Saugus, Massachusetts

Saugus, Massachusetts
Town
Saugus Town Hall
Seal
Location in Essex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°27′53″N 71°00′38″W / 42.46472°N 71.01056°W / 42.46472; -71.01056Coordinates: 42°27′53″N 71°00′38″W / 42.46472°N 71.01056°W / 42.46472; -71.01056
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Essex
Settled	1629
Incorporated	1815
Government
• Type	Town Manager–Board of Selectmen/Representative town meeting
• Town Manager	Scott Crabtree
• Board of Selectmen	Ellen Faiella Maureen Dever Debra Panetta Stephen Castinetti Paul Allan
Area
• Total	11.8 sq mi (30.6 km2)
• Land	10.8 sq mi (28.0 km2)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2)
Elevation	21 ft (6 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	26,628
• Density	2,300/sq mi (870/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	01906
Area code(s)	339 / 781
FIPS code	25-60015
GNIS feature ID	0619454
Website	Town of Saugus, Official Web Site

Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 26,628 at the 2010 census.^[1]

History

Saugus was first settled in 1629. Saugus is an Indian name believed to mean "great" or "extended". In 1637, the territory known as Saugus (which also contained the present day cities and towns of Swampscott, Nahant, Lynn, Lynnfield, Reading, and Wakefield) was renamed Lin or Lynn, after King's Lynn in Norfolk, England.^[2]

The Saugus Iron Works, in operation from 1646 to 1668, was the first integrated iron works in North America. It is now a U.S. National Historic Site.^[3]

Nearly 100 men from Saugus fought in the American Revolutionary War.^[4] Saugus' preacher, Parson Joseph Roby, worked hard to strengthen the spirit of independence in Saugus and was instrumental in seeing that Saugus sent a large representation to participate in the war.^[5][4]

The nineteenth century ice industry began in Saugus when in 1804 Frederic Tudor cut ice from a pond on the family farm and shipped it to Martinique.^[6]

In 1805 the Newburyport Turnpike (now U.S. 1) was built. About four miles of this road was built in Saugus. At first the turnpike was considered a mistake, as it was built over hills and swamps and grass soon grew over the road bed. From 1840 to 1846, the tolls were discontinued and it became a public highway.^[7] The invention of the automobile resulted in an increase of traffic on the Turnpike. In 1933 the road was widened and an overpass was added to separate the traffic on Route 1 and Main Street. In the 1950s new businesses began moving to Route 1. Today the businesses along Route 1 generate millions in dollars for Saugus.^[8]

The Lynn territory was shortened beginning in 1814 with the incorporation of Lynnfield. On February 17, 1815, present-day Saugus was officially incorporated as a town. The first town meeting was held on March 13, 1815 in the parish church. At the time of its incorporation, Saugus' population was 784. Its main industry was agriculture.^[7]

During the Industrial Revolution, many new industries moved to Saugus. Shoes and woolen goods were made in Saugus Center, and tobacco was manufactured in Cliftondale and East Saugus.^[7] Following the American Civil War, the Cliftondale section of Saugus became a major producer of tobacco as many of the southern tobacco plantations were in ruins. The Waitt & Bond tobacco house became a major producer of cigars and the snuff factory in East Saugus was the nation's largest producer of that product. Due to its thriving tobacco industry, Saugus was dubbed the "Winston-Salem of the North".^[9]

Saugus' first post office was established in 1832 in East Saugus. In 1858 two more were established - one in Saugus Center and one in Cliftondale.^[7] Now only the Cliftondale post office remains in Saugus.

