Byfield, Massachusetts

42°45′35″N 70°56′53″W / 42.7598138°N 70.9481097°W / 42.7598138; -70.9481097

Methodist church in central Byfield
Gov. William Dummer House in 1905

Byfield is a village (also referred to as a "parish") in the town of Newbury, in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It borders West Newbury, Georgetown, and Rowley. It is located approximately 30 miles north-northeast of Boston, along Interstate 95, about 10 miles south of the border between New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The ZIP Code for Byfield is 01922.[1]

Byfield was also the home of Governor William Dummer. The village post office was established January 11, 1826, with Benjamin Colman as the first postmaster.[2]

The village consists of mainly residential homes, with a few local businesses. It also contains the Newbury town library and Triton Regional High School, which serves three towns (Salisbury, Rowley and Newbury), Adelynrood Retreat & Conference Center run by the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross as well as the prep school The Governor's Academy (previously known as Governor Dummer Academy after William Dummer, one of the founders of the Newbury area). An arts center and Pearson's deer farm are also located in Byfield.

A festival called "Byfield Days" used to take place during the first weekend in June, which included the crowning of Miss Byfield and a woodsmen's contest.

Name edit

Byfield was named after Judge Byfield, who donated the bell to the Byfield Parish Church.

Notable places edit

Governor's Academy located on William Dummer's estate.

In popular culture edit

The short story "Snowball," by mystery writer Ursula Curtiss, takes place in Byfield.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ "Byfield ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  2. ^ Merolla, Lawrence M.; Frank M. Crowther (1981). The Post Offices of Massachusetts. North Abington, Mass.: Massachusetts Postal Research Society. p. 26. OCLC 11038416.

Further reading edit

External links edit