Photo gallery - Many of these photos were digitally developed from original glass negatives taken by three early Ipswich photographers, Arthur Wesley Dow, George Dexter,and Edward L. Darling.
A slideshow trip through Ipswich - This slideshow begins at “Parting Paths,” the intersection of Essex Road (Rt. 133) and County Road (Rt. 1A). It first visits Crane Beach, then returns for a quick view of the landmarks in the South End, the East End, Jeffreys Neck, High Street, North main, Market Street, and South Main. I include a liberal dose … Continue reading A slideshow trip through Ipswich
Tombstones of the settlers of Ipswich Massachusetts - The Old North Burying Ground at the intersection of High Street and Rt 133/1A was established in 1634 upon the founding of the town of Ipswich. The following photos are graves from the Old North Burial Ground in Ipswich, and houses or other places associated with those persons. A complete list of burials is in the book Memento … Continue reading Tombstones of the settlers of Ipswich Massachusetts
Ipswich, by Andrew Borsari - Ipswich: A Celebration of Light, Land, and Sea In Ipswich, A Celebration of Light, Land and Sea, Andrew borsari shares his photos of the town’s lush natural majesty with a collection of images that quiet the mind and lift the heart. One of the oldest communities in the United States, Ipswich is famous for the extraordinary … Continue reading Ipswich, by Andrew Borsari
Portraits from Ipswich, a century ago - Many of the glass plate negatives taken by George Dexter (1862-1927) and Edward Darling (1874 - 1962), were stored away for almost a century.
Market Square - Featured image: Ipswich woodcut attributed to S. E. Brown, 1838, or John Warner Barber, 1839
Market Street - Photos of Market St. from the present day back to the early days of photography. A few of the buildings are still standing.
Cape Ann photographs by Andrew Borsari - Photographer Andrew Borsari shows us why Cape Ann is cherished by its residents and envied by the rest of the world, and his books make wonderful presents. Ipswich: A Celebration of Light, Land, and Sea Rockport, Massachusetts: A Village by the Sea Cape Ann: Photographs by Andrew Borsari
Along the Ipswich River - Follow the Ipswich River, starting at the Willowdale Dam and continuing past all four stone arch bridges in Ipswich, then along Water Street to the Town Wharf and out to sea. Many of these photos were digitally developed by the Town Historian from original glass negatives taken by three early Ipswich photographers: Arthur Wesley Dow, the famous Ipswich … Continue reading Along the Ipswich River
Block prints from the 1950 IHS calendar: Old Time Ipswich - Many thanks to Bill Barton for sharing the Ipswich High School Calendar for 1950, titled “Old Time Ipswich.” The slideshow below features block prints created and printed by the students for each month of the calendar. “The Calendar is the combined effort of the Ipswich High School Printing and Art classes under the direction of Mark Hayes, Instructor … Continue reading Block prints from the 1950 IHS calendar: Old Time Ipswich
George Dexter’s Ipswich - Perhaps the best-known early Ipswich Photographer was George Dexter (1862-1927). His photographs along with those of Edward Lee Darling (1874-1962) provide a wonderful visual history of the town. Thanks to Ipswich native Robert Cronin for sharing with me his collection of George Dexter glass plate negatives that have been in storage for almost 100 years, and … Continue reading George Dexter’s Ipswich
The 1934 parade celebrating the 300th Anniversary of the founding of Ipswich - The Indian village of Agawam became a Puritan settlement in 1633 as an outpost of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The community was named Ipswich in 1634 upon the official founding of the town. Click on any photo to begin the slideshow. Click on the X in the upper left corner or the ESC key on … Continue reading The 1934 parade celebrating the 300th Anniversary of the founding of Ipswich
South Main Street - In March 1692 several Ipswich persons petitioned “to have liberty granted them to build shops upon ye bank by ye river side,” at what is now South Main Street. The Selectmen laid out this stretch of land in twenty-three small lots and granted them “to as many individuals with the conditions that they not encumber … Continue reading South Main Street
Lords Square - Lord’s Square was known as Brewer’s Corner in early Ipswich. John Brewer was a town clerk and being on what was then the outskirts of town owned a large lot, which he divided into sections and sold. Brewer’s First Period home at 82 High Street was built in 1700 and still stands just north of … Continue reading Lords Square
Great Neck - Before the settlement of Ipswich was begun in 1633 by John Winthrop, William Jeffrey, who had come over in 1623, had purchased from the Indians a title to the glacial drumlin which bears his name. By 1639 the whole tract was set apart as a common pasture by the new town, and in 1666 the General Court gave Jeffrey five hundred acres of land elsewhere. After the early eighteenth century, the Necks remained as the only common lands retained by the Commoners.
