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Renting an Apartment in Saugus
What You Should Know
Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United
States. The population was 26,078 at the 2000 census.
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.
The Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, in operation from 1646-1668, was
the first integrated iron works in North America. It is now a National Historic
Site.
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' populations was 784. It's main
industry was agriculture. 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.
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 the city in a $50,000
debt. For this and other reasons the neighborhood of East Saugus sought to be
set of from Saugus and annexed to the city of Lynn. East Saugus was unable to
get a bill in both houses of state legislature and the issue was dropped after
the town appropriated $5,000 for the laying of water pipes through East Saugus.
Saugus' first post office was established in 1932 in East Saugus. In 1858 two
more were established - one in Saugus Center and one in Cliftondale. There is
now only one post office remaining in Saugus.
In 1805 the Newburyport Turnpike (now U.S. Route 1) was built. About four miles
of this road was built in Saugus. William Tudor built a summer estate on the
turnpike. At first it was considered a mistake, as it was built over hills and
swamps. Grass soon grew over the road bed of the turnpike. In 1840 the tolls
were discontinued and it became a public highway. The toll house, located at
what is now the junction of Routes 1 and 99, was tended by the Felton family,
whose son Cornelius became president of Harvard University.
The invention of the automobile brought new life to the Turnpike and 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.
Passenger trains rain through Saugus from 1854 until the mid-1950's. The Eastern
Railroad, Boston and Maine Railroad, and Grand Junction Railroad all ran on the
Saugus Branch Railroad at some point. The Saugus Branch included three stations,
one in Saugus Center, one in Cliftondale, and one in Pleasant Hills.
Saugus was also home to a harness racing track known as the Franklin Trotting
Park, Atwood Racetrack, and the Old Saugus Race Course. This racetrack and
adjacent hotel opened in 1870. The half-mile oval track and the four story hotel
and grandstand was a big attraction. It closed in 1905 after local citizens
complained about the questionable patrons that the racetrack attracted.
In 1911 the racetrack became an airfield. The airfield saw the first airmail
delivery in New England on May 30, 1912. It was later named Atwood Aviation Park
after Harry Atwood the pilot of the historic delivery. Pioneer aviators Ruth
Bancroft Law and Lincoln J. Beachey flew at Saugus.
Laurence G. Hanscom a pilot, aviation enthusiast, State House reporter for the
Worcester Telegram Gazette, and namesake of Hanscom Air Force Base and Hanscom
Field was killed in a plane crash while performing stunt maneuvers over
marshland in Saugus on February 9, 1941.
Saugus is home to the oldest barber shop in the United States. The over 100 year
old George's Barber Shop is located in the Cliftondale section of Saugus.
In recent years the town has suffered financial trouble and is in danger of
needing state intervention to solve its fiscal problems. A vote on April 24,
2007, in which less than 40% of the town's voting population participated,
defeated the Proposition 2 1/2 Override, which would have gained the town an
extra $5.2 million in the next year through increased property taxes, by more
than a 2-1 margin (4,572 voted "no" and 2180 voted "yes"). Saugus has had such
problems with its money consumption that it has cut out services like street
plowing in the winter, leaving independent companies to do it. They have
recently cut funding on the library. Teachers have threatened strike several
times, and the crisis got to the point where the government nearly cut all the
school sports for lack of money.
Neighborhoods
Although politically Saugus consists of ten precincts, traditionally it tends be
loosely divided into eight major neighborhoods: Saugus Center, East Saugus,
Cliftondale, Lynnhurst, North Saugus, the Golden Hills, Oaklandvale, and
Kenwood. Some of these have their own organizations that focus on regional
affairs, promote local business, or are simply social in nature.
The three oldest are Saugus Center, Cliftondale, and East Saugus. Each has its
own square and they have all been (incorrectly) represented at one time or
another as independent towns on maps of lesser accuracy.
Points of interest
* Belden Bly Bridge
* Boardman House
* Breakheart Reservation
* Camp Nihan
* Rumney Marsh
* Pranker's Pond
* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
* Square One Mall
* Saugus River