Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1292368
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 28 OCTOBER 2020 FAC E S + P L AC E S Sometimes it can seem as if the modern world simply passed Hamilton and Wenham by. A drive through the two small, closely linked North Shore towns reveals no remnants of abandoned industry, no tall contemporary buildings, no major shopping areas. But there are plenty of rolling fields edged by stone walls, clapboard houses that are hundreds of years old, and small clusters of local businesses. "It's a peaceful place to live," says Jack Wil- helm, chair of the Wenham Board of Selectmen. "People just come here and stay for years—I've never heard someone want to move." Wenham, then part of Salem, was first settled by colonists in 1635. Colonists first moved into Hamilton, then a village in southern Ipswich, in 1638. As the towns grew, farming remained central to their identities. In the 1800s, ice from Wenham Lake was a popular export—even Queen Victoria was said to be an enthusiast—but the business subsided by the early 1900s and left little industrial mark on the town. In Hamilton, D A T E O F S E T T L E M E N T 1635 D A T E O F I N C O R P O R A T I O N 1643 A R E A 8.1 square miles P O P U L A T I O N 5,278 Z I P C O D E 01984 M E D I A N H O U S E H O L D I N C O M E $ 109,712 D A T E O F S E T T L E M E N T 1638 D A T E O F I N C O R P O R A T I O N 1793 A R E A 14.9 square miles P O P U L A T I O N 7,764 Z I P C O D E 01982 M E D I A N H O U S E H O L D I N C O M E $ 112,250 Pulitzer Prize–winning author Paul Harding, former Red Sox pitcher Bob Stanley TV host Kevin O'Connor, Actor Bo Burnham, Gen. George S. Patton, actor David Morse N O T A B L E R E S I D E N T S N O T A B L E R E S I D E N T S THE DETAILS: WENHAM THE DETAILS: HAMILTON throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, wealthy families were attracted to the open land and built country estates. Today, the towns retain a quiet pace of life, connection to open space, and strong sense of community. The school system in consistently among the state's most highly rated, parks and public farms offer access The natual beauty found in these towns offers traquility and peace. to the outdoors, and locals support a strong core of small, local businesses. "We love the community," says Kevin O'Connor, the host of TV 's "This Old House," who moved to Hamilton 10 years ago in search of good schools and a big backyard for his three children. "You have a very strong-knit, like-minded community of adults who put PHOTOGRAPH BY HANNAH DAIGLE