Revere, Massachusetts

Revere is a city located in Suffolk County, Massachusetts and borders Winthrop, East Boston and Chelsea to the south, Everett and Malden to the west, Saugus and Lynn to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. It comprises 10.0 square miles, although 4.1 miles are open water and wetlands and not suitable for development. Of the 5.9 miles of developed land, 70% is used for housing. Revere is located approximately 5 miles from downtown Boston. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 47,283.

History

Revere?s first inhabitants were Native Americans who belonged to the Pawtucket Tribe and were known as the Rumney Marsh Indians. The leader, or sachem, of the Pawtuckets was Nanepashemet of Lynn. In 1616, an epidemic, probably smallpox, swept the region killing thousands in its wake. Nanepashemet retired to the Mystic River, in what is now Medford, but was found murdered in 1619 at his fort on the brow of Rock Hill overlooking the river.

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Three sons succeeded him in his reign. One of them, Wonohaquaham, also called Sagamore John, had jurisdiction over the Indians at Winnisemmit (later Chelsea)and Rumney Marsh.

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Often, the Indians, with their intimate knowledge of the vast yet unexplored wilderness, would help the settlers in their struggle to survive. During King Phillip's War, the local friendly Indians were placed on what is now Deer Island where many of them perished. Later, some of the Indians on the island were enlisted to help the colonists defeat the other warring tribes. The Indians could not adapt to the White man's civilization whose numbers were increasing at a constant rate, and the race lapsed into obscurity, being practically starved out of existence.

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Rumney Marsh was originally divided and allotted to twenty-one of Boston's most prominent citizens. By 1639, the original 21 allotments had been consolidated into seven great farms. Farming was, and continued to be, the principal industry of Winnisemmet, and Rumney Marsh in particular.

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On September 25, 1634, Rumney Marsh was annexed to Boston, which had received its name only four years earlier. Winnisemmet and Pullen Point (which was later to be known as Winthrop) were also annexed to Boston. The first County Road in North America stretched across Rumney Marsh from the Winnisemmet Ferry to Olde Salem in 1641.

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In 1739, Rumney Marsh, Winnisemmet and Pullen Point were set off from Boston and established as the Town of Chelsea. Revere was the largest of the three settlements, and therefore was selected as the Town Centre.

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Revere played a role in the American Revolution as the site of the first naval battle in 1775 at Rumney Marsh.

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In 1852, Pullen Point was set off from North Chelsea and established as the Town of Winthrop. That same year, Chelsea became a city. In 1871, North Chelsea adopted the name of Revere. The population was 1,197. The name of the Salem Turnpike, which had been completed in 1803, was changed to Broadway.

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