The following is a timeline of the history of Lynn, Massachusetts, USA.

17th-18th century 1629 - Saugus founded. Among the founders — Edmund Ingalls 1637 - Saugus renamed to Lynn in honor of Reverend Samuel Whiting (Senior), Lynn's first official minister who arrived from King's Lynn. 1642 - Saugus Iron Works in business. 1644 - Reading separates from Lynn. 1720 - Lynnfield burying-ground established. 1732 - Saugus burying-ground established. 1782 - Lynnfield separates from Lynn. 1793 - Post office in operation. 1797 - Population: 2,291.

19th century 1803 - Floating Bridge constructed on Salem-Boston turnpike. 1810 - Population: 4,087. 1812 - Eastern Burial-Place established. 1814 - Town House built. 1815 Saugus separates from Lynn. Social Library formed.

1830 - Lynn Record newspaper begins publication. 1838 Eastern Railroad in operation. Lynn Natural History Society formed. 1840 - Population: 9,367. 1841 Lyceum building constructed. Frederick Douglass moves to Lynn. September 28 - Frederick Douglass is thrown off the Eastern Railroad train at Lynn Central Square station for refusing to sit in the segregated coach 1845 Frederick Douglass writes his first autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave while living in Lynn 1847 - High Rock Cottage (also called "Stone Cottage") is built by Alonzo Lewis for Jesse Hutchinson 1848 - First High Rock Tower built. 1850 May 14 - City of Lynn incorporated. George Hood becomes mayor. Pine Grove Cemetery consecrated. 1851 - First High School built. 1852 May - Swampscott separates from Lynn. June - Benjamin Franklin Mudge becomes mayor. 1853 February - Saugus Branch Railroad opens for passengers with four stations in Lynn. Lynn's Andrews Breed is the railroad's first superintendent. March - Nahant separates from Lynn. April - Daniel C. Baker becomes mayor.

1854 - Lynn Weekly Reporter newspaper begins publication. 1855 Andrews Breed becomes mayor. Lynn Library Association organized. 1856 Ezra W. Mudge becomes mayor. African Methodist Episcopal Church established. 1858 William F. Johnson becomes mayor. Telegraph in service. St. Mary's Cemetery consecrated. 1859 - Edward S. Davis becomes mayor. 1860 - 1860 New England Shoemakers Strike begins in Lynn 1861 - Hiram N. Breed becomes mayor. 1862 Peter M. Neal becomes mayor. Free Public Library established. 1863 - Boston & Lynn Horse Railroad begins operating. 1865 April 19 - original High Rock Tower destroyed by fire 1866 Roland G. Usher becomes mayor. Mary Baker Eddy experiences the fall in Lynn, believed by Christian Scientists to mark the birth of their religion.

1867 City Hall dedicated. Lynn Transcript newspaper begins publication. 1868 - Young Men's Christian Association organized. 1870 Edwin Walden becomes mayor. Music Hall opens. 1872 Labor strike by shoemakers. James N. Buffum becomes mayor. Odd Fellows Hall built. Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad chartered. 1873 Jacob M. Lewis becomes mayor. Soldiers' Monument installed. 1876 - Lynn City Item newspaper begins publication. 1877 - Samuel M. Bubier becomes mayor.

1879 January - George Plaisted Sanderson becomes mayor. June - 250th anniversary of settlement. 1880 - Lynn Masonic Hall built. 1881 Henry B. Lovering elected mayor. Lynn Woods established. St. Stephen's Memorial Episcopal Church built. Saint Mary's Boys High School established.

1882 - Lynn's Henry B. Lovering is elected to the United States House of Representatives. 1883 William L. Baird becomes mayor. Thomson-Houston Electric Company in business. 1885 John R. Baldwin becomes mayor. G.A.R. Hall built. 1886 - George D. Hart becomes mayor. 1887 English High School established. Henry Cabot Lodge becomes Massachusetts's 6th congressional district representative. 1888 March 11–14 Lynn and all of Massachusetts are crippled by the Great Blizzard of 1888 George C. Higgins becomes mayor. Thomson-Houston Electric Company powers the first electric streetcar in Massachusetts:The Thomson-Houston Road at Lynn, Mass., The Electrical World, Dec. 8, 1888, page 303 the Highland Circuit of the Lynn & Boston Railway CompanyElectric Railway at Lynn, Mass., Electric Power, January, 1889, page 21 1889 Asa T. Newhall becomes mayor. A fire sweeps through the downtown, destroying a large swath of commercial and retail space. 1890 - Fabens Building and Tapley Building constructed. 1891 E. Knowlton Fogg becomes mayor. Lynn Bank Block and Mowers' Block built. 1892 Elihu B. Hayes becomes mayor. General Electric formed by a merger of Edison General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York and Thomson-Houston Electric Company of Lynn. Lynn English High School on Essex Street opens Lynn Classical High School opened. 1893 - Lynn Armory built.

1894 - Charles E. Harwood becomes mayor. 1895 - Boston and Maine's Central Square station rebuilt. 1896 Eugene A. Besson becomes mayor. Post Office built. 1897 Walter L. Ramsdell becomes mayor. Lynn Historical Society incorporated. 1898 - Lynn Public Library built. 1899 - William Shepherd becomes mayor.

20th century

1900 - Population: 68,513. 1903 Henry W. Eastham becomes mayor. Vamp Building constructed. 1904 second High Rock Tower constructed 1905 St. Michael the Archangel Parish established. 431 factories in Lynn. 1906 - Charles Neal Barney becomes mayor. 1907 Lynndyl, Utah, a town named after Lynn, is founded. 1908 - Thomas F. Porter becomes mayor. 1909 - James E. Rich becomes mayor. 1910 - Population: 89,336. 1911 - William P. Connery, Sr. becomes mayor. 1913 George H. Newhall becomes mayor. Chamber of Commerce established.

