In 1637, the first English settler in the Salisbury-Amesbury region, John Bayly, who crossed the Merrimack River from the new settlement at Newbury, built a log cabin and began to clear the land for cultivation.  A plantation was established on the left bank of the Merrimack, as far north as Hampton, to be called Merrimac.  In early spring of 1639, around 60 planters took up residence on land cleared by natives.  

  The town was originally named Colchester but was renamed Salisbury in 1640.  In 1642, a town was formed and was called “New Town”.  In 1666, the town was named “New Salisbury” which was changed to Amesbury in 1667.  It became a city in 1996 and is largely residential today. 

  Originally known as Bayley’s Neck, the land was first granted by the town of Salisbury in 1640 to John Bayley.  In 1700, Bayley sold his house and all of his land to John Webster of Newbury, who relocated here.  In the 1730s he began selling parcels of land on the riverbank to shipwrights and related trades men. By 1760 it was known as Webster’s Point, the one mile stretch of riverbank contained a dozen shipyards. Through the second half of the 19th century the principal occupation of the area was boatbuilding, carriage making, and hat manufacturing. Still a part of the town of Salisbury, the neighborhood was then known as Salisbury Point.  In 1886 it was annexed to the town of Amesbury and eventually the name was changed to Amesbury’s Point Shore. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Point Shore became primarily a residential neighborhood. 

  This card, published by “Palmer’s 5 and 10 Cent Store” chronicles the turn of the century "Amesbury Point Shore and the Merrimack River".  It is a DB 1907-15 but was postmarked 1921 in North Berwick Me and is in very good condition with minor wear and a clean, clear image. The reverse is clean but has some surface damage, lower right side.