The Town of Ipswich July 4 Independence Day Parade on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence will be a historic walking and bicycle event. We muster at 9:30 am at Winthrop School, to decorate bikes, trikes and wagons, and the one-mile parade begins promptly at 10:00 am.
This year’s parade will pass by, or within sight of, 45 homes that were standing during the Revolutionary War. Owners of the homes will receive a 13-star Betsy Ross Flag to display or wave as the participants pass by. Shown at the end of this page are the names of the houses with the approximate date of construction, in order of the parade route. Email Gordon Harris to receive your flag if you haven’t received one.
Parking: We anticipate a wonderful large crowd for this event. Suggestions for parking:
- Winthrop School parking lot (limited parking, best for disabled people or with young children)
- The Hammatt St. parking lot (2 blocks away, about 1/5 mile)
- Town Hall parking lot (Park here, walk 1/2 mile to Winthrop School for the start)
- Ascension Church parking lot, County Street, 4/10 mile. (Adjoins the playing fields at Town Hall)
Student Volunteers are needed for the 13 Colony Roll Call. Adults can sign up to be Field Officers.
Town Hall Field Day Activities
The parade reaches Town Hall about 10:30 for a reading of the Declaration of Independence by Revolutionary War reenactor Dan Kelly, followed by patriotic field games with refreshments, Dixieland music and more.
Student Volunteers are wanted for the 13 Colony Roll Call. Adults can sign up to be Field Officers.
Use this Google Docs Signup Sheet
Volunteers will read out the 13 Colonies and the names of the signatories. Volunteers are to dress respectfully in Red, White &/or Blue. Tricorner Hats will be provided.
- Rehearsal (30 Minutes) will take place on the Ipswich Town Hall steps at 5pm, Friday, July 3.
- Saturday, July 4th, please arrive by 10:30 to the Ipswich Town Hall Athletic Fields.
- Sat. July 4th Field Day Program to start at 10:45 SHARP!
| New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton |
| Massachusetts: John Hancock, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry |
| Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery |
| Connecticut: Samuel Huntington, Roger Sherman, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott |
| New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris |
| New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark |
| Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross |
| Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean |
| Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton |
| Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton |
| North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn |
| South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch Jr., Arthur Middleton |
| Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton |
Revolutionary costume or patriotic Red, White &/or Blue are earnestly encouraged! Let’s have fun with this! Fourth of July Field Day activities will begin immediately following Official Proceedings: 10:45 – 11:05. Proceedings include: Patriotic remarks, reading of the Declaration of Independence, Pledge of Allegiance, and the National Anthem.
Field Day games will be played in two periods: from 11:05 to 11:35, and from 11:30 to 2:05
| Paul Revere Stick Pony Races Patriotic Pants Pitch & Play Continental Cannonball Challenge Boston Tea Party – Tea Bag Toss Minute Men Marksmen IFD Fire Brigade (with Ipswich Fire Department personnel) Lady Liberty Ring Toss (11:05 – 11:35 only) |
Ipswich Field Day Needs You!
Please volunteer to be a Fourth of July Field Day Officer! Stations will be all set up by the time you arrive for duty. 11:05 Sharp! As a Field Officer, you will be responsible for cheering on participants, officiating games, awarding gold stars & most importantly, fostering a spirit of patriotism and good-natured civic engagement throughout the festivities.
To volunteer to be a Field Day Officer, use the Google Docs Signup Spreadsheet. Or you can email Culture & ReCreation director Kerrie Bates at kerrieb@ipswichma.gov, or call her at (978) 375-0324.
Houses on the Fourth of July parade route that were standing during the Revolutionary War
- 22 Mineral Street, the Warner-Harris House (c. 1696, alt. 1835)
- 52-54 High Street, the Kingsbury-Lord-Harris House (after 1716)
- 57 High Street, the Stone-Rust-Abraham Lummus House (c 1750)
- 45 High Street, the John Lummus House (1712)
- 44 High Street, the Francis Goodhue House (c. 1780)
- 43 High Street, the Fitts-Manning-Tyler House (1767)
- 41 High Street, the Daniel Lummus House (1686 -1746)
- 40 High Street, the William Caldwell House (1733)
- 37 High Street, the Lord-Baker House (1725)
- 34 High Street, the White Horse Inn (1659 / 1763)
- 33 High Street, the John and Sarah Dillingham Caldwell House (1660/1709)
- 30 High Street, the Joseph Bolles House (1722)
- 27 High Street, the Edward Browne House (c 1650-1750)
- 26 High Street, the Philip Call House (1659 with additions)
- 21 High Street, the Haskell-Lord House (c 1750)
- 17 High Street, the Thomas Lord House (after 1658)
- 13 High Street, the Joseph Willcomb House (1669-1693)
- 9 High Street, the Samuel Newman House (1762)
- 3 High Street, the John Gaines House (1725)
- 1 High Street, the Nathaniel Rogers Old Manse (1727)
- 58 North Main Street, the Captain Richard Rogers House (1728)
- 57 North Main Street, the Day-Dodge House (1737)
- 50 North Main Street, the James Brown House (1700 / 1721)
- 52 N. Main Street, the Treadwell-Hale House (1740-1799)
- 49 N Main St., the John & Joanna Chapman House
- 3 Summer Street, the Benjamin Kimball House (c. 1730, moved 1803)
- 5 Summer Street, the Widow Fuller House (1725)
- 7 Summer Street, the Thomas Treadwell House (C 1740)
- 11 Summer Street, the Nathaniel Hovey House (1718)
- 15 Summer Street, the Jonathan Pulcifer House (1718)
- 19 Summer Street, the Solomon Lakeman House (before 1745)
- 16 County Street, the Abraham Knowlton House (1726)
- 11 County Street, the Bennett-Caldwell House (1725)
- 10 County Street, the Dennis – Dodge House (1740)
- 9 County Street, the Benjamin Dutch House (1705)
- 7 County Street, the Thomas Dennis House (1663-1750)
- 5 County Street, the Richard Rindge / Pindar House (1718)
- 27 Summer Street, the Thomas Knowlton House (1688)
- 39 Summer Street, the Foster-Grant House (1717)
- 43 Summer Street, the Wilcomb-Pinder House (1718)
- 46 Summer Street, the James Foster House (1720)
- 12 Water Street, the Glazier-Sweet House (1728)
- 8 Water Street, the Harris-Sutton House (1677-1743)
- 6 Water Street, the Reginald Foster House (1690)
- 41 Turkey Shore Road, the William Howard House (c. 1680/1709)
Historic Ipswich 