Todays article will discuss the history of a small Massachusetts town & bay known as Ipswich & Ipswich bay. The bay was named after the town. The town has a long & twisting history that dates back to the pilgrim days. 2 tribes of indigenous also occupied space around Ipswich bay. However only 1 was mainly concentrated around Ipswich. The history was widely dictated by the pilgrim age as this is when it got most of its population. Ipswich bay is on the northern area of Massachusetts next to Cape Ann. It exists within Essex County. There are about 17 large towns along its coast. It is not to diverse in marine life however the creatures that do live here thrive in this environment. It is full of nutrients with many different conservation projects underway at many various times, this makes it extremely appealing to certain species. In this article we will discuss the discovery & documented history of Ipswich bay & the town of ipswich, Ipswich’s surrounding aboriginals, the disaster history, a segment on the Ipswich economy, & finally a section on how the people of Ipswich utilized the marine resources at hand. Ipswich has some of the best original preserved puritan architecture. With that being said, let’s delve into this sleepy bay-front town.
The Discovery Of Ipswich Bay & The Town Of Ipswich & The History Of Ipswich Bay & The Town Of Ipswich
Before American Colonization
It is debated as to how long the area has been inhabited. Thanks to carbon dating we have found artifacts from the Paleo-Indian era which have been dated to 9000 years ago. These artifacts were mainly discovered along what is now known as Great Neck. These have pointed evidence to a settlement build by the Native American in bull brook. There were originally 2 documented Native American tribes that existed along Ipswich bay. However the main one was the Agawams. It was the Agawams that would have built the settlement in Bull brook. Bull brook modernly exists in Ipswich. The Agawams most likely did not have much outside relevancy or relationships as they were not mentioned by surrounding tribes. After this point not much else is documented to have happened in this area. The next large thing on record is the founding of the organized town of Ipswich.
After American Colonization
The 17th Century
Ipswich was discovered by the Europeans & founded by John Winthrop the younger who purchased it from the Agawam indigenous peoples. It was discovered in the year of 1630. A total of 11 original ships including Winthrops Ship the Arbella sailed with families to the location. The exact number for this was not released to the public. On June 12th 1630 Chief Masconomet who was sagamore of the Agawam tribe of indigenous peoples, met with John Winthrop the younger. This was recorded in Winthrop’s diary however the language barrier that they had was not mentioned & the way that they communicated is not mentioned either. After this, instead of exiting & settling in at what is now Ipswich, they decided to go down south where newly prepared buildings awaited them in the new city of Charlestown. Due to the winter, poor insulation, & not enough food a few hundred colonists died. They also experienced their first nor’easter which cost them crops, & some people limbs, as well as houses destroyed by the fires they kept burning for many nights. A nor’easter or northeaster is an extra tropical cyclone that appears often along the eastern cost of the continental U.S.A. They only occur in the northwestern Atlantic ocean. A key trait of them is their mostly forming in Massachusetts. As Winthrop was giving the last remaining handfuls of grains, the supply ship known as Lyon finally appeared in the Boston harbour. Without the Lyon many families would have starved death. Using Lyon, Winthrop’s wife Margaret & her children were able to sail to Massachusetts from England. John the Younger resided with his father & stepmother until the year of 1633, when he resolved to settle in the land that the Agawam tribe of indigenous people owned. He did this with the permission of the General Court Of Massachusetts. A captain known as John Smith wrote about the land in the year of 1614. He gave it high praise & said that it was "an excellent habitation, being a good & safe harbour." This praise may have altered Winthrops decision. In 1633 Winthrop sailed to what is now Ipswich harbour & began to settle the land. He brought a total of 12 men along with him to settle the area. These men were known as: Winthrop Were William Clerk, , Robert Coles, Thomas Howlet, John Biggs, John Gage, Thomas Hardy, William Perkins, John Thorndike, William Sergeant, & three others whose names are undocumented. These men sailed to what is now Ipswich harbour. Ipswich was officially documented as incorporated on August 5th, 1634. It was originally called Aggawam after the tribe of indigenous peoples that