History of Lynn, Massachusetts, USA

1629 - Lynn is settled and incorporated

Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates

1629 - The first tannery in the U.S. began operations in Lynn.

1839 - Lynn
Lynn, Massachusetts
Essex county. Lynn is one of the flourishing and beautiful towns in the state. It lies on a plain, surrounded by rising ground, except on the east, where it opens to Lynn bay, embracing the romantic peninsula of Nahant, with its beautiful beach, and Phillips' Point, both highly esteemed resorts for all classes of people;—the sick, the serious, and the gay. The soil of the town is fertile and well cultivated. It is watered by the river Saugus, the Indian name of the place. The town is neatly built on wide and pleasant streets, and contains a population of about 10,000. It lies 9 miles N.E. from Boston and 5 S.W. from Salem.

Lynn has risen to wealth and importance by the enterprise and industry of its people, in the manufacture of shoes, particularly for which, more than any other town in the country, it is justly celebrated. The manufacture of ladies' shoes was commenced here before the revolutionary war, and it is curious to observe the great changes that have... Read MORE...

1845 - LYNN. [Pop. 9,369. Inc. 1637.]
Lynn, called Saugus by the Indians, was named after a town of the same name in England. The eastern part of Lynn still retains its original name of Swampscott.

Lynn is the oldest town in Essex County, except Salem; and it is still the second in size, although Saugus and Lynnfield, of Essex County, and Reading and South Reading, of Middlesex County, have been separated from it.

Nahant, a small rocky peninsula, connected to Lynn at the south by a beautiful beach, has, for twenty or thirty years, been the most fashionable watering-place in the vicinity of Boston. The first settlers kept their sheep and swine on it, because a slight fence across the beach or isthmus easily protected them from the wolves.

No town in the United States is so celebrated for the manufacture of boots and shoes.

Distance from Salem, 5 miles; from Boston, 9.
An Elementary Geography for Massachusetts Children by William Bentley Fowle and Asa Fitz, 1845
Get it HERE!

1850 - Lynn is incorporated as a city

Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates

1854 - Lynn
Lynn, a city and seaport of Essex co., Massachusetts, on the Eastern railroad, 9 miles N. N. E. from Boston. Lat. 42° 27' 51" N.. Ion. 70° 67' 27" W. It is situated on the north-eastern shore of Massachusetts bay, in the midst of the most varied and picturesque scenery. The beaches and Nahant, in the vicinity, are noted places of resort, both for pleasure and health. Lynn was incorporated a city in 1850, and is handsomely built on wide and pleasant streets. The principal public edifices are the City Hall, Lyceum Hall, and the churches, of which there arc fifteen, of the various denominations. Among the institutions, the Society for the cultivation of Natural History deserves notice. It has a library, and a valuable collection of curiosities. An efficient system of education has been provided, similar to that generally adopted in the state. There are in the city an academy, a high- school, 9 principal, 6 intermediate, and 18 primary schools, besides several private ones. The press... Read MORE...

1860 - February 22 – Shoe-making workers of Lynn, Massachusetts, strike successfully for higher wages. The strike spreads throughout New England and eventually involves 20,000 workers.

wikipedia.org
February 22, 1860

1875 - Lydia Pinkham, a Lynn resident, was the first woman to use her image to sell a product. The Lydia Pinkham Vegetable Compound.

lynnma.gov

Read more about Lydia Estes PINKHAM

1885 - May 19 - 1st mass production of shoes (Jan Matzeliger in Lynn, Massachusetts)

historyorb.com

Read more about Jan Ernst MATZELIGER

1889 - Accidentally Shot Dead
LYNN, Mass., Nov. 27. - William F. Sartelle, of Worcester, Massachusetts, a performer in a dime museum here, was shot dead last night. He was performing a trick with a rifle, which he apparently loads with leaden bullets, and then requests some one to shoot at him, appearing to catch the bullet in his mouth. This time he failed to substitute a pasteboard bullet, and William Flannagan, who fired the gun, shot Sartelle dead.
Tyrone Daily Herald
Tyrone, Pennsylvania
November 30, 1889

