On the Massachusetts North Shore
It's popular to wax nostalgic of a time and place where the winters were colder, the snows deeper, and the pace of life more manageable. For those of us lucky enough to grow up in Ipswich, these things were mostly true.
The long and productive life of Frank Geist lends credence to the maxim that character is fate and renders his a story is worthy of telling.
To borrow a hockey metaphor, if June and July designate the first and second periods of summer, then surely August tells us that we are now deep within the final period of this glorious season. The changes abound in subtle but perceptible ways.
Essex County was subjected to days of relentless, pouring rain that caused millions of dollars in property damage, deaths and left Ipswich nearly isolated from neighboring communities.
"Ipswich is paradise with bugs.”
Gavin Keenan is drawn to reminisce of certain events which occurred during his lengthy enlistment in the local constabulary, including this Clamtown mystery of pandemic proportions.
In my day, summer work had one purpose – money. I'm sure many of you can relate to these memories, and have your own version to share.
Retired Ipswich Police Officer Edward Walsh, who died recently, worked for the Town nearly fifty years, beginning in 1969 as a rookie patrolman.
Gather all ye noble men and listen to my song. I know you have more pressing things But this shouldn’t take too long. Our tale occurs on slippery sand at a place called Middle Ground.
My wife and I were reminiscing of Independence Days long past, when our children were little, some of our parents still alive and our families mostly living nearby. Backyard cook-outs scheduled around shifts at Beverly Hospital or the I.P.D., Betty Dorman's Recreation Department Fourth of July Children's Parade - thankfully still going strong, decking out… Continue reading Ghosts of Independence Day
by Gavin Keenan Don't you just love the American political process? Especially in the times through which we now pass, so fraught with fear and uncertainty. If you were to take it all too seriously, you would certainly be justified in believing that we live in the time of the great circling - around the… Continue reading Primary Colors
No matter where you turn today, talk of the Powerball lottery seems to dominate the news
Never one to seek the company of others, he preferred the isolation of working midnights patrolling the lonely landscape of failed farms and shuttered mills below the Quebec border. But Peter knew he was in trouble.
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting some retired Ipswich Police Department friends at a late summer cookout. It was a magical evening of story-telling. I was grateful we had all made it to the other side relatively unscathed, and I realized once again how fortunate I was to have been broken in by such a group of experienced and savvy cops.
Historic Ipswich 