On the Massachusetts North Shore
In 2010, the Ipswich Board of Selectmen voted to begin exploring removal of the Ipswich Mills Dam. The feasibility study was completed in March, 2019 and will set the stage for the Town's decision regarding the dam.
In 1829, the position of Ipswich Customs Collector was granted to Timothy Souther, a man of prominence and one of the old line Democrats who held office there under President Andrew Jackson. Souther resigned in August, 1840 after being charged with graft.
The Glen Magna Estate is now managed as a non-profit by the Danvers Historical Society. Photo courtesy North of Boston magazine Article by Helen Breen Before the advent of modern transportation, affluent city dwellers often built their summer residences within a few miles of home. Such was the case when shipping magnate Joseph Peabody (1757-1844), "the… Continue reading Glen Magna and the Joseph Peabody Family of Salem
On April 1st, 1970, both houses of the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill known as the "Shea Act," which declared that no inhabitant of Massachusetts "shall be required to serve" abroad in an armed hostility that has not been declared a war by Congress, under Article I of the U.S. Constitution.
Shortly after the Senate adjourned on May 21, Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina. attacked Sumner, yelling out, “I have read your speech, a libel on South Carolina.” and began slamming his metal-topped cane onto Sumner's head.
This short videotape about the Great Marsh promotes the value of this resource and places it in the context of the historical landscape,
(This story was made possible by research conducted by Christopher Challender Child and Marblehead historian Bob Booth.) In 1764, Marblehead's Second Congregational Church's minister, Simon Bradstreet, moved into a new mansion house with his wife Mary (née Strahan) Bradstreet, whom he had married in 1738. They were accompanied by an African American enslaved woman called… Continue reading Chance Bradstreet, a “Negro boy” enslaved in Ipswich.
Featured image: Woodcut image of the 1834 burning of the Ursuline Convent in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Catholics and fair-minded Bostonians were dismayed by the tragedy. by Helen Breen This week marks the anniversary of the burning and ransacking of the Ursuline Convent in Charlestown, Massachusetts on August 11, 1834. The outrage would smolder in the memories of… Continue reading Boston Irish Long Remembered the 1834 Charlestown Convent Fire
The earliest recorded sighting of a Sea Serpent in North American waters was at Cape Ann in 1639. In 1817, reports spread throughout New England of a sea serpent sighted in Gloucester Harbor.
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton wrote these words in a letter to George Washington on August 18, 1792. Political divisions between the Federalist Party (led by Hamilton) and the Democratic-Republican Party led by Thomas Jefferson were deepening. Jefferson’s adoring supporters organized large, well-attended events where they praised him in speeches and songs, while his political opponents portrayed him as… Continue reading “The Hobby Horse of Popularity”
Underneath the Town scene, in the blue water, are the large gold letters that read: "The Birthplace of American Independence - 1687." In the border around the Town scene, are the large gold letters that read: "Ipswich Massachusetts - Incorporated 1634."
By Helen Breen Daniel Low & Co. started on the bottom floor of the First Church, Unitarian, 231 Essex Street at the corner of Washington Street in Salem. The jewelry company purchased the church in 1923, elegantly refitting the structure as an appropriate setting for its luxurious merchandise. THE BUSINESS Daniel Low & Co. jewelry… Continue reading Daniel Low’s Silver “Witch Spoons” among Salem’s First Souvenirs
The frame of a 1692 house that once stood at the intersection of Manning and High Streets in Ipswich is on display in the "Art of the Americas" wing at the Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.
On August 23, 1687, the citizens of Ipswich, led by the Reverend John Wise, denounced the levy of taxes by the arbitrary government of Sir Edmund Andros, and from their protest sprang the American Revolution of 1689.
The township of Ipswich is divided into 5 parishes, and contains 601 houses, and 4502 inhabitants...This was heretofore a place of much more consideration than at present. Its decline is attributed to a barred harbor and shoals in the river.
In November 1844, Eben Caldwell, a native of Ipswich was captain of the 415-ton "Dorchester" which was destroyed off the coast of Ireland in a strong hurricane. This story of the almost miraculous deliverancewas told by Captain Caldwell.
Historic Ipswich 