Editing Haverhill, Massachusetts (section)

=== 20th century ===
Haverhill was the site of a [[Leyden riot|riot]] in 1915 as well as the eponymous [[Haverhill fever]], also known as [[rat-bite fever]], in 1926.

In the early part of the 20th century, the manufacturing base in the city came under pressure as a result of lower priced imports from abroad. The Great Depression exacerbated the economic slump, and as a result city leaders enthusiastically embraced the concept of [[urban renewal]] in the 1950s and 1960s, receiving considerable federal funds used to demolish much of the north side of Merrimack Street, most of the [[Federal architecture|Federal]] homes along Water Street (dating from the city's first hundred years of development), and throughout downtown. Many of the city's iconic buildings were lost, including the [[Oddfellows]] Hall, the Old City Hall, the Second Meetinghouse, the Pentucket Club, and the Old Library, among others.

In 1932, French residents erected a statue of [[Marquis de Lafayette]] which still stands today in the aptly named intersection called Lafayette Square.

During Urban Renewal, the iconic high school—the inspiration for [[Bob Montana]]'s [[Archie Comics]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wbur.org/artery/2015/05/30/archie-betty-haverhill-geary |title=A Search For The Real-Life Archie, Betty And Friends Began In Haverhill |website=www.wbur.org |date=May 30, 2015 |language=en |access-date=2019-12-24}}https://www.wbur.org/artery/2015/05/30/archie-betty-haverhill-geary</ref>—was declared "unsound" and slated for demolition. Instead, the historic City Hall on Main Street was demolished, and city began using the High School of Archie's Gang as the new City Hall.

Urban Renewal was controversial.  Several leading citizens argued to use the funds for preservation rather than demolition. Their plan was not accepted in Haverhill, which chose to demolish much of its historic downtown, including entire swaths of Merrimack Street, River Street, and Main Street. However, examples of the city's architecture, spanning nearly four centuries, abound: from early colonial houses (the White residence, the [[Dustin House]], the 1704 John Ward House, the 1691 Kimball Tavern, and the historic district of Rocks Village) to the modernist 1960s architecture of the downtown Haverhill Bank. The city's Highlands district, adjacent to downtown, is a fine example of the variety of [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] mansions built during Haverhill's boom years as a shoe manufacturing city.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}