Fish Flake Hill is a historic district along Front Street near Beverly Harbor, preserving a remarkable concentration of colonial-era buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The area takes its name from the wooden drying racks — "fish flakes" — that once lined the waterfront when Beverly was a major fishing and privateering port.
Several houses in the district date to before the Revolution, and the streetscape gives a sense of what a working waterfront neighborhood looked like in the colonial era. The district was of particular strategic importance in 1775: Beverly Harbor was where the Hannah, the first vessel commissioned by the Continental Army, was outfitted and sent to sea. A short walk around the area before or after visiting the Beverly Historical Society sites makes for a coherent half-day exploring the town's maritime past.