On Friday, June 10th, MVPC staff joined Bethany Groff Dorau, Executive Director of the Museum of Old Newbury, and Newburyport MVPC Commissioner Rick Taintor on a walking tour of downtown Newburyport. Beginning the day at Chococoa Baking Company, Bethany and Rick shared a portfolio of maps with the group depicting the development of Newburyport over the centuries, beginning when Newburyport was still part of the Town of Newbury pre-1764. From there, the group was guided first along the Clipper City Rail Trail, followed by the Harborwalk and throughout downtown Newburyport.  

Bethany and Rick did an excellent job weaving the story of Newburyport’s history through describing how the landscape of the city has changed throughout time, in addition to discussing current and future development plans and projects. MVPC has a strong relationship with Newburyport and has worked alongside the city on a variety of projects, including the utilization of brownfields funding to restore the city’s water treatment facility now located along the Rail Trail, and recently submitting a grant to the US Economic Development Administration for upgrades to the waterfront harbor wall. The staff here at MVPC is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be immersed in the history and legacy of Newburyport, arming the team with the knowledge necessary to continuously curate and improve our work across the incredibly diverse communities of the Merrimack Valley. As the MVPC team continues to grow rapidly, the agency has been organizing walking tours led by community leaders across our region to introduce new staff to each member municipality. You may see our staff walking around your community someday soon! 

To learn more about the Museum of Old Newbury, click here