Although half-billion year old granite formed Town Hill in Ipswich, most of the town's landforms date to about 20,000 years ago.
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/
An Ipswich Architectural Timeline
A photographic history of architecture in Ipswich Massachusetts
Ipswich Has Been on Bob Waite’s Mind
WHEN YOU LIVE NEXT TO A CEMETERY, YOU NEVER KNOW WHO WILL COME KNOCKING
2022 Mary Conley Awards for Historic Preservation
At the Select Board meeting on Monday, August 8, 2023, members of the Ipswich Historical Commission presented the 2022 awards to an historic house and a Civil War era barn that were recently restored and renovated.
My Ipswich connections
"I suspect that thousands of New Englanders have their roots based in Ipswich. Is it possible that I was drawn here by deeply ingrained ancestral memories?" By Thomas Palance
Massachusetts Provincial Law: “An Act to Prevent the Destruction of Alewives on the Ipswich River”
Concerns about the environmental toll that dams have on the Ipswich River date to before 1773.
Daniel Hovey
At the foot of Hovey Street along the Ipswich River is a plaque dedicated to the memory of Ipswich settler Daniel Hovey, whose home and wharf were across the river on what is now Tansey Lane.
Remembering Susan Howard Boice
by Beverly Perna (reprinted from 2016) Sue Boice died on July 16, 2013, but word got around town slowly that she had passed. I didn’t know until August 24th when a friend called and asked me to go to a Native American memorial for Sue, hosted that morning at Wolf Hollow by her longtime friend Joni… Continue reading Remembering Susan Howard Boice
Destination Ipswich: South Main St. and the South Green
For the seventh episode of Destination Ipswich with local historian Gordon Harris and Ipswich ICAM, we started at the Ipswich Riverwalk Mural, crossed the pedestrian bridge at the EBSCO Dam, and followed a trail by Sally's Pond and along the River to the Old South Cemetery. Our return took us to the Whipple House and the Ipswich Museum.
History of Little Neck
The History of Little Neck by Richard C. Betts, with photos from the 19th through the 21st Centuries.
Destination Ipswich: Dow & Bull Brook Conservation Area
In Episode 6 of Destination Ipswich, we take a walk in the Dow Brook Conservation Area, starting at the trailhead next to White Farms Ice Cream on upper High St. (Rt. 1A). The trail takes us to the Dow Book Reservoir, where we walk across the dam, and check out the water and electric generator station constructed in 1894. The next stop is the Ipswich Water Department, where superintendent Joe Ciccotelli explains how water from the the reservoirs is filtered and makes its way to our faucets. Continuing onto Bull Brook, we viewed the remains of the 300-year-old dam and mill built by Nejemiah Jewett. A short distance ahead is the reservoir's concrete spillway. A wooded trail follows the edge of the reservoir and takes us to the other trailhead at the Mile Lane playing fields.
Destination Ipswich: the Crane Estate with ICAM
In this episode, we take a trail from Crane beach to the top of Steep Hill for a marvelous view of Plum Island and Ipswich Bay. A path through the woods takes us to the Castle, and we stroll through the formal gardens and the rose garden before descending to Cedar Point trail,where we enjoy the view of Fox Creek on our way to Steep Hill Beach. The beautiful walk at the Crane Estate is made possible by the Trustees of Reservations.
Adele “Kitty” Crockett Robertson
Kitty Robinson began writing for the Ipswich Chronicle in her 50s, and when she died unexpectedly in 1979, flags in Ipswich flew at half mast. Kitty's daughter published "Measuring Time…by an Hour Glass" and "The Orchard" from her newspaper articles and personal memoirs.
Freedom for Jenny Slew, November 1766
Jenny Slew was born about 1719 as the child of a free white woman and a black slave. She lived her life as a free woman until 1762 when she was illegally enslaved by John Whipple. Jenny Slew is believed to be the first person held as a slave to be granted freedom through trial by jury.
Crane Beach
Crane Beach belongs to the Trustees of Reservations and is part of the historic Crane Estate. The property includes Crane Castle, miles of shoreline, and over 5 miles of marked trails through the dunes at Castle Neck and Steep Hill Beach, open year-round.
Destination Ipswich: Strawberry Hill and Greenwood Farm
Take a walk with us at Strawberry Hill, an Ipswich open space property with a meadow trail that takes you to Smith's Island, a small elevated area in the Great Marsh. Across Jeffreys Neck Road from Strawberry Hill is Greenwood Farm, a Trustees of Reservation Properties that features an early 18th Century house and the abutments of the old road that connected the farm to Newmarch St.
