Beverly, city (2020 pop. 42,670), Essex co., NE Mass., on Massachusetts Bay; inc. as a city 1894. Its chief manufactures are electronic and scientific equipment, consumer goods, and chemicals. Beverly was settled in 1626 by Roger Conant, one of the founders of Massachusetts. In 1775 the schooner Hannah, the first ship of the U.S. navy, was outfitted and commissioned by Gen. George Washington at Glover's Wharf in Beverly. In 1787, Beverly became the site of the first cotton mill in the United States. Points of interest include Balch house (1636), believed to be the oldest house in the United States; the John Cabot house (1781), which is preserved as a museum; and several other Colonial buildings. Beverly Farms, a residential and resort section of the city, was the summer home of Oliver Wendell Holmes.
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