The first town hall was built in 1837. It was built with $2,000 of the United States revenue surplus distributed by President Andrew Jackson. It is currently an American Legion hall. In 1875 the town built its second and current town hall on Central Street. The construction of the town hall put Saugus in a $50,000 debt. For this and other reasons the neighborhood of East Saugus sought to be set off from Saugus and annexed to the city of Lynn. East Saugus was unable to get a bill in both houses of the state legislature, and the issue was dropped after the town appropriated $5,000 for the laying of water pipes through East Saugus.^[7]

Passenger trains ran through Saugus from 1853 to 1958 on the Saugus Branch Railroad. There were three Saugus Branch stations in Saugus (Saugus Center, Cliftondale, and Pleasant Hills) and two just outside the town's borders in Lynn (East Saugus) and Revere (Franklin Park).^[10]

Saugus was home to the Franklin Park harness racing track,^[11] also known as the Old Saugus Race Track^[12] or Saugus Race Course.^[13] It closed in 1905 after local citizens complained about the questionable patrons that the racetrack attracted.^[14]

In 1911 the racetrack became an airfield.^[14] In 1912, the property was purchased by the General Aviation Corporation who named it Atwood Park in honor of their most famous pilot, Harry Atwood.^[15] The airfield saw the first airmail delivery in New England on May 30, 1912.^[12] Pioneer aviators Ruth Bancroft Law^[16] and Lincoln J. Beachey^[8] flew at Saugus. The airport closed in the 1920s.^[14]

On October 8, 1900, George E. Bailey was murdered at Breakheart Hill Farm in Saugus. His legs and torso would be found nine days later in Floating Bridge Pond in Lynn. His head and arms were found there the next day. After a highly publicized investigation and trial, John C. Best was found guilty of murder. He was executed on September 9, 1902.^[17][18]

Wheelabrator Technologies' Waste-to-Energy plant in Saugus became the first commercially-successful incineration plant in the U.S.

Following a June 2, 1947, referendum, the town adopted a Plan E form of government. Saugus became the first town in Massachusetts to accept this form of government.^[19] On February 16, 1948, James Shurtleff was unanimously chosen by the Board of Selectmen to become the first Town Manager of Saugus.^[20]

Saugus is home to the oldest barber shop in the United States. The 111-year-old George's Barber Shop is located in the Cliftondale section of Saugus.

Saugus Public Library

In the 1970s, the town, led by Town Manager Francis Moorehouse, attempted to transform the area around Route 107 by having an oil refinery and a garbage incineration plant built.^[21][22] Although the refinery plans fell through in October 1975, the incineration plant was completed. It would become the first commercially-successful incineration plant in the U.S. and is still in operation today.^[23]

In 1989, the attempted murder of Frank Salemme by Angelo Mercurio took place in Saugus.

During the 1990s and 2000s, the town's Capital Improvement Plan, designed by Edward J. Collins, Jr., resulted in the construction of the new public safety building, senior center, library and public works facility. The Saugus Town Hall and the Stackpole Field clubhouse were renovated.^[24][25] In 2001, Town Manager Steven Angelo was able to secure federal funds to dredge the Saugus River, a project that had lingered since the 1960s.^[26]

Geography and transportation

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.8 square miles (30.6 km²), of which 10.8 square miles (28.0 km²) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²), or 8.53%, is water.^[27] The town lies just inland from Massachusetts Bay, divided from the ocean by the Point of Pines neighborhood of Revere. The southern end of town is dominated by Rumney Marsh, which lies along the Pines River, a tributary of the Saugus River. The Saugus River flows through town, and is fed by several brooks. There are several ponds within town, including parts of Birch Pond, Hawkes Pond and Walden Pond. Part of the Lynn Woods Reservation, and most of the Breakheart Reservation and Rumney Marsh Reservation lie within town.

Saugus Center Rotary

Saugus is divided into several neighborhood villages, including Saugus Center, East Saugus, North Saugus, Pleasant Hill, Lynnhurst, Oaklandvale and Cliftondale. Of these, the majority of the town's population resides in Lynnhurst, Pleasant Hills, Cliftondale, East Saugus and Saugus Center; Oaklandvale and North Saugus are much less densely populated. The town lies at the southern end of Essex County (though it is not the southernmost town in the county; Nahant extends just south of the town). The town is bordered by Lynnfield to the north, Lynn to the east, Revere (in Suffolk County) to the south, and Melrose and Wakefield to the west, in Middlesex County. The town also shares a common point with the city of Malden, where it also meets Melrose and Revere. Saugus lies 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Salem, 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Boston, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Cape Ann and 20 miles (32 km) south of the New Hampshire state line.

