Lynn History

The first settlers of Lynn arrived in 1629 and set to work creating an industrious community. The best land had been bought from the Saugus Indians. For the Indians it had been the home of their chiefs, the Sagamores. For the settlers it was the land which eventually became Swampscott, Nahant, Saugus and Lynnfield. The central jewel of the purchase was named when the first official minister came from King's Lynn, England. In his honor the new city was named Lynn.

Industrial Impact
Since that time, Lynn has cycled through times of difficulty and times of prosperity. Regardless of its own security, Lynn has consistently had an impact on the world around it. In the abolition days preceding the civil war, Frederick Douglass gave his first public speech on the Lynn Common. The common itself was in every way the soul of the city. The Common was originally designed to be shaped like a shoe, symbolizing the economic center of the city: the shoe making industry. A Lynn resident, Jan Matzelinger, was the central figure in developing a method for mass producing shoes.

In 1892 the focus of production shifted from shoes to more complex products and Lynn became the home of the General Electric manufacturing plant which has been the largest single employer in the city ever since. In 1941 the Lynn plant developed the first jet engine, and by 1950 it employed 17,000 people.

Socio-Spiritual Impact
Lynn has also been influential on the social and spiritual levels as well. Lydia Pinkham, a Lynn resident, was the first woman to use her picture as part of an advertising campaign. Another woman also made the map from Lynn as a leader: Mary Baker Eddy. In 1866, she was injured when she slipped on a patch of ice on the corner of Market St and Oxford. During her recovery she founded the Christian Science movement.

And more...
Anyone who has ever had Marshmallow Fluff is indebted to Lynn. Fluff originated and is still made in Lynn. Lynn's new Frasier Field is home to the North Shore Navigators professional baseball team. And present day Lynn offers a diversity of experiences ranging from a redeveloping urban downtown to a beautiful waterfront to the 30 miles of trails in Lynn Woods.