Photos of Market St. from the present day back to the early days of photography.
Thomas Dennis, legendary Ipswich joiner
In 1937, Irving P. Lyon published a series of six articles about Thomas Dennis, joiner of Ipswich, analyzing numerous articles of furniture and family documents. The furniture of Thomas Dennis took on the status of historic treasure, and over time more pieces were attributed to him than he could have produced in his lifetime. In 1960, … Continue reading Thomas Dennis, legendary Ipswich joiner
Ipswich and the Breach with Britain
From The Breach With Great Britain" by Thomas Franklin Waters, author of "Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony." "The march of critical events now became rapid. In March, 1770, the clash between the soldiers and citizens, known as the "Boston Massacre" caused the death of several Boston men. In 1772, the "Gaspee," a British armed vessel, … Continue reading Ipswich and the Breach with Britain
The Ipswich Town Farm, 1817-1928
Ipswich established its first poorhouse in 1717, and until then the poor and incapacitated were simply let out to the lowest bidder. There was a growing movement in Massachusetts during the early 19th century for establishing rural working town farms for the poor. Caring for the poor in Ipswich became such an issue that the affluent remote … Continue reading The Ipswich Town Farm, 1817-1928
Ipswich Village on the Old Rowley Road
Featured image: "Ipswich Village" in the 1832 Philander map of the town of Ipswich. The following narrative includes excerpts from Ipswich Village and the Old Rowley Road. by Thomas Franklin Waters in 1915. "At the very beginning of the Town, High Street was the road to Newbury or 'the pathway leading toward the River of Merrimac.' No … Continue reading Ipswich Village on the Old Rowley Road
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 Gloucester Postcards from Salem Postcards from Newburyport
Candlewood and Fellows Road, the story of an Ancient Neighborhood
"Why and when the name was given is largely a matter of conjecture. Pastor Higginson of Salem wrote to friends in England of the primitive way in which the earliest settlers often lighted their houses by burning thin strips of the pitch pine trees. The suggestion is natural that this fine farming country was originally … Continue reading Candlewood and Fellows Road, the story of an Ancient Neighborhood
South Main Street, then and now
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, then and now
Lords Square, a photographic history
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, a photographic history
Great Neck, a photographic history
(Text adapted from the History of Great Neck, published in 1984 by Doris Wilson) 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. Thomas Franklin Waters wrote: "The first … Continue reading Great Neck, a photographic history
