Gravestones at the Ipswich Old South Cemetery
The cemetery adjoinging the South Green was used from 1756 until 1939, with some recent additions.… Continue reading Gravestones at the Ipswich Old South Cemetery
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Traditional American Thanksgiving in Art and Song
Among America’s most beloved 19th century renderings of Thanksgiving Day are Currier & Ives lithographs, Grandma Moses’s paintings, and Lydia Marie Child’s famous poem/song “Over the River and Through the Wood.” In the 20th Century, Norman Rockwell depicted an idealized version of American Thanksgiving. By Helen Breen… Continue reading Traditional American Thanksgiving in Art and Song
About this site (with Index)
This site is produced by Ipswich town historian Gordon Harris and is not officially affiliated with the Town of Ipswich, the Ipswich Historical Commission or the Ipswich Museum.… Continue reading About this site (with Index)
Yankee dictionary; a compendium of useful and entertaining expressions indigenous to New England
In 1963 Charles F. Haywood published the Yankee Dictionary, dedicated to his parents “both of whom loved Old New England, its life, its people, its history, its customs and its speech.” … Continue reading Yankee dictionary; a compendium of useful and entertaining expressions indigenous to New England
A Revolutionary Guest: John Adams’ letters from Ipswich
John Adams visited Ipswich many times during his tenure as the Boston representative to the colonial legislature from 1770 to 1774.… Continue reading A Revolutionary Guest: John Adams’ letters from Ipswich
After electoral defeat, neither Adams President attended his successor’s inauguration
John Adams, our second President, and his eldest son John Quincy Adams, our sixth President, both quietly departed Washington on the eve of their opponent’s inauguration. Each did so in good conscience, leaving their successors, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson respectively, to enjoy two terms in office.… Continue reading After electoral defeat, neither Adams President attended his successor’s inauguration
A century ago – The Spanish Flu epidemic raged in Massachusetts in 1918
The flu pandemic that spread throughout the world in 1918-1919 may have killed more people than the medieval Black Death.… Continue reading A century ago – The Spanish Flu epidemic raged in Massachusetts in 1918
“In the Good Old Summer Time” – Swampscott Estates
In the 19th Century, wealthy professionals and businessmen who chose to construct lavish summer homes in Swampscott for themselves and their families to enjoy its sea breezes and ocean views.… Continue reading “In the Good Old Summer Time” – Swampscott Estates
Daniel Low’s Silver “Witch Spoons” among Salem’s First Souvenirs
By Helen Breen Daniel Low & Co. started on the bottom floor of the First Church, Unitarian, 231 Essex Street at the corner of Washington Street in Salem. The jewelry company purchased the church in 1923, elegantly refitting the structure as an appropriate setting for its luxurious merchandise. THE BUSINESS Daniel Low & Co. jewelry… Continue reading Daniel Low’s Silver “Witch Spoons” among Salem’s First Souvenirs
Boston Irish Long Remembered the 1834 Charlestown Convent Fire
Featured image: Woodcut image of the 1834 burning of the Ursuline Convent in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Catholics and fair minded Bostonians were dismayed by the tragedy. by Helen Breen This week marks the 183th anniversary of the burning and ransacking of the Ursuline Convent in Charlestown, Massachusetts on August 11, 1834. The outrage would smolder in the… Continue reading Boston Irish Long Remembered the 1834 Charlestown Convent Fire
Ipswich in the 19th Century
Chebacco Parish becomes the Town of Essex. The Eastern Railway and Ipswich Mills bring a resurgence of prosperity and the population doubles. After two downtown fires in 1894 the town builds a water system.… Continue reading Ipswich in the 19th Century
An Amazing Coincidence on July 4, 1826
John Adams died quietly at six o’clock on the evening of July 4, 1826 at the age of 91. His last words were: “Jefferson survives.” He did not know that on the same day in Monticello, Virginia, his long-time rival Thomas Jefferson had breathed his last at the age of 82. … Continue reading An Amazing Coincidence on July 4, 1826
A Nostalgic Glance at Harvard’s Early History
*From it’s earliest days, the people of Ipswich made frequent contributions to Harvard College. William Hubbard of Ipswich, the son of the Rev.William Hubbard, in his twenty-first year, ‘was one of that remarkable group of nine young men whom Harvard College sent forth in 1642, as the first specimens of high culture achieved in the… Continue reading A Nostalgic Glance at Harvard’s Early History
A Heated Battle – Lodge vs. Curley 1936
In the midst of the inflammatory rhetoric of the American Presidential campaign, let reflect on the no less acrimonious Massachusetts US Senate race of 1936. In the ring – Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., a Harvard educated Brahmin of impeccable credentials. His opponent – James Michael Curley, combat-scarred Irish politician who had served as mayor of Boston and Governor of Massachusetts.… Continue reading A Heated Battle – Lodge vs. Curley 1936
The Merchant Princes, Cyrus Wakefield and George Peabody
by Helen Breen Question: What Do Wakefield and Peabody Have In Common? Answer: Both renamed their Essex County towns in the mid 19th century to honor their “favorite sons” and benefactors – Cyrus Wakefield (1811-1873) and George Peabody (1795-1869). The 19th century “merchant princes” of Boston were ambitious, clever men who made their fortunes in… Continue reading The Merchant Princes, Cyrus Wakefield and George Peabody
Glen Magna and the Joseph Peabody Family of Salem
The Glen Magna Estate is now managed as a non-profit by the Danvers Historical Society. Photo courtesy North of Boston magazine Article by Helen Breen Before the advent of the modern transportation, affluent city dwellers often built their summer residences within a few miles of home. Such was the case when shipping magnate Joseph Peabody… Continue reading Glen Magna and the Joseph Peabody Family of Salem
Historic Ipswich 