U.S. Route 1 passes through town along a divided highway, with five exit ramps throughout town. This stretch of Route 1, though not a full controlled access highway (it is lined with a major shopping district, including the Square One Mall), is a major commuter route out of Boston, heading towards the intersection of Interstate 95 and Massachusetts Route 128 in Lynnfield. The route is also shared by a 3/4-mile long concurrency with Route 129, which passes through North Saugus before joining Route 1 to head northward into Lynnfield. Route 99 terminates at Route 1 as well, in the southern end of town. Route 107 passes through the town as the Salem Turnpike through the Rumney Marsh, crossing the Saugus River into Lynn over the Fox Hill Bridge.

The Newburyport/Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail passes through the southeast corner of town, between two stations in Lynn (at the GE plant and at Central Square) and one in nearby Chelsea. The Blue Line of the MBTA's subway line terminates in Revere; there has been talk of extending the subway into Lynn. Saugus is also served by several MBTA bus, linking the town with nearby train lines. The nearest airport is Boston's Logan International Airport.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 26,628 people, 10,318 households, and 7,144 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,373.7 people per square mile (916.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.9% White, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 2.7% Asian, 2.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

There were 10,318 households out of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.8% were non-families. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 4.5% under the age of 5, 5.2% from 5 to 9, 5.7% from 10 to 14, 5.9% from 15 to 19, 5.6% from 20 to 24, 5.6% from 25 to 29, 5.5% from 30 to 34, 6.4% from 35 to 39, 7.3% from 40 to 44, 8.1% from 45 to 49, 8.4% from 50 to 54, 7.5% from 55 to 59, 6.9% from 60 to 64, 4.9% from 65 to 69, 3.8% from 70 to 74, 3.6% from 75 to 79, 2.9% from 80 to 84, and 2.3% who were 85 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years.

The median income for a household in the town was $55,301, and the median income for a family was $65,782. Males had a median income of $43,219 versus $32,783 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,524. About 3.1% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Saugus Town Hall front view

Since 1947 Saugus has had a Plan E form of government, which is a combination of representative town meeting and Town Manager. Saugus was the first town in Massachusetts to accept this form of government.^[38][39] This plan included a Single transferable vote voting system, but this was abandoned in 1950.^[40]

Elections for all seats on the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Town Meeting, and Housing Authority are held biennially in odd-numbered years.^[39]

Town manager

The Town Manager serves as the chief administrative manager and chief fiscal officer of Saugus, Massachusetts. He is appointed by the Board of Selectmen.^[39]

Board of Selectmen

The Board of Selectmen consists of five at-large members. The Board serves as the chief policy makers of the Town.^[39] Selectmen are ineligible to hold any other town office.^[39]

School committee

The School Committee consists of five at-large members.^[39] School Committee members are ineligible to hold any other town office.^[39]

Town Meeting

Saugus representative town meeting consists of 50 members; five for each of the town's ten precincts. The annual town meeting is held on the first Monday in May. At the first town meeting after each election of town meeting members, a moderator of all town meetings shall be elected by the body. The moderator must be a town meeting member.^[39]

Media

Saugus Cable Television Station or SCTS is a Public-access television station that provides local television programing to the community. SCTS broadcasts to Saugus Comcast cable subscribers on channel 8 (public-access), channel 9 (government), and channel 22 (educational).

Saugus is home to two newspapers, the Saugus Advertiser and the Saugus Advocate.

