Editing Haverhill, Massachusetts (section)

=== 19th century ===

The [[Bradford College (United States)|Bradford Academy]] was established in 1803. It began as a co-educational institution, then became women-only in 1836.<ref>{{cite book | last = Kingsbury | first = J. D. | title = Memorial History of Bradford, Mass. | publisher = C.C. Morse & Son | year = 1883 | url = http://magenweb.org/Essex/Bradford/1Memorial_History_of_Bradford__Mass_.pdf | pages = 119, 120 | access-date = August 22, 2016 | archive-date = November 25, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151125065514/http://magenweb.org/Essex/Bradford/1Memorial_History_of_Bradford__Mass_.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref>

In 1826, [[influenza]] struck. A [[temperance society]] was formed in 1828.

Haverhill residents were early advocates for the [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolition of slavery]], and the city still retains a number of houses which served as stops on the [[Underground Railroad]]. In 1834, a branch of the [[American Anti-Slavery Society]] was organized in the city. In 1841, citizens from Haverhill petitioned Congress for dissolution of the Union, on the grounds that Northern resources were being used to maintain slavery. [[John Quincy Adams]] presented the Haverhill Petition on January 24, 1842.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=81}} Even though Adams moved that the petition be answered in the negative, an attempt was made to censure him for even presenting the petition.<ref>{{cite book |author= Miller, William Lee |title= Arguing About Slavery. John Quincy Adams and the Great Battle in the United States Congress |publisher= Vintage Books |location= New York |year= 1995 |isbn= 0-394-56922-9 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/arguingaboutslav00mill/page/430 430–431] |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/arguingaboutslav00mill/page/430 }}</ref> In addition, poet and outspoken abolitionist [[John Greenleaf Whittier]] was from Haverhill.

The Haverhill and Boston Stage Coach company operated from 1818 to 1837 when the railroad was extended to Haverhill from Andover. It then changed its name and routes to the Northern and Eastern Stage company.

It was Ezekiel Hale Jr. and son Ezekiel James Madison Hale (descendants of Thomas Hale) that gave Haverhill a great head of steam. It was in the summer of 1835, the brick factory on Winter St. was erected by Ezekiel Hale Jr. and son. It was intended to run woolen flannel at a whopping {{Convert|600|yd|m}} of flannel per day. It was Ezekiel JM Hale, age 21 and graduate of Dartmouth College that came to the rescue when fire destroyed the operation in 1845. He rebuilt the mill at Hale's Falls, now more than twice as large produced nearly three times the output. Ezekiel JM Hale became Haverhill's Tycoon. EJM Hale served a term in the State Senate and was much revered in the area. Hale donated large sums of money to build the hospital and library.<ref>Arthurs Gazette http://arthursgazette.blogspot.com/2010/02/ejm-was-married-to-lucy-lapham-daughter.html</ref>

Haverhill was incorporated as a city in 1870.

In the early morning hours of February 17, 1882, a massive fire destroyed much of the city's mill section, in a blaze that encompassed over {{convert|10|acre}}. Firefighting efforts were hampered by not only the primitive fire fighting equipment of the period, but also high winds and freezing temperatures. The nearby water source—the Merrimack River—was frozen, and hoses dropped through the ice tended to freeze as well. A ''New York Times'' report the next day established the damage at 300 businesses destroyed and damage worth approximately $2M (in 1882 dollars).<ref>{{Cite news| title=The Great Fire At Haverhill| url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1882/02/20/106241968.pdf | work=The New York Times | date=February 20, 1882}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| title=Haverhill's Great Loss| url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1882/02/19/103404409.pdf | work=The New York Times | date=February 19, 1882}}</ref><ref>[https://www.gendisasters.com/massachusetts/14034/haverhill-ma-city-fire-feb-1882 Haverhill, MA City Fire, Feb 1882 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129035015/http://www3.gendisasters.com/massachusetts/14034/haverhill-ma-city-fire-feb-1882 |date=2014-11-29 }}. .gendisasters.com (2009-11-02). Retrieved on 2013-08-02.</ref>

====Annexation====

Bradford fits naturally into Haverhill but they were separate towns until January 1, 1897, when Bradford joined the City of Haverhill. Bradford was originally the western part of [[Rowley, Massachusetts|Rowley]] until it split from Old Rowley in 1672. In 1850, the East part of Bradford left and was founded as the independent town of [[Groveland, Massachusetts|Groveland]]. When Haverhill became a city in 1870, there were calls for Bradford to be annexed. This would go on for another 26 years.  Neither town agreed to a plan, until in late 1896, the vote came up and both sides agreed to join.

There were many reasons for the decision.  Finances played a part into the annexation; a lot of people who lived in Bradford had businesses in Haverhill and wanted lower taxes. Traditionalists wanted Haverhill to be a [[dry town]] as Bradford was. Businesses in [[Lawrence, Massachusetts|Lawrence]], [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth]], and [[Andover, Massachusetts|Andover]] wanted Haverhill to be a dry town so more business would show up and increase businesses in those towns. The demand for municipal services like hospitals, schools, and a new factory downtown were in Haverhill while Bradford had none of the three. The Bradford Center of town wanted to join Haverhill but the Ward Hill section of town did not at the time since it was a substantial distance from both Bradford and Haverhill.

Finally, another reason why Haverhill wanted to annex Bradford was to return the town to majority English instead of the plurality of [[Irish people|Irish]], [[French Canadians]] and Central Europeans ([[Hungarians]], [[Slovaks]], [[Germans]], and [[Italians]]) it had become with the influx of mill workers. Haverhill gladly approved with the first ballot in 1870 and Bradford was no more starting January 1, 1897. Bradford remains the only town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to be annexed to a neighboring city other than [[Boston]].

Haverhill became the first American city with a [[socialism|socialist]] mayor in 1898 when it elected former shoe factory worker and cooperative grocery store clerk [[John C. Chase]].<ref>Frederic C. Heath, ''Social Democracy Red Book.'' Terre Haute, IN: Debs Publishing Co., 1900; p. 108.</ref> Chase was re-elected to this position in 1899 but was defeated the following year.