Little Neck - Featured image: “Wolf Moon” over Little Neck, January 1, 2018. Photo by Susan Turner Po In 1639, two wealthy brothers William and Robert Paine (aka Payne) procured a grant of land in the town of Ipswich from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In about 1649 Robert offered to “erect an edifice for the purpose of a … Continue reading Little Neck
Bill George’s nostalgic look at old Ipswich - Paul Valcour interviewed Bill George twice for his show on Ipswich ICAM, and Bill shared his collection of old Ipswich photographs.
A photographic history of the Ipswich Mills Dam - Until 350 years ago, the Ipswich River ran unencumbered from its origin 35 miles upstream, carving its way through a 148-square-mile watershed. Herring, shad, salmon and alewife swam upstream to spawn. Thomas Franklin Waters noted that, “Great shoals of alewives came up the river in the Spring and were seined at night by the light of torches … Continue reading A photographic history of the Ipswich Mills Dam
A photographic and chronological history of the Ipswich Schools - Featured image: Manning School, and the first Winthrop School on the left. Photo by George Dexter, circa 1900. Excerpts from The History of the Ipswich Public Schools, an excellent article written in 2008 by William E. Waitt, Jr, who served as teacher and principal in the Ipswich Public Schools for 36 years; and A History of the Ipswich … Continue reading A photographic and chronological history of the Ipswich Schools
Photos from the Great Snow of 2015 - Images from the blizzard, January 27, 2015 and the series of snowstorms that followed. Many photos are from the I Love Ipswich Facebook group. Featured image: The road into Crane Beach, by Diane Young.
Arthur Wesley Dow - Ipswich artist Arthur Wesley Dow was born on April 6, 1857 in the Matthew Perkins house on East Street. He was one of the town’s most famous residents and a founding member of the Ipswich Historical Society. The Ipswich Museum owns the largest single collection of works by Arthur Wesley Dow, including oil paintings, watercolors, photographs, … Continue reading Arthur Wesley Dow
Along the Old Bay Road - In November 1639, the General Court in Boston ordered that the first official road be laid out from Boston to Portsmouth. Bay Road was to be constructed by each town along the way and milestones carved in stone were installed to indicate distances. Some (but not all) of the road is also known now as Historic … Continue reading Along the Old Bay Road
The Town Wharf - In November, 1634, it was agreed that “the length of Ipswich should extend westward unto the buryinge place (Old North Burying Ground), and eastward unto a cove of the river, unto the planting ground of John Pirkings the Elder.” The cove mentioned here was where the Ipswich River lapped East street before Agawam Ave. In the 19th Century, … Continue reading The Town Wharf
Postcards from Ipswich - Click on any image to begin the slideshow. To leave the slideshow and return to Stories from Ipswich hit the Esc button or click on the X in the top corner Postcards from Salem Postcards from Newburyport
Postcards from Newburyport - (Click on any image to begin a slideshow. Press the X in the top left corner or the Esc button to leave the slide show).
Postcards from Salem - Click on any image to begin the slideshow. To leave the slideshow and return to Stories from Ipswich hit the Esc button or click on the X in the top left corner.
David Stone’s Ipswich photos
Really great site. My ancestor, John Parish, lived in Ipswich during the 1600s. Thanks for the glimpse.
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Awesome.
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