City of Lynn

City of Lynn

Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn – A Brief History

Nearly 370 years ago, in 1629, some settlers from nearby Salem wanted to find a less crowded area with greener pastures. They bargained with the Indians for some land known as Saugus, the place where the local Indian chiefs, the Sagamores, lived. This land originally included what are now the separate towns of Swampscott, Nahant, Saugus and Lynnfield. In 1630, that land was incorporated as the Town of Saugus, one year after it was founded.

When the first official minister, Samuel Whiting, arrived from King’s Lynn, England, the new settlers were so excited that they changed the name of their community to Lynn in 1637 in honor of him. Early settlers relied primarily on family farming and shell fishing although an iron works was established in the city in 1643.

Although mostly an agricultural community, Lynn people were skilled in making leather shoes that were used to purchase the other necessities of life. A Quaker named Ebineezer Breed persuaded other Europeans to settle in Lynn to make the town an important shoe center of the new world. Breed was also successful in convincing Congress to place a protective tariff on the shoes made in Lynn, which helped to make the town the ladies’ shoe center of the world. Lynn became a city in 1850, as her population exploded. In 1892, the Lynn-based Thomson-Houston Electric Company merged with the Edison general Electric Company to form the General Electric Company.

Throughout the 19th century, Lynn was the center for religious and social change. Lynn is also known as the City of Firsts. Among the many “firsts” In 1629 the first Tannery in the US began operations in Lynn. Lynn Astronomer Maria Mitchell was the first woman inducted into the Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lydia Pinkham, a Lynn resident, was the first woman to use her image to sell a product. The Lydia Pinkham Vegetable Compound. The first Electric Trolley in the state ran from Lynn in 1888, On May 30, 1912, the first Airmail Delivery in New England flew from Saugus to Lynn, The first Jet Airplane Engine in the U.S. was built at Lynn’s General Electric plant in 1942.

Leather tanning became a major industry very early on and by 1775 there were a string of tanneries along Black Marsh Brook, called Tanney Brook, to the harbor. When the Eastern Railroad was extended from Boston to Salem in 1837, it went through Lynn, encouraging growth in the shoe industry and a factory district was created as well as shoe workers’ neighborhoods of boardinghouses. The Civil War brought great prosperity to the city and further growth of the shoe factories. Even the fires of 1869 and 1889, which destroyed much of the central business district from Central Square to Broad Street, didn’t stop expansion. The gutted buildings were simply replaced by five and six story shoe factories.

Today Lynn offers residents and tourists over 2 miles of beaches and boardwalks; incredible hiking, mountain biking, and golfing at Gannon Golf Course all in Lynn Woods Reservation – a 2,200 acre municipal forest park and the second largest municipal park in the United States; art galleries at LynnArts and Raw Art Works; a tale of innovation and industry, society, immigration and textiles at the Lynn Museum and Historical Society Visitor Center; High Rock Tower and Observatory is home to our new 12 inch Meade telescope with lenses powerful enough to view the rings of Saturn, Jupiter and her moons, galaxies, star clusters, nebula and many other wonders of the night sky. Lynn boasts over 100 churches and over 100 different languages are spoken.

Lynn is 9 miles north of Boston with a population of approximately 89.000. Lynn is 51 miles east of Worcester; 95 miles south of Portland, Maine; and 229 miles from New York City.

For more information about the City of Lynn, Ma go to: www.ci.lynn.ma.us

Narrative compiled by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development and Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce.

Transportation

Lynn is situated in the Greater Boston Area, which has excellent rail, air, and highway facilities. The major highways adjacent to Lynn are State Route 128, Interstate Route 95, and U.S. Route 1. The principal highways that run through Lynn are Routes 1A, 107, 129, and 129A. Lynn is also served by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus line and by a commuter rail service to North Station in Boston. The rail also has a 965-space parking garage on Market Street in Lynn.

Today’s News in the City of Lynn

The Daily Item is Lynn’s daily newspaper. It is published six days a week, Monday through Saturday. The Lynn Journal, Lynn’s official weekly newspaper, is published on Wednesday’s.

City Services

For information on the services provided in the City of Lynn, click on the following links.

Attractions/Recreation/Sports

Lynn is home to the second largest municipal park in the United States – Lynn Woods, which boasts 2,100 acres available for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing. Gannon Gold Course is an 18-hole public course located next to Lynn Woods. Lynnway Marina is available for motor and non-motor boating. Heritage State Park at the marina has many city festivals and events. There are also many historical sites, as well as a two-mile stretch of open beach along Lynn Shore Drive. Click on the links below for more information on the various attractions, recreation and sports in the City of Lynn.

Utilities

Moving to Lynn? The links below will provide you with the information that you need for utility services.