Nearby Area Sites

Lynn's coastal location and its distinctive landscape features — hills, ponds, rivers and shoreline — were instrumental in shaping the history of the community from the earliest Native American use of the land to the present day.

The area known today as Lynn was settled by members of the New England Company in 1629 and was incorporated as a town in 1631. (It was initially called Saugus and included what is today Lynn and Saugus.) Although the rocky coastal soils were difficult to farm, Lynn remained primarily an agricultural community into the early 19th century when farmers became increasingly involved in cottage industries. These included fishing, shoemaking and milling, as well as leather tanneries along the Black Marsh (Tannery) Brook. Between 1820 and 1840 small-scale shoemaking became an important part of the community's economic base. The Eastern Railroad from Boston to Salem opened in Lynn in 1838 creating a new commercial focus at Central Square, which included shoe factories and associated workers’ housing. It was during this period that Market Street developed as a commercial thoroughfare. Development of the shoe sewing machine in 1848 revolutionized the shoe industry, transforming it from a cottage industry to a factory system. Lynn was incorporated as a city in 1850 and prospered through the Civil War as the shoe industry flourished. Central Lynn was destroyed by a major fire in 1869 but quickly rebounded with further commercial and industrial development. Another major fire occurred in 1889 and many of the earlier buildings were replaced with large brick factories. By the late 1800s Lynn had become the shoe center of the country. The demand for cheap labor generated an influx of European immigrants. Between 1860 and 1910 Lynn's population grew by 450%. Concurrently the Diamond District emerged as an upper class neighborhood of suburban houses on large lots along the shore. The shoe industry declined by the 1920s and the General Electric Company became Lynn's primary employer.

As Lynn evolved into an industrial city in the late 19th century, the community made a strong commitment to municipal infrastructure, notably in providing open space and assuring an adequate supply of municipal water. Lynn Woods, High Rock Reservation and Lynn Shore Drive, all established around the turn of the century, are considered three of the city's most important open spaces. During the early 20th century the Olmsted firm was consulted regarding planning of many of the community's parks. The municipal water system established in 1870 is still in use today.

The population of Lynn peaked in the early 20th century and has been in decline until recently, when it has experienced a small increase. The 1990 population was just over 81,000, about 25% of whom were minorities, including a rapidly growing Hispanic population. Today Lynn is one of the most densely settled communities on the North Shore with more than 3,500 people per square mile. It is also a city of neighborhoods with the highest density population adjacent to the central business district in East Lynn. The area surrounding Lynn Woods is characterized by relatively low-density neighborhoods. Lynn remains largely an industrial city, although some of the mill buildings are being converted to housing and to more diversified commercial and high technology uses. Massachusetts Heritage Landscape Inventory Program - Lynn Reconnaissance Report