Our Merrimack Photo Essay- All photos taken by Sage Seymour

“The River has given my family and I a place where we can always come to and are bound to have an adventure. Whether we are boating, tubing, rowing, swimming, or just admiring it some of my best childhood memories are rooted in the Merrimack River. I remember once when I was around seven my brother, dad, and I attempted to go sailing on my dad’s Whitehall in the River and the wind was so strong that the boat completely flipped over. My brother and I had to swim into shore while my dad attempted to flip the boat back around and get it into shore. A woman who lived on the riverfront saw the boat flip and came rushing out to help. In the moment my brother and I thought it was the end of the world and now we look back fondly on that day.”

“Currents that ebb and flow, the river holds the history of our community, sustaining life and providing endless beauty to all who behold”

“Fishing off the dock on a lazy summer afternoon, never catching anything but always having fun”

“Every year my dad lived for putting in the dock and taking the boat for its first trip on the river”

“We went on the boat and we traveled all the way to the ocean”

“Papa and Uncle Bruce had a bet on when the ice on the river would melt in the spring”

“I… loved hearing the ice moving and although it seemed appealing we never did walk on the river ice”

“Going under the bridge and yelling to make it echo”

“To put it simply, it’s my home”

(Quoted from anonymous Merrimac and West Newbury residents).