The Wheelmen's Hand-Book of Essex County, Massachusetts
Contents
- The compiler introduces the third, thoroughly revised and enlarged edition of this guide for Essex County cyclists and general tourists. He acknowledges contributors and explains improvements over earlier editions.
- Covers Amesbury, a town of about 10,000 in northern Essex County roughly 40 miles from Boston, known for carriage and woolen manufacturing. Notes on road conditions (mostly poor and sandy), nearby routes to Salisbury Point, and local cycling facilities are included.
- Describes Andover, home to Phillips Academy, Andover Theological Seminary, and Abbott Female Academy, with the Boston and Maine Railroad running through. The Elm House hotel is recommended for wheelmen, with John Loring noted for bicycle repairs.
- Profiles Beverly, a busy shoe-manufacturing town of under 10,000 with a quiet summer resort shore and elegant villas along the Atlantic. Roads about town are described as quite hard and favorable, with routes to Beverly Farms (4 miles) and Manchester (7 miles).
- Boxford is described as a town of 840 inhabitants split into two parishes some six miles apart, the first parish lying about twenty-four miles from Boston on the Newburyport branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The Redington House takes transient guests, West Boxford has none, and the only sight noted is match manufacturing at Byam & Co.; roads are level and hard, with routes given from both the East and West Boxford squares.
- Brief coverage of Bradford and Danvers, noting Danvers has Eastern and Western divisions of the Boston and Maine Railroad plus horse-cars connecting to Peabody and Salem. Points of interest include the historic Endicott pear-tree planted in 1630.
- Essex is described as a town of 1,722 inhabitants, 27 miles from Boston, with industries including ship-building, farming, fishing, and shoe manufacture. Georgetown is noted for Baldpate Hill, the highest point in Essex County, with the Pentucket House hotel.
- Covers the fishing city of Gloucester, with attractions including stone quarries at Bay View and Lanesville, Eastern Point lighthouse, Bass Rocks, and Good-Harbor Beach. The popular 15-mile bicycle ride "Around the Cape" taking in Rockport is highlighted, along with the Crescent Cycle Club.
- Short sketch of Groveland with road routes to Boxford (2.5 miles), Georgetown, Bradford, Haverhill (3 miles via Groveland village), and West Newbury (5 miles along the river bank). Road quality is noted as variable.
- Describes Hamilton and Wenham together, noting the road from Wenham through Hamilton to Ipswich (7 miles) as one of the most delightful rides in the county with excellent roads and varied scenery. Onward connections to Essex (12 miles) and Gloucester (19 miles) are described.
- Haverhill is presented with the Haverhill Bicycle Club having headquarters at 2 Bridge Street and a riding hall in Court Street. L. A. W. consul J. Fred Adams is listed as a contact, with several hotels including the League hotel noted.
- Ipswich is noted for its manufacture of boots, shoes, and woolen hosiery, with the Boston and Maine Railroad stopping there. The Agawan House atop the hill is the L. A. W. hotel offering a 33 percent discount to League tourists.
- Lawrence, a city of about 40,000 in the north-western part of the county, is described as a major center of cotton and woolen manufacturing with large mills and a growing paper industry. Road conditions in the city are noted as quite good, with routes to Methuen (2 miles) and Haverhill described.
- Lynn is covered as a major center of the shoe and leather industry with many pretty rides, chief points of interest being High Rock (with a magnificent view), Dungeon Rock Cave, and the Electric Light Works on Western avenue. The Lynn Cycle Club Track, built in spring 1886 with a blue gravel surface, is described.
- Brief sketch of Lynnfield Center (8 miles from Lynn) as a farming town of 766 with fine roads and natural scenery. The Lynnfield hotel on the turnpike at the south village is the only public house, and there is no cycling club in the town.
- Manchester is noted for its fine roads and as a pleasant destination on routes from Gloucester and Beverly. Coasting caution is advised on the hill just beyond the first houses in town, with a curve at the top requiring attention.
