A Brief History of Old Newbury: From Settlement to Separation

In the first ten years of its settlement, the town of Newbury witnessed murders, kidnappings, earthquakes and a plague of caterpillars. The century that followed—marked by religious conflict, Indian uprisings and public scandal—proved no less challenging to the early Puritan community. In 1640, Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop noted, As people increased, so sin abounded. But through the turmoil, Newbury's citizens harnessed the region's abundant natural resources and developed a thrivin...