When Google maps first went online, it showed a couple of large dunes at the tip of Crane Beach, one labelled “The Great Dune.” It was the tallest of the newer dunes, comparable in size to Wigwam Hill, which is a small sand-covered drumlin that became a well-established dune in the middle of Castle Neck. The featured image above is a cyanotype photo taken by Arthur Wesley Dow.
The Great Dune seems to have been greatly reduced by the wind. Using Google Earth, I was able to compare satellite images from 1995 and 2005 with the satellite view today. It is clear that the tip of Castle Neck, where the Great Dune once stood, is retreating, and the opening to Essex Bay between the tip of Castle Neck and the tip of Wingaersheek Beach has widened by perhaps a quarter-mile.
The newer dunes may have been a temporary phenomenon–they seem to have appeared after publication of the 1912 nautical map of Ipswich Bay, reaching prominence sometime in the middle of the 20th Century, then began their retreat. A crude map produced in 1786 and shown further down (if at all accurate) indicates that Castle Neck is longer than it was 230 years ago.
Google Earth satellite view of Castle Neck, March 28, 1995
Google Earth satellite view, April 29, 2005
Google Earth satellite view of Castle Neck, June 6, 2015
Castle Neck on Google Earth, 2019
Satellite view of Castle Neck-Crane Beach in 2005
Satellite view of Castle Neck-Crane Beach in 2019
Satellite view of Castle Neck-Crane Beach in 2021
Photo of the two “Great dunes” taken from the tip of Crane Beach in winter, 2018
The Great Dune, photo by Plum Island and Beyond February 2021
The large new tree-less dunes at the tip of Castle Neck are significantly diminished. In the book Sand Dunes and Salt Marshes, a study of the Ipswich dunes published by Charles Wendell Townsend in 1925, he includes the map below, drawn in 1786. In that map, Castle Neck is rounded at the end, and does not protrude so far into Essex Bay. (The accuracy of the map is questionable.)
“Map of Castle Neck With Ye Adjacent Sea..,” produced by P. B. Dodge, April 3, 1786.
Cross-country skiing in the Castle Neck dunes, Ipswich. The dunes, contrary to popular belief, have not disappeared, but they do expand, contract and evolve. Castle Neck and Crane Beach are a wonderful place to go for a walk, with almost 10 miles of dune trails and beach combined.
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.… Continue reading Choate Island and Rufus Choate→
The farm at Wigwam Hill-Symonds Epes bought a large tract in 1726 and built a substantial farm and orchards at Wigwam Hill, named for a group of destitute Indians who briefly camped there. The protecting pitch pines were later cut for lumber, and the farm became a large dune.… Continue reading The farm at Wigwam Hill→
The Ipswich lighthouse-In 1881, a 45-foot cast iron lighthouse was erected at Crane Beach, replacing an earlier structure. By 1913, the sand had shifted so much that the lighthouse was 1,090 feet from the high water mark. Use of the light was discontinued in 1932 and in 1939 the Coast Guard floated the entire lighthouse to Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard.… Continue reading The Ipswich lighthouse→
Wreck of the Edward S. Eveleth, October 1922-In October 1922, the sand schooner Edward S. Eveleth rolled over when a wave rushed over her deck and pushed her onto the edge of Steep Hill Beach. Filled with sand, each tide buried her deeper. Her remains were visible for several years. The skeleton of the hull is just off-shore a short distance from the wreck of the Ada K. Damon.… Continue reading Wreck of the Edward S. Eveleth, October 1922→
The Fox Creek Canal-The Fox Creek Canal is the oldest man-made tidewater canal in the United States, dug in 1820. In 1938 it was dredged to accommodate ship-building at Robinson's Boatyard, where small minesweepers were constructed for World War II.… Continue reading The Fox Creek Canal→
Growing up on Little Neck from 1946, I remember the “huge sand dunes” at the mouth of the river. When I was older and would walk the entire length (whew!) many “real dunes” were along the way and especially as one approached the Essex River, (but further back).
Thank you for the confirmation!
Wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL abt the Ipswich dunes, which we used to slide down, and picnic among on sunny cold winter days, Alicia Moore PLM362@aol
Growing up on Little Neck from 1946, I remember the “huge sand dunes” at the mouth of the river. When I was older and would walk the entire length (whew!) many “real dunes” were along the way and especially as one approached the Essex River, (but further back).
Thank you for the confirmation!
Wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL abt the Ipswich dunes, which we used to slide down, and picnic among on sunny cold winter days, Alicia Moore PLM362@aol
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