Revere is a city in Suffolk County, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a state of the United States of America. It borders Winthrop, East Boston and Chelsea to the south, Everett and Malden to the west, Saugus and Lynn to the north, Melrose to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. It comprises 10.0 square miles, although 4.1 of which are open water and wetlands and not suitable for development. Of the 5.9 miles² of developed land, 70% is used for housing. Revere is located approximately 5 miles from downtown Boston. The population was 47,283 at the 2000 census.
Revere Post Office, 300 Broadway
Revere’s first inhabitants were Native Americans who belonged to the Pawtucket Tribe and were known as the Rumney Marsh Indians. The leader, or sachem, of the Pawtuckets was Nanepashemet of Lynn. In 1616, an epidemic, probably smallpox, swept the region killing thousands in its wake. Nanepashemet retired to the Mystic River, in what is now Medford, but was found murdered in 1619 at his fort on the brow of Rock Hill overlooking the river.
Three sons succeeded him in his reign. One of them, Wonohaquaham, also called Sagamore John, had jurisdiction over the Indians at Winnisemmit (later Chelsea) and Rumney Marsh.
Often, the Indians, with their intimate knowledge of the vast yet unexplored wilderness, would help the settlers in their struggle to survive. During King Phillip’s War, the local friendly Indians were placed on what is now Deer Island where many of them perished. Later, some of the Indians on the island were enlisted to help the colonists defeat the other warring tribes.
Rumney Marsh was originally divided and allotted to twenty-one of Boston’s most prominent citizens. By 1639, the original 21 allotments had been consolidated into seven great farms. Farming was, and continued to be, the principal industry of Winnisemmet, and Rumney Marsh in particular.
On September 25, 1634, Rumney Marsh was annexed to Boston, which had received its name only four years earlier. Winnisemmet and Pullen Point (which was later to be known as Winthrop) were also annexed to Boston. The first County Road in North America stretched across Rumney Marsh from the Winnisemmet Ferry to Olde Salem in 1641.
In 1739, Rumney Marsh, Winnisemmet and Pullen Point were set off from Boston and established as the Town of Chelsea. Revere was the largest of the three settlements, and therefore was selected as the Town Centre.
Revere played a role in the American Revolution as the site of the first naval battle in 1775 at Rumney Marsh.
In 1852, Pullen Point was set off from North Chelsea and established as the Town of Winthrop. That same year, Chelsea became a city. In 1871, North Chelsea adopted the name of Revere. The population was 1,197. The name of the Salem Turnpike, which had been completed in 1803, was changed to Broadway.
Transportation
The completion in 1838 of the Eastern Railroad (later the Boston & Maine), and in 1875 of the Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad (the Narrow Gauge), signaled the beginning of rapid population growth for the town and the development of the beach as a summer resort. They increased accessibility of Revere Beach, which became famous as a resort. By 1885, ten years later, the town had increased to 3,637 people, more than tripling in size over 15 years. By 1890 the population grew to 5,668.
The MBTA Blue Line terminates in Revere, with stops at Wonderland, Revere Beach, and Beachmont.
U.S. Route 1 and state routes 1A, 16, 60, 107, and 145 run through Revere.
Points of interest
Revere Beach
Beach & Boulevard in c. 1914
Ice Wall in c. 1908
Revere Beach
Revere Beach is the oldest public beach in the United States. It has a fairly active beach front district.
From its inception, Revere Beach was “the people’s beach,” used mostly by the working class and the many immigrants who settled in the area.
When people reminisce about Revere Beach it is not the sand and surf they remember most: It is the amusements. The Whip, the Ferris Wheel, Bluebeard’s Palace, the Fun House, Hurley’s Dodgems, the Pit, Himalaya, Hippodrome, Sandy’s, the Mickey Mouse, the Virginia Reel and many more provided hours of enjoyment for residents and visitors alike. Of course, the biggest attraction was the Cyclone, among the largest roller coasters in the United States. Opened in 1927, its cars traveled at a speed of 50 miles per hour and its climb reached a 100 feet.
In addition to the sand, surf and amusements, there were two roller skating rinks, two bowling alleys, and numerous food stands. There were also the ballrooms, including the most famous, the Oceanview and the Beachview, each the site of many dance marathons which were popular in the 1930s.
The Beach began to deteriorate in the 1950s. By the early 1970s it had become a strip of honky tonk bars and abandoned buildings. The Great Blizzard of ‘78 proved to be the final death knell for the “old” Revere Beach, as many of the remaining businesses, amusements, pavilions, sidewalks, and much of the seawall were destroyed.
The Beach was the focus of a major revitalization effort by the Metropolitan District Commission and the City in the 1980s and was officially reopened in May 1992. It now boasts high rise housing units, a resanded beach, restored pavilions, and a renovated boulevard. Revere commemorated the centennial of the first opening of Revere Beach on the weekend of July 19, 1996.
Wonderland Greyhound Park
Parimutuel wagering was legalized by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1934. Wonderland Greyhound Park opened the following year and has offered greyhound racing continuously for the past 70 years. Constructed on the site of the old Wonderland Amusement Park in Revere, the site had been converted from an amusement park to a bicycle track at the turn of the century. Wonderland Park is one of the state’s few remaining greyhound racing tracks.
