In the spring of 1639 Rowley was settled as a plantation by twenty families who accompanied the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers from England on the ship John of London. The town was incorporated on September 4, 1639, and originally included portions of Byfield, Groveland, Georgetown, and Haverhill. Rogers had served as pastor in Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire for twenty years before his suspension because of his non-conformist Puritan beliefs. In 1642, a keystone arch bridge and a dam were built on the Mill River.
Map of Rowley (Ezekiel Rogers’ Plantation)
Flight from Rooty Plain-News arrived in Rooty Plain that the Regulars had come in to Ipswich, and every man was called for, to meet the enemy. One aged man. Mr. Stephen Dressr thought he would sit down a while and smoke his pipe, and waited but they didn't come, and had quite a comfortable nights sleep.… Continue reading Flight from Rooty Plain→
Along the Old Bay Road-In 1639, the Colony ordered that a road be laid out from Boston to Portsmouth, to be constructed by each town along the way. The Bay Road made Ipswich an important stagecoach stop. Several milestones to indicate distances are still standing.… Continue reading Along the Old Bay Road→
The Muster Murder of 1787-During the Boston Muster of 1787, Daniel Foster of Rowley participated in the customary celebration of shooting musket balls into the air, and accidentally killed Amos Chapman of Ipswich. A jury ordered his execution, but Governor John Hancock opposed capital punishment and pardoned Foster.… Continue reading The Muster Murder of 1787→
Roads to Paradise-"The ancient way, now called not inaptly Paradise Road, winds through long stretches of woodland, where ferns and brakes grow luxuriantly, and every kind of wild flower finds congenial haunt in open glades or shaded nooks.”… Continue reading Roads to Paradise→
Clam Battle!-Life Magazine, July 16, 1945: The government had taken over the lands for a Wildlife Refuge, and the clam battle was on. Ipswich hunters were afraid of losing their private hunting reserves. Ipswich farmers were afraid of losing their land.… Continue reading Clam Battle!→
The Agawam Diner-The Agawam Diner on Rt. 1 in Rowley was built by the Fodero Dining Car Company in 1954, and was originally located on Market St. in Ipswich. Two Strand diner cars preceded it at that location.… Continue reading The Agawam Diner→