History of Gloucester Crossing

Many neighborhoods are a mixture of more than one aspect of a living and working community. However, the history of Gloucester Crossing is very different. Created only because the United Shoe Machinery Corporation chose to construct a factory in that particular area of Beverly, Gloucester Crossing was a neighborhood based on the economy. The many families of this neighborhood depended on their income from the factory and after many years went by, generations grew up with the United Shoe as an everyday part of their lives. However, Gloucester Crossing slowly grew into its own characteristic neighborhood and soon became a colorful part of Beverly’s past.

Gloucester Crossing was founded at the turn of the century shortly before the United Shoe Machinery Corporation opened in 1903. ¹ The entire neighborhood of Gloucester Crossing was developed and created by an ambitious businessman named Joseph L. Simon. Simon knew that with the coming of the United Shoe, there would be an abundance of new jobs and therefore housing for these new workers and their families would be a must. Simon bought the large vacant plots of land near the site of the United Shoe and had multiple three-deckers and duplexes built, creating streets like Ropes Street, Simon Street, Grant Street, and Bennett Street. The other streets that made up Gloucester Crossing were, Gage Street, Charles Street, Beckford Street, and Mill Street which suddenly became more populated and important with the new factory and the new housing construction. ² (see image)

Due to the fact that the coming of the United Shoe had created much of Gloucester Crossing, the United Shoe was to remain as the only source of economy for the neighborhood. Construction for the United Shoe began in July of 1903. (see image) All of the construction work was done by men using horses and wagons. Hundreds of Italian workers came to Beverly to work on the structures for the three buildings that were to be the future United Shoe. When the United Shoe was completely finished, over two thousand five hundred men were hired. ³ (see image)

Along with the economic stability that the United Shoe brought to Gloucester Crossing, it also brought activities, sports, and other forms of recreation to the neighborhood. From 1907 to 1940 the United Shoe sponsored the “Sam Sam” festival which included carnival rides, midway games, and entertainment for its employees and their families. (see image) In 1912, the United Shoe also had its own baseball team comprised of Beverly Shoe workers. (see image) Every year the Beverly employees played the employees from the United Shoe branch in Boston. The United Shoe also sponsored a ten-mile road race around Beverly and a girls gymnastics club. (see image)

With the expanding amount of families moving into Gloucester Crossing, a schoolhouse was built on Beckford Street to educate the children of the workers. (see image) However, most of the children attended the Washington School on Elliot Street because the schools district lines included the streets of Gloucester Crossing.

As for transportation, the three-decker houses on Simon, Grant, Ropes, and Mill Streets were built so that local factory workers could walk to work. Only the upper class residents that lived off Mckay Street needed automobiles to get to work. Also the fact that the railroads bordered Gloucester Crossing on both sides made for easy transportation. (see image)

Gloucester Crossing was at an ideal location because the residents were close to their place of work, transportation, and they were relatively close to downtown. (.jpg.G.C.tracks3) Since Gloucester Crossing was already close to the police and fire stations of downtown, neither were built especially for the neighborhood of Gloucester Crossing. Gloucester Crossing residents also had to travel to downtown Beverly to attend church services since there was already many churches downtown. However, in 1920 the Jewish Congregational Church was built on Beckford Street.

For many years Gloucester Crossing and the United Shoe thrived together as one community. Most if not all of the residents of Gloucester Crossing depended on the steady income the United Shoe provided. Gloucester Crossing was built solely based upon the needs of the United Shoe, but with time Gloucester Crossing became its own growing neighborhood. Up until the 1940s, the United Shoe was still a prosperous corporation, and in turn it still had a positive influence on the Gloucester Crossing neighborhood.  (see image)

Over the years many new residents had moved to Gloucester Crossing because of the stability that the United Shoe provided. Using Mill Street as an example of the ethnicity of Gloucester Crossing residents, it evident that new residents came to Gloucester Crossing for all over the country and the world. Four percent were from Ireland, four percent were from England, fifty six percent were from Canada, and twenty four percent were from Massachusetts. Also, a total of twelve percent were from other states. (see chart )

In conclusion, Gloucester Crossing is a neighborhood with a different, yet colorful past. What once was simply a neighborhood created to house United Shoe employees, became a living and thriving community as the years went by. Even though Gloucester Crossing was originally created because of the United Shoe, this neighborhood proved that a community of people living together in the same area can make the best of any situation if they work together as one.

ETHNICITY OF MILL STREET IN GLOUCESTER CROSSING
PLACE OF BIRTH	NUMBER OF RESIDENTS FROM THE LOCATION	PERCENT OUT OF TOTAL NUMBER OF RESIDENTS
CANADA	28	56%
ENGLAND	2	4%
IRELAND	2	4%
MAINE	3	6%
MASSACHUSETTS	12	24%
MICHIGAN	1	2%
NEW HAMPSHIRE	1	2%
RHODE ISLAND	2	2%
	50 TOTAL RESIDENTS

 

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Footnotes

1. Dorothy Lorant and Lynne Ladd, USM today and yesterday 75th Anniversary Special Edition 6, no. 2.

2. Jay Lindsay, “Gloucester Crossing: In the Shoe’s shadow,” Beverly Citizen, 13 December 1996, vol.2, no.16.

3. Dorothy Lorant and Lynne Ladd, USM today and yesterday 75th Anniversary Special Edition 7, no. 2.

4. Iain Howie, “Serving the Shoemaker for 100 years.” The Official Centenary History of the British United Shoe Machinery.

5. Beverly City Directory for 1916, (244 Cabot St. Beverly MA), 316.

6. Jay Lindsay ,”Gloucester Crossing: In the Shoe’s shadow,” Beverly Citizen, 13 December 1996, vol. 2, no.16.

7. Beverly City Directory for 1940 (242 Cabot St. Beverly MA), 522.

8. Iain Howie, “Serving the Shoemaker for 100 years.” The Official Centenary History of British United Shoe Machinery.

9. United States Census, 1 June 1900, Beverly MA, by Marie L. Grenien, 1478.