In Ipswich, cows would be put to pasture on the Neck in the spring, and every October they would be rounded up and herded into a pen. Many of the town's laws regarding land use, property rights, labor and sanitation grew from issues surrounding the keeping of livestock.
Year: 2023
The Hovey Clan and Knowlton’s Close, a 19th Century Neighborhood
In 1844, John Sawyer sold to Josiah Caldwell an undeveloped tract known as "Knowlton's Close." Caldwell sold the land in house lots, where houses constructed in the popular vernacular Greek Revival style still stand today.
Nathaniel Ward (1578-1652)
Ward emigrated to Massachusetts in 1634 an served for two years as the minister in Ipswich. His "Body of Liberties" established a code of fundamental principles of government. Ward's book "The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America" was published in England in 1647.
Measuring Time–by an Hourglass
Kitty Robertson's Measuring time—by an hourglass is an exquisite collection of essays, reflections on a 20th century life in small town New England that first were published in the Ipswich Chronicle. Kitty was also the author of "The Orchard: A Memoir".
Old Roads and Bridges of Newbury and Newburyport
Published by the Newbury 350th anniversary Committee.
Flight from Rooty Plain
News arrived in Rooty Plain that the Regulars had come in to Ipswich, and every man was called for, to meet the enemy. One aged man. Mr. Stephen Dressr thought he would sit down a while and smoke his pipe, and waited but they didn't come, and had quite a comfortable nights sleep.
The Cold Friday of January 19, 1810
The Cold Friday on Jan. 19, 1810 brought terrible winds and frigid temperature. Many people froze to death while traveling along the highways. Houses, barns and vast numbers of timber trees were blown down or broken to pieces.
A visit to the Whipple House with Paul Valcour & Gordon Harris
In the second half of this Council on Aging video, Paul & Gordon step inside the Ipswich Museum's 1677 Whipple House to examine its unique architectural features.
Arthur Wesley Dow’s Images of Ipswich
Ipswich artist Arthur Wesley Dow (1857 – 1922) was one of the town's most famous residents. View his paintings, ink prints,and a slideshow of over 200 cyanographs.
George Dexter’s Early Photos of Ipswich
Perhaps the best-known early Ipswich Photographer was George Dexter (1862-1927). His photographs along with those of Edward Lee Darling (1874-1962) and Arthur Wesley Dow provide a visual history of the town of Ipswich.
The Peat Meadows
Deep in Willowdale State Forest is a bog which in the 1832 Ipswich map is the "Peat Meadows." "Turf" as it was also called, became a commonly-used fuel when local forests were depleted and until anthracite coal became widely available.
Lieutenant Ruhama Andrews and the 1775 Battle of Quebec
On Christmas Day 1823, Gen Benjamin Pierce of Hillsborough, NH held a reunion of twenty-two citizens who had served in the War of Independence. The oldest attendee was Ammi Andrews, born in Ipswich, MA, aged 89 years.
Smallpox
One of the most progressive citizens of Ipswich, Dr. John Manning opened a practice in 1760, and began inoculating members of his family for smallpox, incurring the wrath of the Town. An epidemic of smallpox spread through Boston during the British occupation of the city at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
Saving the Rooster
The gilded weathercock at the First Church in Ipswich has graced the steeple of every church at that location since the middle of the 18th Century.
Photos of the Dunes Late on a Winter Afternoon
Photos by Sharon Scarlata Related Posts
The Defiant Samuel Appleton
In 1687, a warrant was issued for the arrest of several Ipswich men for being "seditiously inclined and disaffected to his Majesty's government." The 62-year-old Major Samuel Appleton scorned the appearance of submission and remained imprisoned in the cold Boston Jail through the winter.
Historic Ipswich 