Featured Resources

Selected Collections
John Greenleaf Whittier Collection
Started by the Whittier Club and Haverhill Public Library in about 1887, the collection includes Whittier's writings, as well as literature about him.
Senter Digital Archive
Over 15,000 digitized photographs are available online in the Senter Digital Archive, with more being added on a regular basis.
Family History & Genealogy
Archival Manuscript Collection Finding Aids
Discover primary source materials on people, families, and organizations. Use Ctrl+F to search for a family name or subject.
Haverhill Cemetery Records - MSS 15
Records such as burials and inscriptions, organized by cemetery.
Haverhill City Directories
The Haverhill City Directories list occupation, home, and work addresses for heads of households and businesses. 20th century directories also include street listings. We have most years from 1857 to 1978.
Haverhill Public Library Biographical File Collection - MSS-B
A variety of manuscript materials organized by family name, including deeds, letters, and other primary resource documents. Search the finding aid for your family name. This collection was formerly HG2 HPL Genealogical Vertical File Collection and includes the former MSS 25 HPL Genealogical Manuscript Collection.
Massachusetts Town & City Vital Records to 1850
Also known as the "Tan Books" series, search Massachusetts birth, marriage, and death records by municipality.
Pecker Genealogy & Family History Collection
Search the online catalog with your family name (try surname + "family" in a general search) to find published genealogies in the Pecker Collection.
House & Building Histories
Haverhill Public Library Map Collection
An extensive collection of local and regional maps includes Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, assessor's maps, and town survey maps showing building footprints and ownership over time.
Massachusetts Historical Commission House Survey - MSS 98
Completed in the late 1970s, a survey of most houses in Haverhill and Bradford, organized alphabetically by street name and house number. Some datasheets include a reference photo and brief description of each house. [Not in catalog; available only onsite]
Reading Room Print Photo Collection
Browsable print photographs of local places, people, and events from the late 1800s through the 1970s. Included are a house photo series and a street photo series, both organized by street name, as well a businesses series organized by business type. Digitized photos from this series are available in the Senter Digital Archive.
Senter Digital Archive
Over 15,000 digitized photographs are available online in the Senter Digital Archive, with more being added on a regular basis.
Senter House Photo Print Collection
A collection of print photographs of nearly all structures in Haverhill during 1978-1979, via the CETA building survey sponsored by Haverhill Public Library, organized by street name and number. [Not in the Senter Digital Archive online; only available onsite.]
Winfield Scott Thomas WPA Collection - MSS 86
This collection features over 150 original watercolors and several pencil drawings of historic Haverhill houses and buildings. Check the finding aid to see if your home or family name is included.
Local History
Archival Manuscript Collection Finding Aids
Search our manuscript collections for unique and original documents on a wide variety of local people, clubs, and organizations.
Haverhill History Collection
An extensive collection of publications and documents covering multiple aspects of Haverhill history, from the shoemaking industry to local authors to urban renewal. The collection also includes a selection of city records.
Haverhill Public Library Local History Vertical File - HG1
This collection features primary sources concerning the city of Haverhill, including information on surrounding towns such as Groveland, Boxford, and Atkinson, NH.
Pecker Local & Regional History Collection
The Pecker Local & Regional History Collection focuses on town histories throughout Massachusetts and New England, including rare titles that are no longer in print.
Military Resources
Compiled World War I Service People Records & News Clippings - MSS 103
Organized by surname, this collection consists of index cards with notes on World War I military assignments, rankings, biographical notes, and news clippings for soldiers from Haverhill and the surrounding area.
World War II Scrapbooks and Photo Index
Scrapbooks containing news clippings about World War II soldiers from Haverhill and the surrounding area. [Not in catalog; only available onsite]
Pecker Local & Regional History Collection
The Pecker Collection collection includes a section on the military history of Haverhill and the surrounding region, including Maine and New Hampshire.