Salt marsh hay is still gathered on the North Shore today. The grass was stacked on staddles to raise it above the high tides, and was hauled away on sleds over the frozen marsh in mid-winter.
Author: Gordon Harris
Gordon Harris is a local historian living in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and publisher of the Historic Ipswich site. Follow him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonrharris/
350 years on Grape Island
Grape Island was once a small but thriving community, and briefly a popular summer resort. In 1941, 3000 acres of Plum Island including Grape Island were purchased by the U.S. government to establish the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.
Ipswich & the Brookfield Massacre, August 2, 1675.
In 1660, a group of Ipswich families settled in Quaboag which they renamed Brookfield. Indian attacks in 1675 resulted in its destruction.
Melanson’s Fire, August 7, 2009
The boatyard, constructed in 1954, burned in a spectacular fire, and has since been replaced by a residential building.
Hurricane Carol, August 31, 1954
The 1954 storm knocked down trees and power lines all over Ipswich. Hurricane Carol devastated the Massachusetts south coast and Rhode Island, and was responsible for 65 deaths. On September 11, Hurricane Edna hit New England with additional destruction.
Samuel Symonds, Gentleman: Complaint to Salem Court Against His Two Servants, 1661
Philip Welch and William Downing, both children, were kidnapped from Ireland in 1654, and sold to Samuel Symonds in Ipswich. After 7 years they refused to continue working on his farm and demanded their freedom. They were arrested and brought to trial.
Anne Dudley Bradstreet, the Colony’s First Published Poet
Often alone in Ipswich while her husband Simon was engaged in government, Anne Bradstreet wrote a collection of poems published in London in 1650 titled, "The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in America...by a Gentlewoman in these Parts."
Walking Tour of Historic Ipswich, Sunday, September 6, 2026
This tour is led by local historian Gordon Harris, who shares the stories of our historic houses and the people who lived in them. The first part of the tour focuses on the fascinating history of the Meeting House Green area, accompanied by early photos. The walk takes us past many of the town's most… Continue reading Walking Tour of Historic Ipswich, Sunday, September 6, 2026
Sketches of Ipswich by William Gordon Keyworth
Early in his artistic career, William Gordon Keyworth (1927 - 2017) lived in Ipswich and worked as an art teacher at Shore Country Day School in Beverly. During his years in Ipswich, he painted a series of sketches and watercolors of historic buildings and scenes. Their first home in Ipswich was on Meeting House Green,… Continue reading Sketches of Ipswich by William Gordon Keyworth
Police Open Fire at the Ipswich Mills Strike, June 10, 1913
On June 10, 1913, police fired into a crowd of protesting immigrant workers at the Ipswich hosiery mill. A young Greek woman named Nicholetta Paudelopoulou was shot in the head and killed by police.
Ipswich Village (Upper High St.)
This Ipswich neighborhood has historically had a close social connection with neighboring Rowley. Jewett's mill was created in the 17th Century, and historic houses still line the street.
The Devil’s Footprint
Imprinted into the rocks in front of the First Church in Ipswich is the footprint of the devil, left there forever in a legendary encounter with the traveling English evangelist George Whitefield in 1740.
In the 19th Century, Religion Divided the Town
Revivalist Rev. John N. Maffit held a "protracted meeting" which was undoubtedly the most extraordinary episode in the history of the churches of Ipswich since the days of George Whitefield and Gilbert Tennent, preaching sixty nights to congregations which occupied every inch of the meeting-house.
Indigenous Peoples of the North Shore
A Brief History of Native Americans in Ipswich Before English Colonization Native Americans began moving into New England after the retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet. In the early 1950s, a group of young amateur archaeologists, men now known as the “Bull Brook Boys,” discovered one of the largest Paleo-Indian sites in North America along… Continue reading Indigenous Peoples of the North Shore
The Dark Day, May 19, 1780
At noon, a "midnight darkness" had fallen on Essex County. Candles were lighted, and fowls went to roost. By the next morning, dark ash lay four or five inches thick.
Choate Bridge Sign is Destroyed by Driver
An accident at 4:40 pm on July 3 at the southeast end of the Choate Bridge destroyed the beautiful hand-made wrought-iron 1764 Choate Bridge sign, installed in 1996. The same spot on the bridge has seen two other accidents in recent years that dislodged sections of the parapet, requiring replacement. Damaged Choate Bridge signpost The… Continue reading Choate Bridge Sign is Destroyed by Driver
Historic Ipswich 