On the Massachusetts North Shore
The Ipswich Female Seminary was established in April 1828 by Zilpah Grant and 24-year-old Mary Lyon for the secondary and college-level education of young women. It was the first endowed seminary for women and the first to give diplomas to its graduates.
*From its earliest days, the people of Ipswich made frequent contributions to Harvard College. William Hubbard of Ipswich, the son of the Rev. William Hubbard, in his twenty-first year, was one of that remarkable group of nine young men whom Harvard College sent forth in 1642, as the first specimens of high culture achieved in… Continue reading A Nostalgic Glance at Harvard’s Early History
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.
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
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."
"Millend" was the west side of the settlement, including today's Topsfield Rd. and Washington St. Home of Samuel Appleton and John Whipple, it was separated from the east side by a wetland. In1717, Capt. Beamsley Perkins was taken to court for blocking their path to the Meeting House.
Rev. John Hale of Beverly participated in the witch trials until his wife was accused. Hale later published an analysis in which he asserted that Satan had tricked the Puritans, and made a plea for forgiveness.
A landmark we're probably all familiar with was the old mill building on the Hamilton side of the Mill Road bridge. The abandoned sawmill was last used in 1919 and was demolished in late February 2024.
Massachusetts has the highest probability of all of the states to be hit by an ocean storm, which includes hurricanes and nor'easters.
In 1652, the Town of Ipswich voted "For the better aiding of the school and the affairs thereof," building a grammar school and paying the schoolmaster. By the 19th Century there were 10 grammar schools spread throughout the town, and a high school.
"It was a poor time in which to build a dam. The winter was very severe and at times the temperature was below zero. The center of the dam was soon washed away, and by spring the new structure had almost disappeared."
Among America’s most beloved 19th century renderings of Thanksgiving Day are Currier & Ives lithographs, Grandma Moses’s paintings, and Lydia Marie Child’s famous poem/song “Over the River and Through the Wood.” In the 20th Century, Norman Rockwell depicted an idealized version of American Thanksgiving. By Helen Breen
In 1896, the first trolley from Beverly arrived in Ipswich, and a year later, the Georgetown, Rowley and Ipswich Street Railway opened. By 1919, Mr. Ford's Model T ended the brief era of the street railway.
The former Ipswich Mills, now owned by EBSCO, was the site of one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Second World War.
Historic Ipswich 