Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area.

Native Americans inhabited the area around Saugus for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers in the 1620s.

At the time of European arrival, the Naumkeag, also known as Pawtucket, under the leadership of Montowampate were based near present-day Saugus[2] and controlled land extending from what is now Boston to the Merrimack River.

[3] English settlers took the name Sagus or Saugus from the Pawtucket word for "outlet",[4] and used the term to refer to the Saugus River and the region that includes the present day cities and towns of Swampscott, Nahant, Lynn, Lynnfield, Reading, North Reading and Wakefield) which were later renamed Lin or Lynn in 1637, after King's Lynn in Norfolk, England.

[6] In September 1687, Major Samuel Appleton was said to have given a speech from a rocky cliff near the Iron Works denouncing the tyranny of Colonial Governor Sir Edmund Andros.

At first, the turnpike was considered a mistake, as it was built over hills and swamps and grass soon grew over the roadbed.

In 1933 the road was widened and an overpass was added to separate the traffic on Route 1 and Main Street.

It was built with $2,000 of the United States revenue surplus distributed by President Andrew Jackson.

[10] Saugus native Gustavus Fox served as the United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the war.

The USS Saugus, a Union Navy monitor named after the town, was launched in December 1863.

[14] Following the war, Henry E. Hone donated a large granite monument to the town of Saugus.

The monument, which was designed by Melzar Hunt Mosman and cost $10,000 to build, contains the names of all of the men from Saugus who served during the Civil War on bronze tablets.

[19] Pioneer aviators Ruth Bancroft Law[23] and Lincoln J. Beachey[14] flew at Saugus.

[21] On October 8, 1900, George E. Bailey was murdered at Breakheart Hill Farm in Saugus.

His legs and torso would be found nine days later in Floating Bridge Pond in Lynn.

[24][25] In 1934, Breakheart Hill Forest, a private hunting retreat located in North Saugus, was purchased by the Metropolitan District Commission for use as a state park.

[26] Shortly after purchasing Breakheart, the MDC turned the land over to the Civilian Conservation Corps, which built roads and trails, planted trees, and restored two dams on the property.

[28] On February 16, 1948, James Shurtleff was unanimously chosen by the Board of Selectmen to become the first Town Manager of Saugus.

[29] In 1948, archaeologist Roland W. Robbins began excavating the site of the Saugus Iron Works, which had become hidden by underbrush since its closure.

The Saugus Iron Works was opened on September 18, 1954, and operated as a private museum from 1954 until April 5, 1968, when it was renamed the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site and became part of the National Park Service system.

[37] In 1989, the attempted murder of Frank Salemme (infamous criminal associate of Whitey Bulger and Stephen Flemmi) by Angelo Mercurio took place in Saugus.

[38][39] In 2001, Town Manager Steven Angelo was able to secure federal funds to dredge the Saugus River, a project that had lingered since the 1960s.

Its come-from-behind victory over Richmond, Texas in the tournament's quarterfinals was nominated for the Best Game ESPY Award.

[42] The town lies just inland from Massachusetts Bay, divided from the ocean by the Point of Pines neighborhood of Revere.

The town also shares a common point with the city of Malden, where it also meets Melrose and Revere.

Route 1 through Saugus was once known for its abundance of kitschy roadside commercial architecture, including the 68-foot neon cactus of the Hilltop Steak House, though since the 2000s some of these landmarks have been demolished or fallen into disrepair.

Route 107 passes through the town as the Salem Turnpike through the Rumney Marsh, crossing the Saugus River into Lynn over the Fox Hill Bridge.

[58] Elections for all seats on the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Town Meeting, and Housing Authority are held biennially in odd-numbered years.