Beverly is a small city on the North Shore of Massachusetts, about 18 miles northeast of Boston, sitting where Beverly Harbor meets the Atlantic. Founded in 1626 as part of Salem and incorporated separately in 1668, it is one of the oldest communities in the country. Locals take particular pride in calling it the birthplace of the United States Navy: in 1775, the schooner Hannah was outfitted and commissioned in Beverly Harbor, the first vessel placed in service by the Continental Army's navy.
The downtown along Cabot Street mixes Federal and Victorian commercial architecture, with independent shops, restaurants, and two noteworthy performing arts venues — The Cabot and the Larcom Theatre. The Beverly Historical Society operates three historic houses, including the John Cabot House, built in 1781 by a prosperous merchant whose family gave the downtown street its name.
Beverly is the eastern terminus of the MBTA Commuter Rail's Newburyport/Rockport Line, making it easy to visit Salem (one stop west) or continue up the coast toward Rockport and Gloucester. Fish Flake Hill, the neighborhood on the south end of town near the harbor, has a remarkable concentration of colonial-era buildings and Revolutionary War associations. The John Balch House at 448 Cabot Street is one of the oldest surviving wood-frame houses in the United States.