1889 - $10,000,000 FIRE! A CITY GOES UP IN FLAMES. Lynn, Mass. Desolated. - Boston Subscribes Nearly a Million Dollars For the Sufferers.
Lynn, Mass, the city of shoes, was visited Tuesday afternoon by the greatest fire in its history and with two exceptions the conflagration is the most disastrous which ever visited New England. The exceptions are the great Boston fire of 1872, which destroyed between three and four hundred millions of dollars worth of property, and the Portland fire of 1866, which caused a loss of between ten and twelve millions. The fire started at 11.55 A. M. and raged over eight hours

DEVASTATING A SQUARE MILE
of the business section of the city and caused a loss estimated at ten millions. In fact the greater part of Ward 4 is wiped out as regards the important shoe manufacturing blocks and prominent places of business.

The fire started in Mower's wooden building on Almont street, over the boiler and spread with such rapidity that the excellent fire department of the city was powerless to cope with it. For eight hours the flames had full sway, the efforts of the fireman and citizens... Read MORE...

Lynn Massachusetts, 1890
LYNN is a manufacturing town on the seaboard in the extreme southern part of Essex County, 11 miles northeast of Boston, with which it is connected by a street railway, and by the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad and by the Eastern line of the Boston and Maine Railroad; the latter connecting it directly with the railroad systems north, east and south.

Lynn harbor opens on Broad Sound, in Massachusetts Bay. It is nearly half filled with flats, but through it run numerous channels, some of which are 15 feet in depth, and wide enough for easy towage.

Lynn is bounded on the north by Peabody and Salem, east by Swampscott and its harbor, on the south by its own harbor, and on the west by Saugus. The long peninsula of Nahant lies in the sea eastward; forming the eastern side of Lynn harbor. There is a considerable extent of beach on each side of the peninsula.

The assessed area of the city is 4,378 acres. The more densely occupied portion is about four miles in length along... Read MORE...

1895 - Lynn
Lynn, a city and seaport of Essex co., Mass, is pleasantly situated on Massachusetts Bay, 10 miles N.N.E. of Boston, and 5 miles S.W. of Salem. Lat. 42° 27' 51" N.; lon. 70°57'27' W. It is about 2 miles from the peninsula of Nahant, a place of summer resort, and is connected with Boston and Salem by both steam and electric rail ways. It contains a handsome city hall, 36 churches, a free public library of 44,000 volumes, a very fine new high school building, 6 national banks, 2 savings-banks, and 2 safe deposit and trust companies. The combined capital of these is over $1,600,000, with deposits of about $6,000,000. Two daily and 3 weekly newspapers are published here. Lynn has long been celebrated for the manufacture of ladies' boots and shoes, large quantities of which are sold in the Western and Southern States, as well as sup plying a large export trade. The daily output averages more than 100,000 pairs, or over 30,000,000 pairs annually. The capital employed in this industry alone... Read MORE...

1899 - SEIZED BY A LEOPARD. Lynn Boy Goes too Near the Cages at the Circus.
The next time the Forepaugh-Sells Brothers circus visits Lynn, Mass., Frank Ducey, a 10 year old boy, will not be so much interested in getting a near view of the leopard.

Frank was gazing at the animal when it sunk his sharp claws into the boy's face, and when the keeper sprang to the cage the leopard had both front paws through the bars and was holding the boy's head fast. The animal was struck several tremendous blows over the head before he released his hold on the boy, the latter all the time screaming at the top of his voice and the blood streaming down his face.

He was taken to the hospital, where it was necessary to cauterize the wounds, and it will probably be a long time before he fully recovers. Large pieces of flesh were torn from his face, neck and head by the claws of the animal.

The boy, in company with a number of others, visited the grounds where the circus exhibited, and was anxious to see the animals. The board on the cage containing several leopards was... Read MORE...