once lived here. It later was named Ipswich after the historic Ipswich that exists in Suffolk, England. A man known as Nathaniel Ward, who was an assistant pastor in town from the years 1634 to 1636, wrote the first code of laws for Massachusetts. He later went on to publish the religious/political work “The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam in America” in England. In the year 1638, Chief Masconomet entered into a contract with John Winthrop the Younger for the purchase of the land that Ipswich stood upon for. There is no documentation of any Agawam resistance to the colonization either at Charlestown or at Agawam (Ipswich). However there is documentation of devastating epidemics among the Agawam indigenous peoples in the area in approximately 1617 & again in 1633. The cause of these epidemics were what is classified as virgin soul epidemics. Pioneers had many occupational choices as Ipswich was just founded, some popular occupations were farmers, fisherman, shipbuilders & traders. The tides from the nearby Ipswich River provided hydropower for mills, & salt marshes supplied hay & eelgrass for new livestock. A wide cottage industry was developed & in lace-making became extremely popular at this time. A style known as Ipswich Lave which was unique to Ipswich was beginning to be produced. The only known hand-made bobbin lace that was produced commercially in the U.S.A was made here. However, 1687, Ipswich residents, led by the Reverend known as John Wise, protested a new tax imposed by the then governor Massachusetts Sir Edmund Andros. They then proceeded to argue about it causing incredibly high tension. The result was citizens being jailed & high political tension. Then Andros was recalled to England in year of 1689, & the new British sovereigns, William the III &
Mary the II, issued colonists another charter. The rebellion gave the town the nickname of the "Birthplace of American Independence".
The 19th Century
Large clipper ships bypassed Ipswich in favor of the seaports in areas with deeper waters. These areas were most popularly Salem, Newburyport, Quincy, & Boston. The town remained a primary fishing and farming community with not much income overall, this led to many residents living in older homes they could not afford to replace. Many of these workers were immigrant workers from all around the world. The lack of money for updating infrastructure left Ipswich with a considerable inventory of early architecture types which went out of date. In the year of 1822, a stocking manufacturing machine that was smuggled out of England arrived at Ipswich, this violating a British ban on exporting such technology. This led to the community being gradually developed as a milling town. In the year of 1828, the institute of Ipswich Female Seminary was established. In the year of 1868, Amos A. Lawrence established the Ipswich Hosiery Mills beside what is now Ipswich river. This went on to become the nation's largest stocking mill by the turn of the 20th century. What may be the last documented witchcraft trial in North America was held in Ipswich in 1878. In the Ipswich witchcraft trial, member of the
Christian Science religon was accused of using his alleged mental powers to harm others in the town, this included a spinster living in the town.
The 20th Century
In the year of 1910, Richard T. Crane Jr. of Chicago, the business magnate owner of Crane Plumbing, bought the estate of Castle Hill, which is a drumlin along Ipswich Bay. He hired Olmsted Brothers, successors to Fredrick Law Olmsted to landscape his 3,500-acre estate, and engaged the Boston architectural firm known as Shepley, Rutan Coolidge to design, an Italian Renaissance Revival style villa the along the summit. A grande allée, 160 feet (49 meters) wide and lined with statuary would run the half mile from house to sea. Unfortunately his wife, Florence, loathed the building. Allegedly Crane promised that if she still disliked it in 10 years, he would replace it. In 1913 a major strike took place at Ipswich Hosiery mills. The cause of this was unfair wages with the average wage being 6.50 USD per week. It ended in a violent riot & unfortunately a 27 year old woman lost her life in the chaos. In 1928, a new 59-room mansion designed by Chicago architect David Adler in the English Stuart style stood in its place, called the Great House. At Mrs. Crane's death in 1949, the entire property was bequeathed to The Trustees of Reservations, which uses it as a venue for concerts and weddings. The town government was reformed in 1950 with the acceptance of the Town Manager Charter. This charter was rescinded by the voters, regained, and lost again. Voters adopted the present Town Manager-Selectmen Charter in 1967.
The 21st Century
In 2012 Ipswich hired its first female Town Manager, Robin Crosbie, who served until her retirement in 2018.
