Ipswich DPU Water Department

Ipswich DPU Water Department Drinking Water Report Info

The land now known as Ipswich was originally inhabited by Native American tribes who called the region Agawam. Recent archaeological studies have revealed that indigenous peoples lived along these coastal and river areas for thousands of years. One significant discovery occurred in 1951 at the Bull Brook site, where artifacts dating back to the Paleo-Indian period (approximately 9000 B.P.) were uncovered. Additional findings at Great Neck and along riverbanks have been identified from the Archaic (8000-5000 B.P.) and Woodland (2000 B.P.) Periods, demonstrating that we are merely the latest in a long succession of inhabitants in this special location.

Early Ipswich settlers worked as farmers, fishermen, shipbuilders, and merchants. Local industries included lace-making and legging production in homes. The first stocking machine, imported from England, arrived in Ipswich in 1822. Various small textile ventures came and went until 1868, when Amos A. Lawrence established the Ipswich Hosiery Mills in the old stone mill on the Ipswich River, utilizing the abundant water power. By 1900, this enterprise had grown into the nation's largest stocking factory.

During the clipper ship era, Ipswich participated modestly in the prosperity that benefited neighboring ports like Newburyport and Salem. The renowned Heard family resided in Ipswich, though their vessels primarily sailed from Boston. Ipswich remained a small rural community throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, which may explain why so many well-preserved 17th and 18th century homes remain—they were valued as residences of ordinary townspeople who couldn't afford modernization that might have compromised their simple Colonial architecture.

Industrial growth and resulting labor shortages brought waves of immigrants to work in Ipswich's mills. English, Irish, Nova Scotian, French Canadian, Polish, and Greek people came to work in factories and gradually moved into other occupations. Their descendants remain today, creating a rich cultural heritage in the community.

Ipswich's development as a larger town occurred primarily after 1945 with the population expansion from Boston. The town government transformed in 1950 with the adoption of the Town Manager Charter, which underwent several changes before the current Town Manager-Selectmen Charter was approved by voters in 1967. Environmental quality initiatives began in 1957 with zoning and sewage programs. Since then, efforts have continued with updated zoning regulations, sewage treatment plant improvements, and the construction of a water filtration plant to ensure clean municipal water.