The History of Little Neck by Richard C. Betts, with photos from the 19th through the 21st Centuries.
History of Little Neck
Category: Roads
Four Old Houses That Stood on High St.
The Jacob Manning house, the Caleb Lord house, the Nathaniel Lord house at the corner of High and Manning Streets, and the thatched roof William Baker house at the corner with Mineral Street.
The Keeping of Cattle on Jeffreys Neck
In Ipswich, cows would be put to pasture on the Neck in the spring, and every October they would be rounded up and herded into a pen. Many of the town's laws regarding land use, property rights, labor and sanitation grew from issues surrounding the keeping of livestock.
Old Roads and Bridges of Newbury and Newburyport
Published by the Newbury 350th anniversary Committee.
South Main Street
In March 1692 the Selectmen laid out 23 small lots with the condition that the owners not encumber the highway, provide drainage to the river and paving for foot travelers, and "keep horses from spoiling the same.”
Central Street in Ashes, January 13, 1894
Early in the morning of Jan. 13, 1894, several businesses on Central Street went up in flames. Three months later the other end of Market St. burned, and the town finally voted to build a water system.
Argilla Road
The South Green was long known as School House Green. From there, historic Argilla Road crosses pastures and deep woods, then opens up to a scenic vista of the Great Salt Marsh and the ocean on its way from South Green to Crane Beach.
East Street
The abrupt change in the name of High Street to East Street at the intersection with North Street is odd unless one knows a bit of history. When Ipswich was laid out in the 1600s, town center was Meetinghouse Green. A road headed south and crossed the river -- it was named South Main Street. It… Continue reading East Street
Washington and Liberty Streets
Gravel Street and the gravel pits are shown in the 1832 Philander map of Ipswich. One of the older established ways in town, Washington Street may have started as a footpath for Native Americans long before John Winthrop and the first settlers arrived. Map of Ipswich in a 1909 article by M. V. B. Perley, Millend Ipswich:… Continue reading Washington and Liberty Streets
The Ipswich Town Farm, 1817-1928
Ipswich established its first poorhouse in 1717, and until then the poor and incapacitated were simply let out to the lowest bidder. In 1817 the town voted to build a town poor farm on what is now Town Farm Road.
Self-governed at Market Square
Newcomers and visitors to Ipswich inevitably suggest installing a traffic light at the confusing intersection of Market, Central, North Main and South Main Streets, but most people agree it would be a bad idea.
Summer Street
Summer Street may be the oldest public way in Ipswich, and in the earliest days of the settlement was called Stony Street, Annable's Lane, or simply "The Way to the River. "
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.
Market Square
Market Square is the intersection of North Main, South Main, Market and Central Streets in Ipswich, and is sometimes referred to as Five Corners
Lakemans Lane and Fellows Road
One hundred years ago, Lakemans Lane was a narrow dirt road lined by stone walls. You can still see the imprint of the pastures and fields that once marked the original properties.
Roads to Paradise
"The ancient way, now called not inaptly Paradise Road, winds through long stretches of woodland, where ferns and brakes grow luxuriantly, and every kind of wild flower finds congenial haunt in open glades or shaded nooks.”
Historic Ipswich 