On the Massachusetts North Shore
Exerpt from: Letters from an American, by Heather Cox Richardson, April 19, 2026. On the evening of April 18, 1775, the people who lived in the British colony of Massachusetts had gone to bed with the sun, as usual. By the evening of April 19, everything had changed. In the past twenty-four hours, soldiers from… Continue reading Ipswich Minutemen March to Lexington and Concord, April 18, 1775
Capt Nathaniel Wade's company and Capt. Abraham Dodge's company fought from the trenches in Col. Moses Little's regiment. 18-year-old Jessie Story of Chebacco Parish was killed, the first Ipswich man to lay down his life in the struggle for Independence.
We measure history by time, but for the Ipswich River and its alewives, time could be running out. We can help preserve the human and natural history of the Ipswich River by freeing it from its man-made encumbrances.
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
in the early 1950s, a group of young amateur archeologists 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.
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
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
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
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
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.
Throughout the Revolutionary War, Joseph Hodgkins sent letters home from the battlefronts to his wife, Sarah Perkins Hodgkins.
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
Winter Wellness Sampler is back for its 4th year! Join us for a seasonal series designed to help you move through the darkest, coldest months with care, curiosity, and connection. The January 23 session will be held at Boone Hall, Ascension Episcopal Church, located on County Street. The next seven sessions will be held at the Ipswich Town… Continue reading 2026 Winter Wellness Sampler, January 23 – March 20, 2026
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
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.
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.
Historic Ipswich 