Salt marsh hay is still gathered on the North Shore today. The grass was stacked on staddles to raise it above the high tides, and was hauled away on sleds over the frozen marsh in mid-winter.
Category: Video
Melanson’s Fire, August 7, 2009
The boatyard, constructed in 1954, burned in a spectacular fire, and has since been replaced by a residential building.
The Witchcraft Trial of Elizabeth Howe, Hanged July 19, 1692
Elizabeth Howe and her husband James resided on outer Linebrook. She was charged with bewitching her neighbor’s child and was arrested on May 28, 1692. She was one of the five women hanged in Salem on July 19, 1692.
The Bull Brook Paleo-Indian Site
In the early 1950s, a group of young amateur archaeologists 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.
The “Great White Hurricane,” March 11, 1888
The Great White Hurricane of 1888 struck on the night of March 11 and continued furiously for two days, dumping 60 inches of snow on parts of the Northeast.
Building a Ship in Essex
By the early 1840s, Essex no longer had its own fishing fleet, but had turned to year-round shipbuilding, fostering a symbiotic relationship with the successful fishermen in Gloucester.
Lords Square
Lord's Square is not a square at all, and no one knows the right way to spell it. The bewildering intersection abuts the Old North Burying Ground and the largest collection of First Period houses in America.
The 2016 Ipswich Drought
Based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Palmer Drought Severity Index, the three-month period between May 1 and July 31 was the driest for those three months in Massachusetts since 1966 and the ninth driest on record. Due to the shortage of rainfall and continued high water demand, the Ipswich Water Department issued a Drought… Continue reading The 2016 Ipswich Drought
Voices of the Great Marsh
This short videotape about the Great Marsh promotes the value of this resource and places it in the context of the historical landscape,
The Cape Ann Sea Serpent
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.
The Ipswich Revolt of 1687
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.
Jake Burridge, the sailor
Legendary Ipswich native Jake Burridge had a century of sailing stories to share with you.
King’s Rook and the Stonehenge Club, when Ipswich Rocked!
In the 1960s, music could be heard in Ipswich at the King's Rook. In 1969, Phil Cole purchased the business and renamed it Stonehenge, Tom Rush, Judy Collins. the Paul Butterfield Band. Bo Didley, Al Kooper, Bonnie Rait and many other famous musicians played there before it closed in 1972.
Destination Ipswich: The Old North Burying Ground
For the 9th episode of "Destination Ipswich", we're visiting the Old North Burying Ground on High Street in Ipswich, established in 1633. Take a video tour with local historian Gordon Harris as we view some of the gravestones in the oldest section of the cemetery. To see all the gravestones, along with dates, inscriptions, location maps, and photos, go to the Old North Burying Ground page at the Historic Ipswich site.
Choate Island and Rufus Choate
Choate Island was originally known as Hog Island, and is the largest island in the Crane Wildlife Refuge and is the site of the Choate family homestead, the Proctor Barn, the White Cottage, and the final resting place of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Crane. There are great views from the island summit of the Castle Neck dunes and Plum Island Mount Agamenticus in Maine.
Supercontinents, Ice Ages, and the Hills of Ipswich
Although half-billion year old granite formed Town Hill in Ipswich, most of the town's landforms date to about 20,000 years ago.
Historic Ipswich 