The American Society of Civil Engineers cites the Choate Bridge in Ipswich as the oldest documented two-span masonry arch bridge in the U.S., and the oldest extant bridge in Massachusetts.
The Choate Bridge
Ipswich to Marietta, December 1787
In December 1787, a group of Revolutionary War veterans and adventurers set out from Ipswich on an 800-mile journey through the wilderness by horseback and rafts to establish the first settlement in the Ohio Territory.
Linebrook Parish
This remote area was originally known as Ipswich Farms. After the residents began pressing for their own church, the Massachusetts General Court on June 4, 1746, created the Linebrook Parish, the boundries of which were defined by 6 brooks and lines connecting them. The community had a church, store, school and its own militia.
Maple Avenue
Maple Street first appears in the 1884 Ipswich map, without houses. Maple Street first appears in the 1884 Ipswich map, without houses. A white arrow in the photo above points to the house still standing at 6 Maple Street, with a horse in front. The photo was taken from Town Hill by Edward Darling, around 1890. In the foreground are houses still standing on High Street. On the far left of the photo is the old Lord Square fire station and the Payne School, bright white. Behind them you can see the train tracks. Several houses are seen behind it on Washington Street. The hillside behind was still primarily farmland. By 1910, the Ipswich map shows the street completely filled.
1793 and 1818: the “Burden of the Poor” Divides Ipswich into 3 Towns, Ipswich, Hamilton and Essex
As the people of the Hamlet were financially stable, the burden of taxation for the support of the poor in the old town of Ipswich was considered to be an unjust imposition. 25 years later, the men of Chebacco petitioned the Legislature for incorporation as a separate town.
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.
The Mill Road Bridge and the Isinglass Factory
The triple stone arch Warner Bridge that connects Mill Rd. in Ipswich to Highland St. in Hamilton was constructed in 1829, and rebuilt in 1856. The isinglass mill sat on the downstream Ipswich side of the bridge.
Two Taverns for Two Susannas
In the 1700s two of the finer inns in town were run by a mother and daughter both named Susanna. Although the two houses are both on corners of County Street, they were separated by the river.
Destination Ipswich: the Mill Pond
We're back with Episode Eight of Destination Ipswich with local historian Gordon Harris, and Carla Villa from the Ipswich River Watershed Association, who takes us on a couple of trails at the IRWA headquarters, then joins us for a kayak trip to the Mill Dam and back. Special thanks to Bryan Grasso and Beth Myer from Ipswich ICAM.
Boston’s Great Molasses Flood, January 15, 1919
On January 15, 1919, people in Boston's North End were startled by a loud rumbling noise. They watched in horror as a five-story tank broke apart, unleashing a wave of molasses 15 feet high and 160 feet wide.
John Winthrop Jr., Here and Gone
John Winthrop the younger was the son of Massachusetts Bay Colony governor John Winthrop, and led the settlement of Agawam in 1633 (renamed Ipswich in 1634), accompanied by 11 men.
Jane Hooper, the Fortune-Teller
Jane Hooper was in 1760 a Newburyport "school dame" but after she lost that job she found fame as a fortune-teller. When the Madame made her yearly visit to Ipswich, the young and the old called on her to learn of their fates.
Four-Year-Old Dorothy Good is Jailed for witchcraft, March 24, 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.
The Plantations at New Meadows, Now Topsfield
Large allotments of land in today's Topsfield were granted in the early 17th Century by the colony's leaders, comprising more than one-half of the town's present acreage. The persons who were awarded the lots, sometimes referred to as "king's grants" were merchants and men of influence and power who had joined the Massachusetts Bay Company.
When Herring Were Caught by Torchlight
In the late 19th Century, most of the men around the river would look forward to "herringing" when fall arrived. The foot of Summer Street was the best landing. One year so many herring were caught, they were dumped in the Parker River, and Herring did not return for many years.
Historic Ipswich 