Beverly School for the Deaf was founded in 1876 by William Benjamin Swett in Beverly, Massachusetts. Mr. Swett was a deaf man with a deaf daughter and saw a need for educational and vocational services for deaf children and young adults of the North Shore area of Boston. In 1879 with a small legacy and the help of his close friend, the Reverend Dr. Thomas Gallaudet, a 57-acre (230,000 m²) parcel of land was purchased overlooking the tidal waters of the Bass River in Beverly. The vision of Mr.