Essex Town Hall and TOHP Burnham Library

Essex is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, 26 miles (42 km) north of Boston and 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Newburyport. It is known for its former role as a center of shipbuilding. The population was 3,675 at the 2020 census.The central village areas of Essex and South Essex make up the census-designated place of Essex.

The Essex Shipbuilding Museum is a maritime museum in Essex, Massachusetts which contains historical and demonstrative displays regarding the history of the wooden shipbuilding industry in Essex. Essex produced more wooden fishing schooners between 1668 and the twentieth century than anywhere else in America. The museum contains various ship models and half hulls including several on display from the Smithsonian Institution. Displays include antique shipbuilding tools, photos, and dioramas of the former shipyard. The museum also features the Evelina M. Goulart, an Essex-built schooner built in 1927. Adjacent to the museum is a boat yard owned by the Story Family, which still constructs and launches wooden ships built in the Essex tradition.

Essex CDP is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Essex in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,471 at the 2010 census.

Woodman's of Essex is a seafood restaurant in Essex, Massachusetts (approximately 26 miles (42 km) north of Boston). A local favorite, it is also known internationally for its fried clams and New England clam bakes. Woodman's has been a family business since its founding in 1914, and is a large employer in the area with over 200 staff during the summer months.

Cogswell's Grant is a working farm and historic house museum in Essex, Massachusetts. It was the summer home of Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little, preeminent collectors of American decorative arts in the mid 20th century. Through her research and innumerable publications, Mrs. Little charted new areas of American folk art (which she preferred to call "country arts"), such as decorative painting, floor coverings, boxes, and New England pottery. In 1937, the Littles purchased this farm, including its 18th-century farmhouse with views of the Essex River, as a family retreat and place to entertain. They named it Cogswell's Grant, after John Cogswell, who was the first English colonial owner of the property, which includes about 165 acres (67 ha) of land. They carefully restored the farmhouse, trying to preserve original 18th-century finishes and carefully documenting their work, and decorated from their extensive collection of artifacts. In more than 50 years of collecting, they sought works of strong, even quirky character, and in particular favored objects with their original finishes and New England histories. They decorated the house for visual delight rather than historical accuracy. The result is rich in atmosphere and crowded with collections of things—primitive paintings, redware, painted furniture, stacked Shaker boxes, weather vanes and decoys—that have since come to define the country look. Bertram Little served for many years as president of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, now called Historic New England. The Littles bequeathed the property, complete with its contents and associated records, to that organization in 1984. Part of the 19th century barn north of the house has been adapted for use as a visitor's center, and the rear ell of the house has been adapted for use as a caretaker's residence and visitor restrooms. Cogswell's Grant is open for public tours Wednesday through Sunday, June 1 - October 15.

The James N. and Mary F. Stavros Reservation is a 74-acre (30 ha) nature reserve located in Essex, Massachusetts. The property has been owned by The Trustees of Reservations since 1986. About 50 acres (20 ha) of the reservation consists of salt marsh. White's Hill, which includes fine views of the Massachusetts coast, including Crane Beach, was sold by Mrs. Stavros to the Trustees in 1988 at well below market value. At the top of White's Hill is a 50-foot tall tower built by Lamont G. Burnham in the 1880s.Much of the adjacent property, including the Cape Ann Golf Course owned by the Stavros family, is covered by conservation easements.

The Benaiah Titcomb House is a historic First Period house in Essex, Massachusetts. The oldest part of the house, built c. 1700 in Newburyport, was a two-story section two rooms wide, with a central chimney. Sometime before the end of the First Period (c. 1720s) a shed-style leanto addition was added to its rear (the side now facing the street), giving it a saltbox appearance. The house was moved to its present location in 1917, oriented to provide views of the coast. At this time a new chimney was provided, and a large dormer was added to the rear to expand the upstairs living space.The builder, Benaiah Titcomb, was the son of William Titcomb, an early settler of the area. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

The David Burnham House is a historic First Period house on Pond Street in Essex, Massachusetts. The two story five bay wood frame colonial is said to have been built c. 1685 by David Burnham, son of Thomas Burnham, an early settler of the Essex area. The house remained in the Burnham family for almost 150 years. It was the subject of restoration work in the early 20th century by the Essex Institute under the auspices of George Francis Dow. At this time its kitchen fireplace, said to be the largest known in Essex County was uncovered. Modern facilities were added to the house in the 1960s.The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The George Giddings House and Barn is a historic First Period farm in Essex, Massachusetts. Both the house and the barn are estimated to have been built in the 1690s, and contain construction details unique in Essex County First Period buildings. The house was originally built as a single two story cell structure with a large chimney on one side, which was then widened with the addition of a second cell on the other side of the chimney. In the 19th century a number of alterations were made: the central chimney was removed, the entry of the house was reoriented from south to north by the addition of a new central door on the north face, and two new chimneys were added along the north elevation. The house has modern additions to the rear (south) side. The barn is of a similar vintage to the house, although it started with only five windows, and was extended at some point by the addition to the east of a sixth bay. It is one of a very few surviving First Period barns.The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

The Isaac Goodale House is a historic house in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Built about 1700, the house has many original First Period elements, despite its relocation to its present location in 1928. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, and is the subject of a preservation easement held by the Ipswich Historic Commission.

Chebacco Lake is located in Essex County in eastern Massachusetts, United States, within the borders of Essex and Hamilton. It is the largest of five bodies of water that make up the Chebacco Watershed.Chebacco Lake is designated as a Great Pond, putting it under state ownership but remaining open to public use.

The North Shore is a region in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, loosely defined as the sea coast between Boston and New Hampshire. Its counterpart is the South Shore region extending south and east of Boston. The North Shore is a significant historical, cultural, and economic region of Massachusetts. The southern North Shore includes historic towns that are now part of the Boston metropolis. The Salem witch trials took place here. At the northern end, the Merrimack Valley was an important center of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. The North Shore includes a number of places that are significant in the literary and cultural history of the United States. The North Shore landscape includes seaports, fishing villages, and rocky coastline dotted with marshes and wetlands, as well as beaches and natural harbors. Cape Ann is the largest promontory.