Why you'd want to live in Newbury

South of the Merrimack River lies Newbury, MA, a suburban town in Essex County. Much of the town consists of scenic marshes and includes the village of Byfield, and part of Plum Island. English settlers first landed in Ipswich in 1634, and then arrived the next spring at what is now the Parker River. A commemorative stone marks the spot where Nicholas Noyes was the first to leap ashore at Newbury. In 1636, the first water-powered mill was established at the falls, and in 1794, the first textile mill in Massachusetts. The nation’s first boarding preparatory school, now known as The Governor’s Academy was founded at Byfield in 1763. Silver was discovered in a large field in 1878, and the Chipman Silver Mine would begin operations until it finally closed in 1925. By 1905, however, the economy had shifted back to agriculture, and Newbury became a supplier of eggs, milk and poultry. The town is today primarily residential, with many examples of fine antique architecture.