“Newburyport Clipper Heritage Trail Volume 1” by Ghlee E. Woodworth

Newburyport Clipper Heritage Trail Volume 1: A series of self-guided history tours

Ghlee E. Woodworth
Independently Published (2020)
ISBN 978-1792332074
Reviewed by Jill Rey for Reader Views (11/2021)

Readers of “Newburyport Clipper Heritage Trail Volume 1” may never have heard of Newburyport, Massachusetts, but after reading this thorough volume of nine self-guided tours through history, they will quickly add it to their next travel destination. Nestled along the eastern coast of the United States, just 35 miles from Boston along the Merrimack River, this comprehensive walk through history is captivating, engrossing, and educational.

Having grown up with a history obsessed father, this book fit right in with my childhood. Despite many road trips and hours spent sightseeing the world, I had never read about such a quaint and historic town like Newburyport. I’ve spent many days traversing old battlefields, walking through various tours of dams, and watching countless hours of the history channel, and yet the history seeping along the banks of the Marrimack River, specifically in this coastal town of Newburyport, was more captivating than many of my own historical experiences leading up to this point.

“Newburyport Clipper Heritage Trail Volume 1” is an oversized book when held in one’s hand, yet the size lent well to the many pictures laid out within. Ultimately, this book’s purpose was to lead its readers through nine guided walking tours through the town. The pages hold tours through the then and now of the city’s prominent landmarks and citizens.

Author Ghlee Woodworth returns from her travels abroad and experiences in the peace corps to follow in her father’s footsteps as a guided tour and historian in a town in which she’s a descendent of one of the first settlers. She’s crafted a well-documented and memorable account of this small, river town. With more volumes yet to come, I can’t imagine a more fitting historian to bring Newburyport’s history to the masses.

Woodworth draws readers in, beginning with the history of the town’s architecture and shipbuilding to the revitalization of the properties, main streets and downtown after a historic fire. The wherewithal and foresight of some of the town’s citizens have made this into a tourist destination that I will certainly be adding to my list of road trip destinations.