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Manchester-by-the-Sea (also called just Manchester) is a town on Cape Ann, in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 5,228. History
Manchester-by-the-Sea was first settled in 1629 and was officially incorporated in 1645. The community thrived as a fishing community until 1845, when Richard Dana, a Boston based poet, built his summer house in the community. Over the next fifty years, develepment of summer houses along the coast line established the community as Boston society's community of choice for summer residency. The trend continued with designs by other notable architects, such as Sunnywaters, designed by John Hubbard Sturgis for his older brother, Russell, in 1862. The most famous of these "summer cottages" was Kragsyde, built on Smith's Point in 1883 and demolished in 1929. Commissioned by George Nixon Black, the Peabody and Stearns designed residence has been hailed as the zenith of the Shingle style substyle of the Queen Anne style of architecture. NameThe town was founded as "Jeffery's Creek." In the mid-1800s, there were enough other Manchesters in New England (especially Manchester, New Hampshire) that locals began following the lead of railroad conductors and referring to the town as "Manchester-by-the-Sea". The name of the town was officially changed in 1990 following a close town meeting vote and an act of the state legislature. This change was driven by the late Edward Corely, a long time resident of Manchester. All town documents (and the city seal) now use the name "Manchester-by-the-Sea," as have (thanks to some minor resident activism) the majority of public and private lists of Massachusetts cities and towns, including that of the state government. Research Tips
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