Ipswich, Massachusetts was founded in 1634 in an area the Native Americans called “Agawam.” The historic neighborhoods of Meeting House Green, High Street, the East End, and the South Green offer well-preserved streetscapes of 17th to 19th-century residences. Over 50% of land in Ipswich is protected by the State, Trustees of Reservations, Greenbelt, and the town’s Open Space program.
Recent Posts
Coronavirus, and what you can do - Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong explains how the virus infects our bodies and what we as individuals and society can do to flatten the curve, along with promising strategies toward treatment and prevention.
The Essex County Receptacle for Idiots and the Insane at Ipswich - After Dorothy demanded that the State conduct an investigation, the "Report on Insanity and Idiocy in Massachusetts" found that 68 insane or demented persons were being housed in the Ipswich jail. 
Saving the Rooster - The gilded weathercock at the First Church in Ipswich has graced the steeple of every church at that location since the middle of the 18th Century.
Willowdale - In 1829, Dr. Thomas Manning of Ipswich constructed a 6' tall dam and mill on the Ipswich River along Topsfield Rd. Workers were provided housing a the large stone house. In 1884 the mill building burned and much of the stone walls for the mill building collapsed.
Featured Posts
The Great Dying 1616-1619, “By God’s visitation, a wonderful plague” - An estimated 18,000,000 Native Americans lived in North America before the 17th Century. The arrival of 102 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower at Plymouth in 1620 and the settlements by the Puritans a decade later were accompanied by the demise of the native population of North America.
The 1918 Spanish flu epidemic in Ipswich - Influenza made its appearance in Ipswich in September of 1918. The state authorities took over the hospital that Oct. 6, and erected 50 tents. The 15th Infantry was put to the task. It was estimated that there were at least 1,500 cases of the flu in Ipswich during the height of this disease with at least 66 deaths.
Ipswich is dangerous for cyclists - Several years ago I rode 3500 across America without incident, but in Ipswich I fear for my life. This cyclist had to dodge multiple potholes on Topsfield Rd. while a car passed him
Great Sorrows: The Deadly “Throat Distemper” of 1735-36 - An epidemic of "throat distemper," believed to be diptheria, raged in New England between 1735 and 1740. Some Ipswich households were left without a single child surviving. 
April 1, 1970: The Massachusetts Legislature challenges the Vietnam War - 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 inducted into or serving in the armed forces "shall be required to serve" abroad in an armed hostility that has not been declared a war by Congress, under Article I, Section 8, clause 11 of the United States Constitution.