Since 1950, the transmitter for WROL has been located off of the Salem Turnpike in Saugus.^[41] It was previously used by WHDH from 1934 to 1948.^[42][43]

Points of interest

Saugus Center and Town Hall

• Belden Bly Bridge
• Boardman House
• Breakheart Reservation
• Camp Nihan
• Prankers Pond
• Rumney Marsh Reservation
• Saugus High School
• Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
• Saugus River
• Saugus Town Hall
• Square One Mall

Notable people

Movies and television shows filmed in Saugus

• American Playhouse episode "Three Sovereigns for Sarah" (1985)^[44]
• The Joneses (2009)^[45]
• Food Paradise episodes "Steak Paradise" (2008) and "Donut Paradise" (2008)
• Furry Vengeance (2010)^[46]
• Mark of the Dog Rose (2012)^[47]
• Grown Ups 2 (2012) filmed at Stackpole Field^[48]

See also

• 2003 Little League World Series
• North Shore (Massachusetts)
• USS Saugus (1863)
• USS Saugus (LSV-4)
• USS Saugus (YTB-780)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saugus, Massachusetts.

• Saugus Aerial Photograph
• Town of Saugus official website
• Saugus.com, community information
• Saugus Public Library
• Saugus Senior Center
• World Series Park
• Saugus.net, community information

v t e Saugus, Massachusetts Incorporated in 1815 Based in Essex County in Massachusetts Population 26,628 General Information Saugus History Geography & Transportation Demographics Government Media Points of interest Notable residents Use as a filming location Representation in 2003 Little League World Series (Fourth place) Town Manager Institutions Breakheart Reservation Camp Nihan Lynn Fells Parkway Prankers Pond Rumney Marsh Reservation USS Saugus (LSV-4) USS Saugus (YTB-780) USS Saugus (1863) Saugus River Saugus Advertiser Town Managers Steven Angelo Paul H. Boucher Edward J. Collins, Jr. Robert Cornetta Robert Hagopian John B. Kennedy Walter E. Lawrence Daniel E. McLean Francis Moorehouse Paul Rabchenuk James Shurtleff Clarence Wilkinson Notable residents Ross Alameddine Joseph Alexander Ames Nathan Ames Ben Arnold Stephen Bachiler Belden Bly Tom Brunansky Wayne Budd Jonathan Cheever Don Cherry John A. Curry Arthur F. DeFranzo Gary Doak Ed Fallon Mark Falzone Cornelius Conway Felton John B. Felton Samuel Morse Felton, Jr. Fanny Fern Vincent Ferrini Gustavus Fox Edmund Freeman John Geoghan Paul G. Hewitt Horace Hillis Sagamore James Phyllis Katsakiores Rose Kaufman Tim Kelly Dave Lucey Susan Lynch Doug Mackie William Moulton Marston Darrell Martinie Bob Montgomery Deborah Moody Francis Moorehouse Henry Newhall Eddie Palladino Arlie Pond C. F. Nelson Pratt Johnny Rae Eileen Rose Verne E. Rupright John P. Slattery Art Spinney Art Statuto Marion L. Starkey Ella Cheever Thayer William Tudor Sandra Whyte Frederick Willis Donald Wong Kevin Wortman Neighboring towns Wakefield (Template) Lynnfield Peabody Melrose (Template) Lynn   Saugus   Malden Revere Nahant Category Media related to Saugus, Massachusetts at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Municipalities and communities of Essex County, Massachusetts, United States County seats: Salem and Lawrence Cities Amesbury Beverly Gloucester Haverhill Lawrence Lynn Methuen Newburyport Peabody Salem Towns Andover Boxford Danvers Essex Georgetown Groveland Hamilton Ipswich Lynnfield Manchester-by-the-Sea Marblehead Merrimac Middleton Nahant Newbury North Andover Rockport Rowley Salisbury Saugus Swampscott Topsfield Wenham West Newbury CDPs Andover Boxford Essex Ipswich Rockport Rowley Salisbury Topsfield Other villages Annisquam Ballardvale Beverly Farms Bradford Byfield Clifton Magnolia Plum Island

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