Celebrating
400 years of Beverly!
JOIN US FOR BEVERLY’S QUADRICENTENNIAL IN 2026
Beverly, Massachusetts, Settled in 1626
Now, 400 years later, our City of more than 40,000 people will honor our rich history and create new memories and stories through events and celebrations with our diverse community.
JOIN US FOR 400 YEARS OF BEVERLY!
Our City
Beverly, originally inhabited by people from the Naumkeag and Pawtucket bands of the Massachusett Tribal Nation, was first settled in 1626 as part of Salem by Roger Conant and other members of the Dorchester Company. They settled in what was then called Naumkeag, part of the Agawam Indian Territory. Conant and other colonists built homesteads and fished and farmed along the banks of the North River until 1628. Then a new wave of English colonists arrived led by John Endicott, who was sent by the Massachusetts Bay Company to replace Conant and govern the tiny settlement. Disagreements between the “Old Planters” and the new arose and were eventually resolved peacefully. In honor of this resolution, they changed the name of the settlement from Naumkeag to Salem — or “village of peace.”
Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge and honor the original Indigenous inhabitants of the land we call Beverly: The Naumkeag and Pawtucket bands of the Massachusett Tribal Nation, which continues today through the membership of the Massachusett Tribe.
We acknowledge their ancestral and continued connection to the land and recognize our obligations to be better environmental stewards of this land.
As we work toward diversity, equity, and inclusion, we acknowledge the importance of lifting up and inviting in many voices, including those of Indigenous people, and including those voices and perspectives in our discourse, decision making, and actions.
Beverly Quadricentennial, Inc. a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization since 2023, is dedicated commemorating the city's rich history, celebrate and embrace its diverse community, and inspire a collective vision for future centuries. Eligible donations to support Beverly 400+ are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.