Welcome to Ipswich

Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County about 28 miles northeast of Boston, where the Ipswich River meets Plum Island Sound and the Great Marsh. It pairs dozens of 17th-century houses with Crane Beach, Castle Hill, working farmland, and a commuter rail stop downtown.

About Ipswich

The area was known as Agawam when John Winthrop the Younger, son of the colony's governor, led a small group of settlers here in 1633. The town was incorporated in 1634 and named for Ipswich, England. In 1687 the Reverend John Wise led a protest against a tax imposed by Governor Edmund Andros, which gave Ipswich its nickname as the Birthplace of American Independence. Over time the original town gave up land to Newbury, Rowley, Topsfield, Hamilton, and Essex.

Ipswich women made bobbin lace by hand in the 1700s and early 1800s, and in 1868 the Ipswich Hosiery Mills opened by the river and grew into the largest stocking mill in the country by about 1900. Ipswich borders Rowley to the north, Boxford to the west, Topsfield and Hamilton to the southwest, and Essex to the south, with Gloucester across Essex Bay and Ipswich Bay to the east.

Getting Around

Ipswich station, downtown on the Newburyport branch of the MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Line, has direct service to North Station in Boston. There are no regular MBTA bus routes in town. Routes 1A and 133 run together through the center and split south of downtown, U.S. Route 1 crosses the western end of town, and I-95 runs through neighboring Topsfield and Boxford.

Ipswich Real Estate

Ipswich real estate is known for its First Period houses, built between about 1625 and 1725. The Ipswich Museum counts about 60 still standing, and local historians say that is more than any other town in America. Georgian and Federal houses, Greek Revival and Italianate homes, Second Empire and Queen Anne houses, and early 1900s mill worker cottages fill the older streets.

Six National Register districts cover the historic core: Meetinghouse Green, High Street, the East End, the South Green, and two mill districts. Since 1969 dozens of homes have been protected by voluntary preservation agreements with the town, and a local Architectural Preservation District adopted in 2014 reviews changes to pre-1900 buildings in the center. Areas include Downtown, High Street, the East End, the South Green, Linebrook, Great Neck, and Little Neck, and Turner Hill, a Tudor Revival estate from around 1900, now anchors a golf club and condominiums.

Living in Ipswich

The Trustees of Reservations care for about 2,100 acres of the former Crane estate. Crane Beach covers 1,234 acres of beach, dunes, and maritime forest with 5.5 miles of trails, and Castle Hill, a 165-acre drumlin, is crowned by the Great House, completed in 1928 and now a National Historic Landmark, with a half-mile grass allee running toward the sea. Out in the marsh, the Crane Wildlife Refuge protects about 700 acres of islands, including Choate Island.

Appleton Farms, established in 1638 and run by the Trustees, is one of the oldest continuously operating farms in the country and stretches into Hamilton, with miles of trails and the Grass Rides. Willowdale State Forest covers much of the western end of town, with 40 miles of trails and Hood Pond. In town, the Choate Bridge, a stone double-arch bridge built in 1764, carries South Main Street over the river, and the Ipswich Museum runs the John Whipple House, a National Historic Landmark from 1677.

Questions About Ipswich

What kinds of homes are in Ipswich?

Ipswich has about 60 First Period houses from the 1600s and early 1700s, plus Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate homes in its historic districts. Early 1900s mill worker cottages, homes at Great Neck and Little Neck, newer houses on the outskirts, and condominiums at Turner Hill add variety.

How do you get to Boston from Ipswich?

Ipswich station on the MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Line has direct trains to North Station. By car, Route 1A heads south toward Beverly and Route 128, and U.S. Route 1 and I-95 run just west of the center.

What is a First Period house?

A First Period house is one built in New England between about 1625 and 1725, usually a timber-framed house with a large central chimney. Ipswich has about 60 still standing, including the John Whipple House from 1677.

To see homes for sale in Ipswich, browse the listings below. Thinking of buying or selling in Ipswich? Call (617) 848-9616 or get a free home valuation. Ipswich is part of our North of Boston guide.

Photos: Jay Burnham, CC BY-SA 4.0 and John Phelan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.