A New System of Mercantile Arithmetic", was used well into the nineteenth century in all American schools for boys.
Old Powder House
Monroe & Madison Street
The Powder House was used for the storage of arms and ammunition during the War of 1812 and is believed to have been built in 1810. It has been preserved to its present condition by the Amesbury Improvement Association.
Rocky Hill Meeting House
4 Portsmouth Road (off Elm Street)
Open May 15, 12-4pm , and July 2, 12-4 pm. Private Heritage Tours available with advanced reservations. Please call 617-227-3956, June 1 through October 15.
the best preserved example of an original 18th century meeting house interior in New England. It was built in 1785, replacing a c. 1715 meeting house for the West Parish of Salisbury, the Rocky Hill Meeting House was built in 1785. It was strategically placed along the only road that crossed (via ferry) the swift Powow River and led travelers to the Salisbury Point area and onward towards Portsmouth. In fact, George Washington paused here to greet the townspeople on his northward journey in 1789.
Salisbury Point Railroad Historical Society
9 Water Street.
The Salisbury Point Railroad Historical Society is a non-profit dedicated to railways, railway modelling and all things trains in particular the preservation of Boston and Maine (B&M) artifacts and memorabillia. Open to members and visitors Wed 7:00-9:00 PM
Find more museums in Massachusetts
If you know of an historic place to visit in Amesbury, please submit it to jenn@gravematter.com
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