TEWKSBURY

A short history of Tewksbury

Tewksbury was first settled in 1637 and was officially incorporated on December 17, 1734, from Billerica. There is no evidence that the town was named after Tewkesbury, England. The most probable reason for the adoption of the town's name was in honor of George II of Great Britain, who from 1706 to 1714, held the title of Baron of Tewkesbury. Still, Tewksbury, Massachusetts and Tewkesbury, England kept connected through a local committee called the Twinning Committee. Tewksbury also owned a section of Lowell, being the lands east where the Merrimack River and Concord River meet, referred to by Tewksbury citizens as Belvidere.

One of the oldest sections of town is the area around the Shawsheen River. This is where the Shawshin tribe settled, allowing them access to a food source through fishing in the river.

Tewksbury was also known for a historic visit by President Andrew Jackson, who stopped at local watering hole, Brown's Tavern.

On July 24, 1857, a powerful tornado swept through Tewksbury. The storm began at Round Pond as a small water spout, and traveled west and then southeast to the Shawsheen River. It dissipated at North Wilmington. Several corn fields and orchards were severely damaged, with one residence having its roof blown off. The tornado was powerful enough to flatten barns and sheds, pull up large trees by their roots, and sweep away and kill a team of oxen. Due to the sparse population, and homes located above the valley floor, no one was killed, and only a few people were injured.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Tewksbury, Massachusetts, revision 1377123690 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.