History of Goat Hill

Beverly’s seaside neighborhood of Goat Hill has a very rich history.  Immigrants from many different parts of the world began to settle there in the 1830’s when the addition of the railroad occurred, because there was a wealth of jobs suddenly available.  The rich ethnicity added to the culture and the customs of Goat Hill as a neighborhood, and some of that culture is still apparent through the lives and attitudes of Goat Hill residents today.

Transportation:  Beverly’s railroad runs through the intersection of Ellingwood Street and Congress Street in Goat Hill (see image 1, image 2, and image 3), another neighborhood in Beverly.  The railroad is  the border between Goat Hill, downtown Beverly, and the Waterfront, or Fish Flake Hill.

Religion:  There were no recorded churches in Goat Hill between the years of 1900 and 1940 in the city directories, but there was a nearby church on RailroadAvenue.  In the 1930 City Directory, St. Alphonse’s Catholic Church was listed on Railroad Avenue, and that is within one block from territories still included as Goat Hill.

Education:  Goat Hill had two schools on its property between the years of 1900 and 1940.  Abraham Edwards School, built around 1912 replaced South District schools and South School on Stone Street in Beverly.[1]  The other school was called Pleasant View School, and was on the corner of Linden Street and Porter Street at Goat Hill.  This school was discontinued in the early 1900’s, however, when all the children were moved to the new Edwards School.[2]

Economy:  Goat Hill was, and still is, primarily a blue-collar, working class neighborhood.  When the railroad was installed through Goat Hill in 1839, there was an especially large growth in the neighborhood, due to job openings for the railroad.[3]  There were also many grocery and variety stores throughout the neighborhood. [4] Aside from that, most of the later inhabitants of Goat Hill worked in factories or businesses throughout the rest of Beverly.

Public Safety:  A fire station existed right across the street from Abraham Edwards School in Goat Hill.  There were also fire alarm boxes throughout the neighborhood, as there were throughout the rest of Beverly.  If the Police were needed, they were not far away in downtown Beverly.  The Fire Station in Goat Hill may be remembered best as the old Curious Creatures building.

Recreation:  Much of the recreational life of Goat Hill residents had to do with their proximity to the water.  Whether it was swimming in Bass River, or in the ocean off of Goat Hill, many residents found leisure through water activities.[5]  Since the water around Goat Hill is too shallow for large boats to maneuver through, people could swim without being interrupted.

Origin:  Goat Hill mainly began to be settled in 1839, as stated before, due to the addition of the railroad.  However, the seventeen present streets of Goat Hill weren’t entirely built up and settled until the 1890’s.[6]

Boundaries:  Goat Hill borders River Street and School Street on the north side, extends to the ocean on the south side, Rantoul Street on the east, and Bass River on the West.[7]

Ethnicity:  The name of Goat Hill is said to have derived from the neighborhood’s first immigrants:  the Irish.  The Irish tended goats on the hill, hence the name of the neighborhood.  Irish immigrants came to the section of Beverly beginning in the 1840’s and 50’s, and then in the early 1900’s a strong wave of Italians found a home there as well.  Today, the Irish and Italian roots are still apparent in the neighborhood.[8]  Also settling in Goat Hill in the early 1900’s were Canadians and people from Scotland, Nova Scotia, and Northern New England[9]  (see Goat Hill Ethnicity Chart).

The neighborhood of Goat Hill is often associated with its familiar family names and its community pride.  Though the neighborhood started out (and for the most part, still is) lower- to -working class, the pride of the inhabitants never subsided.  The neighborhood is as rich historically as any of the other neighborhoods in Beverly, with its background with the railroad and its many different immigrants settling in the area.  Such things in the neighborhood gave it the flavoring that newer neighborhoods lack today.  There was a story that long ago, residents of “the Hill,” embarrassed by the name,  tried to change the neighborhood’s name to “Pleasant View,” but never succeeded.[10]  Well, the local school earned the “Pleasant” name, but “Goat Hill” was never defeated.  Now residents are glad, because the name provides a history of the ethnic background of the neighborhood that no other name could.

  

Percentages of Different Ethnic Backgrounds Represented on Congress St. in Goat Hill in 1900:

41 Residents Total:

State or Country Represented	Number of People	Percentage
Portugal	2	4.9%
Canada	7	17%
Ireland	12	29.3%
Massachusetts	20	48%

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Footnotes

[1] Information provided by The Beverly Historical Society.

[2] Information provided by The Beverly Historical Society.