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By Lindsey Gendall
What is it that
makes up a strong neighborhood? In most cases, the economy, the
location, or the citizens that belong to that neighborhood have
something to do with it. However, in order for a community to become
a strong one, it takes more than just luck. Centerville neighborhood
is a good example of how teamwork and perseverance can really make
a difference. Like many areas throughout early America, Centerville
started out as just an idea. Through hard work and relentless years,
Centerville was transformed from nothing more than farmland to the
large residential, economical, and expanding community it is today.
Centerville is indeed an example of the positive difference a community
can make when it strives together for one common goal.
In it’s earliest days, Centerville was inhabited
by a small group of farmers from Essex and Beverly who decided to
settle on Bald Hill. Agriculture was the dominant occupation of
the families who settled here. These families decided to call their
community the Bald Hill District and they founded it as such in
1680. However, just prior to the Civil War, the area was called
Monserrat, but soon after the war ended, the name of "Centreville"
was adopted. Finally in the year 1910 this name was changed yet
again to the name "Centerville" which it stands as today.
¹
Centerville begins where Essex Street extends
off of Colon Street and it continues all the way past Arbella Drive
and Gateway Lane right before it ends just short of Nicole Street.
The northern edge of Centerville extends to its farthest point at
Balsam Drive. Its most southern border ends at the railroad tracks
near Paradise Road. Centerville includes over sixty different streets,
some of the most significant are Hull, Cole, Grover, Groce, and
Hathaway, which were named after important families from the area.
² (see map)
Centerville unlike other neighborhoods had an economy
that was for the most part based on agriculture. Centerville had
lots of wide-open space for farming which enabled agriculture to
thrive into the early part of the twentieth century. It wasn’t until
much later that Centerville’s farms began disappearing as the northeast
moved toward an industrial-based economy around the mid twentieth
century. However, most of the farmland remained undeveloped and
was later kept as woods. It wasn’t until after World War II that
Centerville began to drastically change its economy. ³
Since Centerville was mostly made up of farmlands
in its youth, the people of early Centerville who attended church
were required to travel to Beverly, Beverly Farms, or Wenham Neck
to attend church services. It wasn’t until 1901 that the process
began for the building of a church in Centerville. It was at a
meeting for the Centreville Christian Endeavor Society that first
word was brought up about the plans for a new church. At the meeting
of the society held on April 29, 1901, "it was voted to buy
one-eighth acre of land from Mrs. Sarah Patch and Mrs. Abbie Day
for $75.00." (This land is that place where the present day
church now stands.) Later in that year four thousand dollars was
set aside by the society for the building of the church.
Construction began in 1907 when Mr. Alfred J. Gallagher,
a general contractor, was commissioned to build the church. In 1908
the church was completed and the total cost was six thousand dollars.
When the church was completed it proved to be a marvelous collaboration
of teamwork. The men of the congregation had excavated the cellar
and landscaped the grounds while, The Ladies Aid Society which was
a club that had been formed in 1906, had purchased the pews and
decorated the interior of the church. As proof of their hard work,
the church needed no major repairs for its first sixty years in
use.
On February 18, 1908 the Centreville Christian
Endeavor Society decided to mortgage the property for the extra
money that had exceeded the original budget. At this meeting it
was also decided to name the church "The Centreville Christian
Endeavor Church” after the society which had worked so hard to construct
it. (see image)
Just like in many others communities throughout
early America, the place where community activities and meetings
took place was in the school house. Throughout Centerville’s history
there had been many schoolhouses built over the eighteen and nineteen
hundreds. The third school built after the first two Bald Hill Schools,
was the first of two Centerville Schools that lasted from 1870 to
1965. After this school was built, the town loaned the previous
school to the community to serve as a meeting house to be used for
religious and social gatherings.
Meeting houses like the one just described was
where many clubs and social gatherings took place. Centerville had
many different clubs, societies, and unions that served recreational
purposes. The Centreville Religious Union, The Centreville Christian
Endeavor Society, and The Ladies Aid Society all worked mainly with
the church functions. The Centerville Improvement Society organized
parades and functions to benefit the needs of the community (see
binder). They also helped build the "Pine Room" which
was later a popular gathering place for Centerville citizens. Lastly
there was also a Centerville Athletic Club that existed in 1916
which was run by Harold Whittemore.
Right down the street from The Centerville School
and the Pine Room which were both built on Essex Street, was the
Centerville firehouse. Centerville’s fire department started out
when Francis Lovett, who was a member of The Old Fire King Company,
created "Hose Company No. 4" in 1874. Later in 1904, a
new firehouse was built in the same area named "Combination
4". This firehouse later changed it’s name to "Engine
4 B.F.D.", which is the name it has today. Unfortunately, unlike
it’s fire department, Centerville never had much of a police department.
Since Centerville was rather spread out and far away from the center
of town, a separate police department never existed. The fact that
Centerville is located far away from the busy waterfront and rail
lines kept it rather isolated for many years. ¹
It wasn’t until more automobiles came into existence
that Centerville began to drastically change. Since Centerville
had always been a rural neighborhood in the past, the population
remained small. With an increase in transportation, Centerville
immediately saw an increase in population. It was this increase
in population that led to the booming number of residents that have
moved into Centerville today. ¹¹
In terms of Centerville’s ethnicity, using Essex
Street as an example it is easy to see that the residents of Centerville
were mostly from Massachusetts. Eighty eight percent were Massachusetts
natives while only four percent were from Maine, and two percent
were from Canada, California, and England. This proves that throughout
the years Centerville remained made up of local people. ¹² (see chart)
In conclusion, Centerville went through many changes
in order for it to become the growing community it is today. Centerville’s
extensive church and school history provide great examples of the
close knit working community that Centerville was many years ago.
A neighborhood can be defined as, “A comparatively small populated
region or district possessing some quality or character that distinguishes
it from other areas.” This definition definitely holds true to Centerville’s
distinguishing character as described in it’s ever present past.
Footnotes
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