| Summary: | Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University The City of Newburyport is located 37 miles north of Boston in the extreme northeastern corner of Massachusetts. It has a population of 14,000 and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. Newburyport was originally a part of the old town of Newbury, but was set off as a separate town in 1764. From the time Newburyport was settled until 1870 its economy remained predominately maritime. Fishing, shipbuilding, and trading all played important parts in the early days of Newburyport's history. Local fishing for sturgeon, salmon, mackerel, bass, shad, and bluefish was carried on extensively until 1850, when the growth of up-river manufacturing cities forced the fishing industry to move into Canadian waters. As early as 1806, 60 Newburyport vessels were regularly employed at the Labrador and Newfoundland fisheries. In 1851 Newburyport's fishing industry received a blow from which it never recovered, as 18 locally-owned vessels went down in a gale at Prince Edward Island. Shipbuilding flourished to the extent that in 1793 the lower Merrimac River was proclaimed the greatest shipbuilding center of New England. At that time it was not unusual to see 72 vessels all in the process of construction. Shipbuilding reached its apex in the clipper ship era of the eighteen thirties to fifties, after which the shifting bar at the mouth of the river prohibited the building of larger ships which were then in demand. The commercial advantages afforded by the Merrimac River were quickly recognized, so that in 1645 a regular trade with the west Indies had been established. Barrel staves were being cut and sent to the West Indies in exchange for rum, molasses, and sugar, these being valuable commodities for securing European goods. Maritime commerce was affected by the American Revolution, but privateering continued to bring large sums of money to Newburyport. The end of the war marked the beginning of the golden years of old Newburyport which lasted until the Embargo of 1807. The difficulties ...
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