Essex County Antique Maps

Essex County, located in the northeastern corner of Massachusetts, was largely settled by colonists in 1628 and was incorporated on May 10, 1643.  At that time, the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ordered that Essex and the surrounding area be split into four different counties, including Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex, as antique maps would show.  Essex was named for the county in England.

Historical maps of Essex County would also note only a handful of cities within the county at that time, including Cochichewic, Enon, Gloucester, Ipswitch, Lynn, Marblehead, Newbury, Rowley, and of course, Salem, which would later become the most famous city in the state.  Within just about fifty years of the incorporation of Essex County, the Salem Witch Trials (1692-1693) would occur, later gripping public attention and dominating the history of this region.

A little known fact is that the witchcraft hysteria that inundated Salem actually started in nearby Salem Village (shown on historic maps - today that area is ostensibly Danvers and Peabody).  It wasn't until the Court of Oyer and Terminer was appointed in 1692 that the trials moved to the county seat, noted on vintage maps as Salem Town at the time. By the time the hysteria had subsided a little more than a year later, 19 "witches" had been executed in Salem and more than 200 people in total stood accused of practicing the "Devil's magic".  Interestingly, only 11 of the accused and two of those executed for witchcraft were residents of Salem Town.  The reach of the accusations spread to many neighboring towns and counties.

Of course, Salem isn't the only city in Essex County to appear on old maps or have a notable history, although it is certainly the best known.  Marblehead, settled mainly by fishermen in 1629, is named for its rocky shoreline. It was first referred to as Marble-Harbor.  It wasn't until 1633 that the first reference to the name Marblehead appears.  Originally famous for fishing and whaling, Marblehead became a resort town in the 19th century and was eventually best known for yachting. Marblehead was also the birthplace of Elbridge Gerry, who became the basis for the term "gerrymandering" when, in 1812, he infamously districted Essex County into the shape of a serpent for the purposes of gaining political advantage.  The bizarre shaping gave rise to harsh criticism of the practice, as well as satirical political cartoons that are still used today to illustrate gerrymandering.

In 1999, the county government of Essex was dissolved.  Today, Essex County is recognized as a National Protected Area due to a rich colonial and maritime history spanning several centuries.