1903 - NOT KNOWN HERE. Railroad Man Killed At Lynn Said To Belong In Portsmouth.
A Lynn dispatch of the 18th stated that a man named Moorehouse, an employe of the milk train, with his home at Portsmouth, was fatally injured on Thursday evening and later died at the Lynn hospital.

It stated that his family had been notified and the body would be sent to this city.

There is not such name as Moorehouse in the Portsmouth directory, and no one here seems to know anyone of that name.

At the depot they did not know of any man named Moorehouse who is employed on the cars.
Portsmouth Herald
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
June 19, 1903

1906 - William Thomas Grant opens his first "W. T. Grant Co. 25 Cent Store" in Lynn, Massachusetts


Read more about William Thomas GRANT

1910 - AGED WOMAN BURNED TO DEATH AT LYNN
Lynn, Feb. 9. - While working around her kitchen range today the clothing of Mrs. Mary S. Coombs caught fire and before her niece, who heard her cries for help, could extinguish the flames, she had received burns which resulted in her death an hour later, Mrs. Coombs was 81 years of age.
The Boston Journal
Boston, Massachusetts
February 10, 1910

1916
Lynn, a city and seaport of Essex co., Mass., is pleasantly situated on Massachusetts Bay, 10 miles NE. of Boston, on the Boston and Maine and the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Rs. It is about 2 miles from the peninsula of Nahant. Lynn has long been celebrated for the manufacture of women's and children's boots and shoes, which employs the labor of over 200 factories and produces upward of 15,000,000 pairs annually, valued at nearly $30,000,000. The manufacture of leather (morocco) is an other large industry, as is likewise that of electric appliances, the value of the product in dynamos, lamps, motors, car-equipments, etc., amounting annually to many millions of dollars. The city contains a public library, a handsome city-hall, and a soldiers' monument. It has many hand some residences, especially on the east (or shore) side. The scenery in the vicinity is varied and picturesque. It has one of the largest natural pleasure-grounds in this country (more than 2000 acres), known as "... Read MORE...

1923 - FIVE PERSONS DIE IN APARTMENT FIRE. TEN REPORTED MISSING WHEN ESSEX CASTLE HOUSE IS CONSUMED.
United Press

Lynn, Mass., April 19. - Five persons are known to have been killed, and ten are reported missing, in a fire in the Essex Castle Apartment House here.

The dead:
FRANK TOZIER, 42.
GEORGE PHILPOT, 32.
MRS. ANTOINETTE HANLOU.
MISS MARGARET NUTTER.
HARRY FAIRCHILD.

Police believe the persons unaccounted for probably escaped and took refuge in neighboring houses. They are searching the ruins for bodies, however.

The fire started on the second floor near the elevator shaft. All stairways were cut off. A score were saved by being carried down ladders. Several jumped into life nets.

ALFRED J. DORION, a fireman, saved two children who were dropped from an upper story by their mother. DORION was on a ladder when he caught the first child. A few seconds later the mother held her little girl out of the window and dropped her. DORION, leaning far back from his ladder, caught her with one hand.

The fireman, having passed the children down to safety, when called... Read MORE...

1942 - The first Jet Airplane Engine in the U.S. was built at Lynn’s General Electric plant in 1942.

lynnma.gov

Here's a list of places to go and things to do in Lynn, Massachusetts:
Lynn Beach: Lynn boasts a beautiful stretch of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. Lynn Beach is a popular spot for sunbathing, swimming, and taking leisurely walks along the shoreline. The beach is known for its soft sands and scenic views.

Lynn Woods Reservation: Lynn Woods is a vast, 2,200-acre municipal forest park that offers hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails. It's a fantastic place to explore nature and escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Don't miss the stunning Stone Tower at the summit, which provides panoramic views of the area.

High Rock Tower Observatory: Located within Lynn Woods Reservation, the High Rock Tower Observatory is an iconic Lynn landmark. You can climb to the top of the tower to enjoy breathtaking views of the city and beyond. It's a great spot for photography and a bit of history, as the tower was built in the late 19th century.

Lynn Heritage State Park: This park offers a glimpse into Lynn's industrial past. You can explore... Read MORE...