One of the most hated Intolerable Acts, the Massachusetts Government Act of May, 20, 1774, ordered that on August 1 of that year, the upper house of the legislature would be replaced by thirty-six new members appointed by Governor Thomas Gage, on a "royal writ of mandamus." The new councilors became marked men when their… Continue reading The Mandamus Councilors
Year: 2026
The Bull Brook Paleo-Indian Site
In the early 1950s, a group of young amateur archaeologists men discovered one of the largest Paleo-Indian sites in North America along the banks of Bull Brook and the Egypt River in Ipswich, with over 6,000 artifacts uncovered.
“Lincoln in New England” with author David J. Kent, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at the Ipswich Public Library
On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 6:00 PM, the Ipswich Public Library will host author David J. Kent on his new book, Lincoln in New England: In Search of His Forgotten Tours. David J. Kent, an Ipswich native, is an award-winning Abraham Lincoln scholar, past President of the Lincoln Group of DC, and is a board… Continue reading “Lincoln in New England” with author David J. Kent, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at the Ipswich Public Library
Photos from the Ipswich “No Kings” Rally, Saturday, March 28, 2026
NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses by the Trump administration. On Saturday, March 26, people throughout the country took to the streets as a unified act of resistance. A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. In Ipswich,… Continue reading Photos from the Ipswich “No Kings” Rally, Saturday, March 28, 2026
Restoring the Old Post Office with Bill Barton
What Should You Do With Your Old Home? by Tamsin Venn, North Shore Magazine, February/March, 1989 Elliott Krause spent two years restoring what may be the oldest standing building ever used as a post office in the United States. The crumbling structure, built in the 1720s, stood next to the Federal-period home he and his… Continue reading Restoring the Old Post Office with Bill Barton
Ipswich Photos by David “Stoney” Stone
It was with great sorrow that we heard about the passing of David Stone recently. "Stoney," as everyone knew him, spent a lifetime photographing this beautiful place we call home. He saw color even on the grayest of wintry days. Use the arrows in the slideshow below to view over 200 of Stoney's photos. These… Continue reading Ipswich Photos by David “Stoney” Stone
The Story of Agnes Surriage, the Marblehead Tavern Maid
In 1742, the 26-year-old king’s collector visited Marblehead, and fell in love with the young tavern maid, a poor fisherman's daughter ten years younger than himself.
The Revolutionary War Letters of Joseph Hodgkins and Sarah Perkins
Throughout the Revolutionary War, Joseph Hodgkins sent letters home from the battlefronts to his wife, Sarah Perkins Hodgkins.
Evacuation Day, March 17, 1776
The above painting by Louis S. Glanzman is courtesy of the National Park Service. The siege of Boston by Patriot forces began on April 19, 1775, in the aftermath of the battles at Lexington and Concord. In June the British technically won the Battle of Bunker Hill, but suffered heavier casualties, with no effect on the Continental… Continue reading Evacuation Day, March 17, 1776
The Witchcraft Accusations Against Sarah Buckley and Mary Witheridge
On May 23, 1692, a complaint for witchcraft was filed against Sarah Buckley and her widowed daughter Mary Witheridge. The "bewitched" girls of Salem Village claimed that the women's specters had attacked them. Held in shackles in the cold crowded jail, both were acquitted in January,1692
Four-Year-Old Dorothy Good is Jailed for witchcraft, March 24, 1692
On March 24, 1682. a child, Dorothy Good of Salem was taken custody, and interrogated by the local magistrates for two weeks. Hungry, cold and missing her mother, Dorcas broke down and told the inquisitors what they wanted to hear, that her mother was a witch, and consorted with the devil.
Salem City Council Passes Resolution Ensuring the Safety of its Immigrant Population.
In February 2026, the Salem, Massachusetts City Council adopted a resolution reaffirming the city’s responsibility to protect all Salem residents regardless of their immigration status. RESOLUTION: TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY WHEREAS, the City of Salem is a welcoming city with a longstanding commitment to being a culturally inclusive and safe community… Continue reading Salem City Council Passes Resolution Ensuring the Safety of its Immigrant Population.
Ipswich at War
Links to two dozen wars that Ipswich men fought in from the town's settlement in 1633, through the Vietnam War.
Abraham Lincoln’s Brush with Essex County
By David J. Kent Abraham Lincoln toured New England twice. He never made it to Ipswich, but he did have some brushes with Essex County that influenced his development as a politician and his rise to the presidency. The first trip was as a sitting congressman in 1848, during which he gave ten speeches in… Continue reading Abraham Lincoln’s Brush with Essex County
The Hanging of Ezra Ross and Bathsheba Spooner, July 2, 1778
In 1778, sixteen-year-old Ezra Ross of Ipswich was condemned to death for the murder of Joshua Spooner of Brookfield. Spooner's wife Bathsheba became the first woman executed in the newly-created United States of America. Ezra Ross is buried in an unmarked grave at the Leslie Road Cemetery.
To the Inhabitants of Ipswich from Thomas Jefferson, September 2, 1808
The Embargo Act of 1807 put New England ports at a standstill and its towns into a depression. The Ipswich Town Meeting petitioned the President to relieve "the people of this once prosperous country from their present embarrassed and distressed condition." The town found Jefferson's answer "Not Satisfactory."
Historic Ipswich 