- Marblehead is described as a quaint old seaport town four miles east of Salem, one of the oldest in New England, with shoe manufacturing replacing the once-dominant fishing industry. Points of interest include Abbot Hall, the birthplace of Moll Pitcher, and the historic Fountain Inn well; the local cycling club is noted as having become more social in recent years.
- Short entry on Merrimac noting the town is accessible by a branch of the Boston and Maine road via Newton Junction N.H., 40 miles from Boston. The Prescott House hotel in Main Street is recommended as first-class with all modern improvements.
- Methuen is covered briefly, with the Broadway route to Lawrence (2 miles, straight road with no hills) and the road via Lawrence to Haverhill (10.25 miles) described. There is a hotel of ordinary grade in the town.
- Middleton is described as a farming district of 899 inhabitants known for the extensive seed farms of James J. H. Gregory. Nahant is praised for smooth roads, beautiful scenery, and fish dinners, with attractions including the Pirates Cave, Maolis Gardens, and Natural Bridge.
- Newburyport receives an extended description as a quaint historic city with excursions radiating in many directions: Georgetown (10 miles), West Newbury, and scenic countryside roads. The Chain Bridge spanning the Merrimac, serpentine mineral deposits, and the city's historic associations with French Refugees and notable figures are highlighted.
- North Andover is noted for fine farms including Congressman Russell's fancy-stock farm, three large woolen mills (one the first of its kind in America), and the largest cotton and woolen machinery shop in the country. The town has a population of 3,425 with good railroad accommodations.
- Peabody is described as a thriving tanning and currying town of 9,530 inhabitants, with the Peabody Institute on Main Street housing a portrait of Queen Victoria presented by George Peabody. Ship Rock, said to be the largest boulder east of the Mississippi, is listed as a notable sight, along with the new Town Hall and Soldiers Monument.
- Rockport (population 3,888, 35 miles from Boston) is covered as a stone-cutting and quarrying center, with routes to Ipswich (6.5 miles) and Danvers (5 miles). Rowley is praised for especially good, hard and dry roads second only to Ipswich in quality, with a delightful ride of 8.75 miles to Newburyport and a visit to Prospect Hill recommended.
- Salem is given substantial coverage as the historic county seat, with the Salem Willows and Juniper Point as summer resorts at Salem Neck. The Essex House at 176 Essex Street is the L. A. W. hotel; road routes are provided to Peabody (2 miles), Beverly (2 miles), and Swampscott (4 miles).
- Brief entry on Salisbury, noting its practical joining with Amesbury as the two places function nearly as one town. Road connections and the town's position in the northern part of the county are noted.
- Saugus is described as a pretty shoe-manufacturing town of 2,855 with charming scenery and a fine view from Ballard Hill, and is home to the Puritan Bicycle Club. Swampscott is noted for first-class summer hotels including the Lincoln House, Ocean House, Hotel Beacon, and Hotel Preston at Beach Bluff, with first-class roads.
- Brief coverage of Topsfield with road routes from the town square to Ipswich (6.5 miles east on the turnpike), Danvers (5 miles west), East Boxford (3 miles), Hamilton (5 miles), Middleton (6 miles), and Wenham (5 miles via Central Street).
- Wenham is cross-referenced to the Hamilton and Wenham entry. West Newbury is introduced as well worthy of a visit, positioned as the final town entry before the league and literature sections of the guide.
- Chronicles the history and activities of the League of Essex County Wheelmen, now in its fifth year, covering its officers, annual meets, race meetings, and notable events including excursions to Nahant and Marblehead. Race results, membership details, and the league's growing reputation within the national wheeling fraternity are recorded.
- An extensive annotated survey of cycling periodicals published in English (including the L. A. W. Bulletin, Bicycling World, Cyclist, Bicycling News, Wheeling, and many others) together with a bibliography of cycling books, manuals, and guide-books available to 1886. Compiled with assistance from Karl Kron, it covers dates, prices, publishers, and editorial histories of the key publications in the wheel press.