Newburyport has one of the largest National Register Historic Districts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with over 2,900 contributing structures. In 1981, with grant asistance from the MA Historical Commission (MHC), the City embarked on the ambititious task of documenting these properties, by photographing each and completing a survey form to initially assess the historic significance of each. As MHC's web site explains,
The first step in a community's preservation planning process is to identify, describe and locate buildings, structures, objects, areas, burial grounds, landscape features, and sites that are of historical, architectural, or archaeological importance to the community, the state, or the nation. A comprehensive inventory of a town's historical assets serves as the basis for all future preservation activities. This inventory becomes part of a statewide inventory and enables MHC staff and local preservationists to make consistent and informed preservation decisions. MHC maintains a statewide survey at the reconnaissance level in order to formulate a broad context for evaluating the significance of historic and prehistoric properties.
The National Register nomination form of the Newburyport Historic Disrtict provides an excellent introduction to the historic properties that can be seen throughout the area. For more specific information, please refer to individual property forms listed by address to the right.
For Fruit Street Information, please go here.
This web page was made possible through the efforts of Arnold, a volunteer in the Newburyport Office of Planning & Development. Thank you Arnold! |