Shipwright Harold A Burnham comes from a family who have been building wooden boats in Essex MA for several generations. Produced by Blake Road Productions LLC for the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Building Wooden Ships
Dow Brook and Bull Brook
Bull Brook originates in Willowdale, crosses Linebrook Rd. and merges with Dow Brook at the Ipswich Utilities site on Rt. 1A. From that point the combined stream becomes the Egypt River.
Ipswich in the World Wars
The end to the Great Depression coincided with America's entry into World War II. The Ipswich Guard was stationed on Old England Rd., and Sylvania employees worked on a top-secret project. Minesweepers and other small craft were produced at Robinson's Boatyard.
“A State of Nature”, Worcester in 1774
"In Worcester, they keep no Terms, openly threaten Resistance by Arms, have been purchasing Arms, preparing them, casting Ball, and providing Powder, and threaten to attack any Troops who dare to oppose them....the flames of sedition spread universally throughout the country beyond conception.” -Gen. Thomas Gage
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.
Sullivan’s Corner
For eight decades the Sullivan farm in Ipswich, MA practiced a pre-modern way of life. The two sisters who took over their father’s family farm in 1916 were also teachers and principals in the Ipswich schools.
Along the Ipswich River
Historic photos of the Ipswich River from original glass negatives taken by early Ipswich photographers Arthur Wesley Dow, George Dexter and Edward L. Darling.
The Birthplace of American Independence, 1687
The important events I shall describe were a mere tradition in the town where I was born. It was almost a revelation, when, in later years, I found unquestioned historical records deserving of national attention.
The Sidney Shurcliff Riverwalk
In 1984, the Town of Ipswich laid a sewer along an old footpath beside the Ipswich River between The County St. and Green Street stone arch bridges. In 1998 the Mass. Highway Dept. completed construction of the Sidney Shurcliff Riverwalk, due in part to efforts by Sidney Shurcliff's sister Alice.
Block prints from the 1950 IHS calendar: Old Time Ipswich
Ipswich High School "Old Time Ipswich." featuring block prints created and printed by the students for each month of the calendar.
November 5: Guy Fawkes Day (“Pope Night”)
After Guy Hawkes, a Catholic, attempted to blow up the king and members of Parliament, effigies of Guy Fawkes were burned every year on Nov. 5, accompanied by a day of odd activities. The tradition was continued by English settlers in America.
Old House, New Home
Saved from a bulldozer in the 1960s, this 18th-century Georgian-style Ipswich house has a new home as a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of American History.
Chelmsford Center for the Arts
The former town hall in Chelmsford, MA was erected in 1879. Town Meeting voted to use Community Preservation Funds to renovate and restore the building, and on July 4, 2012 the Chelmsford Center for the Arts opened in the fully-restored elegant facility.
Ipswich Hosiery
After the first stocking machine was smuggled from England to Ipswich in 1822, immigrants arrived in Ipswich to work in the cotton and hosiery mills, contributing to the town's diverse cultural heritage.
The Central Ipswich Victorian Neighborhood
Central Street was laid out in 1870, Manning High School opened 4 years later, and stores began to be constructed. By 1884, the Victorian neighborhood that lines Central, Hammatt, Manning, Mineral, Liberty, Brown and Maple Streets had been created.
Pioneer in Partnership award
At the Essex National Heritage Commission’s annual gathering, Executive Director Annie Harris surprised our own Wayne Castonguay by presenting him with the 2022 Pioneer in Partnership Award.
Historic Ipswich 