A Brief History of Old Newbury

In the first ten years of its settlement, the town of Newbury witnessed murders, kidnappings, earthquakes and a plague of caterpillars. The century that followed�marked by religious conflict, Indian uprisings and public scandal� proved no less challenging to the early Puritan community. In 1640, Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop noted, �As people increased, so sin abounded.� But through the turmoil, Newbury�s citizens harnessed the region�s abundant natural resources and developed a thriving