Peter Boynton received the North Andover Historical Society's 2026 Lifetime Preservation Award on Thursday, Sept. 10. As the town's harbormaster for a decade, Boynton pulled sunken boats and discarded tires from Lake Cochichewick, North Andover's sole drinking water source.
The ceremony took place at the North Andover Country Club, 500 Great Pond Road.
Boynton, a North Andover native and 1975 graduate of North Andover High School, left town for a career as a U.S. Coast Guard officer before returning and volunteering extensively in the community. He holds a degree in ocean engineering from the Coast Guard Academy and a master's in public administration from Harvard University.
His most visible work centered on Lake Cochichewick, which serves 28,000 residents. The 560-acre lake is the largest in Essex County. In 1986, polluted runoff led to the discovery of giardia parasites in the water, triggering a state boil-water order and forcing the town to build a $19.9 million treatment plant.
During his 10 years as harbormaster, Boynton organized the removal of derelict docks, tires, sunken boats and other debris from the lake, according to the Historical Society's award citation. He established public boat racks, updated lake-use regulations and founded the annual Lake Cleanup Day. He also helped build and deploy floating loon nests so the birds could nest safely as water levels shifted.
Beyond the shoreline, Boynton served 12 years on the North Andover Planning Board. He sat on the Old Center Zoning Review Working Group, which helped preserve community use of the former Printing Museum. He also served on the committee that evaluated the lakeshore property at 400 Great Pond Road, a parcel tied to protecting the town's drinking water supply.
Most recently, Boynton participated in the Community Preservation Committee project working group that renovated the Lake Cochichewick North Boat Launch area. He also advocated for updating the town's 1986 Lake Cochichewick Watershed Management Plan, which the Historical Society credited as part of his ongoing effort to safeguard the lake.
The Lifetime Preservation Award has been given annually since 2014, with a hiatus during the pandemic before resuming in 2022. The Historical Society, led by Executive Director Joanna Collantine Kerr, said last year's event raised nearly $38,000 for the organization, which was founded in 1913.
The Historical Society's museum and Diane's Cafe on the Common, at 800 Massachusetts Ave., are open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