1916 - James Street addition to the original Lynn English High School opens 1918 - Walter H. Creamer becomes mayor.

1921 - Bridge rebuilt on Salem-Boston turnpike. 1922 Harland A. McPhetres becomes mayor. Lynn's William P. Connery, Jr. is elected to the United States House of Representatives. 1924 March 29 - Fire destroys the 1892 portion of the original Lynn English High School 1926 - Ralph S. Bauer becomes mayor.

1928 - An explosion at the Preble Box Toe Company factory kills 20.

1930 Population: 102,320. J. Fred Manning becomes mayor.

1933 - United States Post Office–Lynn Main built. 1937 March 28 - Highland Circuit electric streetcar line (first electric trolley in Massachusetts) is converted to motor bus operations June - Congressman William P. Connery, Jr. dies. September - Lawrence J. Connery elected to fill his late brother's Congressional seat. November 24 - Manning Bowl stadium opens. 1938 - Capitol Diner in business. 1940 Albert Cole becomes mayor. Fraser Field opens. 1943 River Works plant opens. Mayor Albert Cole resigns to serve in U.S. Army. Arthur J. Frawley becomes acting mayor. 1944 Arthur J. Frawley elected mayor. 1946 Albert Cole becomes mayor. Lynn Red Sox baseball team active.

1947 Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute established (approximate date). WLYN goes on the air. 1949 City Hall built. Lynn Tigers baseball team active. 1948 - Stuart A. Tarr becomes mayor. 1952 Arthur J. Frawley becomes mayor. Boston and Maine's Central Square station rebuilt. 1953 - Lynn's Harry Agganis signs with the Boston Red Sox. 1955 - Harry Agganis dies at the age of 26. 1956 - Thomas P. Costin, Jr. becomes mayor. - Musician Brian Maes is born. 1959 - The Chicago Bears defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 24–21 in the Cardinal Cushing Charity Game held at the Manning Bowl. 1960 - Lynn Sunday Post begins publication. 1961 July - Mayor Thomas P. Costin, Jr. resigns to become Postmaster of Lynn. M. Henry Wall becomes acting mayor. November - M. Henry Wall elected mayor. 1963 - WBWL begins broadcasting. 1965 - North Shore Community College established 1966 Irving E. Kane becomes mayor. The Rolling Stones kick off their North American Tour at the Manning Bowl. 1970 - J. Warren Cassidy becomes mayor. 1972 January - Pasquale Caggiano becomes mayor. April - Pasquale Caggiano dies. Walter F. Meserve becomes acting mayor. July - Antonio J. Marino becomes mayor. Plans to construct Interstate 95 through Lynn and Lynn Woods Reservation are scrapped 1974 - David L. Phillips becomes mayor. 1975 Lynn's Thomas W. McGee becomes Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Great Stew Chase footrace begins. 1976 - Antonio J. Marino becomes mayor. 1980 - Lynn Sailors baseball team formed. 1981 - November - Fire levels approximately three square blocks of the downtown, destroying 17 buildings 1982 - Lynn Sailors relocate to Burlington, Vermont. 1986 - Albert V. DiVirgilio becomes mayor. 1990 - The Bay State Titans, a semi-pro football team, is established. The team's Defensive Tackle, Eric Swann, would be selected with the sixth overall pick in the 1991 NFL draft. 1992 Patrick J. McManus becomes mayor. Central Square - Lynn MBTA station rebuilt. 1999 - New Lynn Classical High School building opened.

21st century

2001 - City website online (approximate date). 2002 - Edward J. Clancy, Jr. becomes mayor. 2003 - North Shore Spirit baseball team begins play. - Madeline Maes is born. 2004 - Regina Maes is born. 2005 - Manning Bowl is demolished and replaced by Manning Field. 2007 - North Shore Spirit cease operations. 2008 - North Shore Navigators baseball team relocates to Lynn. 2010 Population: 90,329. Judith Flanagan Kennedy becomes Lynn's first female mayor. 2011 - KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate (High School) holds its first class. 2012 - KIPP Academy Lynn opens doors the Highlands. 2014 - Seasonal ferry service to/from Boston is established

2016 - Ferry service is suspended 2017 - Ferry service resumes 2018 200th birthday of Frederick Douglass is celebrated throughout the year Thomas M. McGee becomes mayor Ferry service is suspended 2021 August 18: The Frederick Douglass Park is dedicated, directly across the street from the site of the Central Square railroad depot where Douglass was forcibly removed from the train in 1841. 2022 January 3: Jared C. Nicholson is sworn in as the 58th Mayor August 23: 31-year-old Khosay Sharifi, went on a shooting spree killing, her father and brother-in-law in their home, before driving to the brother-in-law’s father’s location, shooting and killing him in his car. She then drove to a grocery store where she took her own life. A motive stemmed from learning of her brother-in-law abusing her sister, and wanting to stop the abuse from being afflicted on her sister.

See also Lynn history List of mayors of Lynn, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Lynn, Massachusetts Timelines of other municipalities in Essex County, Massachusetts: Gloucester, Haverhill, Lawrence, Newburyport, Salem History of Massachusetts

References

Bibliography

Published in the 18th-19th century

Published in the 20th century

External links

Works related to Lynn, MA, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America). Items related to Lynn, Mass., various dates (via US Library of Congress) Maps of Lynn (via Boston Public Library, Map Center) Images related to history of Lynn (via Lynn Public Library)