Landing Place of the First Settlers

The spot where the original 40 English settlers first arrived in Newbury is marked by a large stone that reads, “Landing Place of the First Settlers 1635.” It was installed in 1902, at the end of Cottage Road, just steps away the Parker River.

The Mary and John arrived in Boston from England in 1634 and 100 colonists continued on to Ipswich. Approximately 40 of those settlers were granted the right to establish a new community to the east, on the river then-known as the Quascacunquen. The English settlers named their new settlement Neweberry, after the community where Rev. Thomas Parker of their company had last preached. The river was eventually named Parker in his honor. Legend has it that the first colonist to leap ashore was Nicholas Noyes Sr., father of the Rev. Nicholas Noyes of Salem witch trials fame.

There is also a historical marker noting the same event, which was erected in 1930 on the east side of High Road, just north of Cottage Road.

End of Cottage Road at Parker River