The Aboriginals From The Ipswich Area
Agawam Indigenous Peoples
Unfortunately, the Agawam tribe of indigenous peoples did not write much down & were not well documented. They also were not discussed by other nearby tribes. They did have their own spoken language that unfortunately is now a dead language & is completely unknown due to time. They seemed to have a system in which you would have different regions as sort of sovereign states. Each individual chapter of the tribe would be ruled by a sachem decided off hereditary. They were mainly concentrated throughout Northern Massachusetts. However they were also found in New England. They made peace with the colonies & lived along side them rather peacefully. It unfortunately, is not known how long this tribe has existed for. The only documented sachem of the Agawam tribe of indigenous peoples was Masconomet.
The Most Destructive Natural & Man Caused Disasters Of Ipswich Bay
Unfortunately there have been no documented major disasters that have taken place in Ipswich. Any disasters that did have been undocumented or have not been released to the public domain.
Ipswich Bay’s Real Estate & Economic Issues
Ipswich is a rather middle class town. Their 2020 median household income was 72,452 USD. Their poverty rate was relatively low at 9.01%. The median property value was approximately 437,700 USD. Their main income is mostly from their historic tourism & commercial fishing. Other then that they are extremely economically stable as a city.
How The People Of Ipswich Utilized Their Marine Resources
Many of the people of Ipswich use the bay for commercial & personal fishing. Hydropower is also a common use that can be found out of both the bay & the river. Many of the people use the areas for commercial & personal boating as well. Ipswich bay has very many uses for both the locals & the tourists who visit the area. Often fisherman can be spotted along the local piers for their individual purposes.
Total Time Line Of Ipswich
9,000 Years Ago - Agawams built the first documented settlement in Bull Brook
1617 - Virgin soil epidemic happens among the Agawam tribe.
1630 - The land is discovered by Europeans however not settled yet, instead the settlers go toward Charleston.
June 12th 1630 - Chief Masconomet meets with John Winthrop the younger.
1633 - John Winthrop finally settles the town of Ipswich with 12 main settlers. He does this with the men known as: These men were known as: Winthrop Were William Clerk, , Robert Coles, Thomas Howlet, John Biggs, John Gage, Thomas Hardy, William Perkins, John Thorndike, William Sergeant, & three others whose names are undocumented.
1633 - Virgin soil epidemic happens which devastates the Agawam tribe of indigenous peoples.
August 5th 1634 - Ipswich is officially documented as incorporated.
1638 - The land is officially purchased from Chief Masconomet by John Winthrop the younger.
1687 - Tax law in Ipswich gets protested which results in citizens being jailed & high political tension.
1822 - Stocking manufacturing machine is smuggled out of England into Ipswich. This violates British law. This ended up leading to an incredibly successful stocking manufacturing mill known as Ipswich Hosiery Mill.
1828 - The Ipswich Female Seminary is officially established.
1868 - Amos A. Lawrence founds Ipswich Hosiery Mill is founded on the bank of the Ipswich river. This ended up becoming one of the nation’s largest hosiery manufacturers.
1878 - The last documented witchcraft trial in North America takes place. It is known as the Ipswich Witchcraft Trial.
1910 - Richard T. Crane Jr. of bought the estate of Castle Hill, which is a drumlin along Ipswich Bay. He then modified the estate & build multiple buildings on it.
1913 - Strike breaks out at Ipswich Hosiery mills over Unfair wages which ends in a violent riot & a 27 year old woman losing her life.
1928 - A 59 room mansion is constructed on it designed by Chicago architect David Adler.
1949 - The owners death bequeathed the property to the Trustees of Reservations who use it as a rentable venue.
1950 - The town government is reformed & reorganizes.
2012 - The first female town manager Robin Crosbie. She served as the town manager until her retirement.
2018 - Robin Crosbie retires from her role as town manager.
Directories / Credits
Prince, John (1888), Hurd, D. Hamilton (ed.), "Essex", History of Essex County, Massachusetts: with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Philadelphia: J. W. Lewis & Co, vol. II, p. 1155
Gross, David M. (2014). 99 Tactics of Successful Tax Resistance Campaigns. Picket Line Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-1490572741.
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