Jiweit The Ipswich Historical Society. PRESIDENT WATERS' ADDRESS AND OTHER PROCEEDINGS AT THE DEDICATION OF THEIR NEW ROOMS. [Reprint from the IPSWICH INDEPENDENT.] The first meeting of the society in its old Probate office serves good use. new room in the Odd Fellows' building took place on Friday evening, January 3d, and a goodly number were present at the house-warming. Very thorough repairs have been made, and the old post office would hardly be recognized. A new hard wood floor has been laid, the walls cased neatly and painted in pleasing colors, the ceiling has been papered and the windows provided with inside blinds. The furnishings are in excellent keeping with the bright and inviting interior. A large cabinet, 10 feet in length and 7 in height with adjustable shelves and plate glass front will afford admirable accommodation for the safe exhibition of the relics and valuables that may come into the custody of the society. A flat case, with glass top, has been provided for the display of documents, autographs, etc. A large and valuable table, presented by Mr. D. F. Appleton and Mr. Frank R. Appleton occupies a place of honor, and another table, formerly used in the Some interesting documents have already been secured. By far the most valuable, is an a: cient petition addressed to the Quarter Sessions Court by a number of the most substantial citizens of the ancient Ipswich praying that his license be withheld from an innkeeper on old High street. This was drawn about the year 1656, apparently by the famous schoolmaster, Ezekiel Cheever, and it bears the signatures of Cheever, the Appletons, Robert Payne, and many others, Other documents contain the autographs of Denison, Francis Wainwright with his seal. and other well-known citizens. A list of signatures of Revolutionary soldiers, Col. Nathaniel Wade's orderly book, a proclamation of Thanksgiving of 1779, are also to be noted, and among the books are ancient volumes by Rev. John Norton, and Rev. John Wise, the famous ministers of the ancient times. The society has thus made a very encouraging beginning in its work of collecting, and is prepared to receive cal society, to foster systematic and contributions of an historical nature from all who will loan or give. The election of officers was first in order and resulted in the choice of the following for the year 1896: president, Rev. T. Frank Waters; vice presidents, Charles A. Say ward and Frederic Will comb; recording secretary, John H. Cogswell; corresponding secretary, Rev. M. H. Gates; treasurer, J. I. Horton; librarian, Miss Lucy S. Lord. The president then read his opening address, which was followed by M. V. B. Perley with a poem, "Lost Arts," and interesting reminiscences of Dr. Thomas Manning by Rev. Edward Con stant and others. We append the historical address of the president: MR. WATERS'S ADDRESS. The Ipswich Historical Society may well congratulate itself tonight that after five years of feeble and migratory existence, and some periods of suspended animation, it has at last attained a home of its own, finely located, convenient, and admirably equipped for its work, and has already entered, as we feel, upon a new and vigorous life. The scheme of organizing such a society was first seriously discussed at a gathering of gentlemen, known to be interested in antiquarian research, at the parsonage of the South church on the evening of April 14, 1890. If my memory serves me, Rev. Augustine Caldwell, Mr. Charles A. Sayward, Mr. Joseph I. Horton, Mr. John H. Cogswell, and Mr. John W. Nourse formed the group. Mr. Arthur W. Dow was unavoidably absent. It was the unanimous sentiment of this meeting that a town so rich in historic remains, and so famous in the early annals of the Commonwealth should have a local Histori accurate antiquarian studies and promote a popular acquaintance with its brilliant history. The time seemed to them ripe for its organization, and then and there, they formed themselves into a society, to be known as the Ipswich Historical Society, and organized by the choice of Rev. T. Frank Waters, president. Mr. John H. Cogswell, secretary, and Mr. C. A. Sayward, Mr. J. I. Horton, and Mr. J. H. Cogswell, executive committee. During the spring and early summer several public meetings were held in the studio of Mr. Arthur W. Dow, at which papers on the early history of the town were read, and much pleasant reminiscence was in order. In the winter of that and several following years, the vestry of the South church was the place of meeting. The president read a series of papers on the original locations of the early settlers, and some studies on the old houses. Mr. Sayward contributed an interesting paper on the probable visits by voyagers to the spot, now occupied by the town, before Winthrop's coming. Hon. W. D. Northend, of Salem, read, on several occasions, some chapters from his unpublished work on early colonial history, and Mr. Winfield S. Nevins gave a lecture on "The Homes and Haunts of Hawthorne in old Salem.” These meetings were well attended, and it was evident that the community was interested in the new organization. But it was evident that the society would not attain the prominence it sought until some permanent place of meeting should be secured, which should serve also as a place of deposit for an historical collection. Mr. Daniel S. Burnham very generously offered to give the half of the ancient house in East street owned by him, provided that the society should acquire the remainder of the estate. The old mansion would have been admirably adapted to our use in many ways, but its location was unfavorable, and later investigations have robbed it of its reputed antiquity and its associations with Rev. Mr. Norton and Rev. Mr. Cobbett. No active steps were ever taken toward securing this property. The pedigree of this lot may not be uninteresting and may be briefly sketched. Moses Treadwell inherited his estate from his father, Nathaniel Treadwell, who bought a house and eight acres of land of Daniel Eveleth, of Boston, in 1761. Eveleth had received it by inheritance from his father, Edward Eveleth. The senior Eveleth had married Elizabeth, daughter of Major Symonds Epes, in 1715, and in that same year he purchased his bride's old home and made his residence there. Major Eppes was a man of goodly quality. He was wellborn. His mother was Elizabeth, daughter of the illustrious and excellent Deputy Governor Simonds, whose estate was contiguous to this. He was The removal of the post office from the Odd Fellows' building afforded the society its opportunity. It was seen at once that this building realized our ideal. It is a brick structure, in the very center of our town, itself historic, from long use by the Registry of Probate. At a meeting in the early autumn of 1895, the project of renting the vacant portion was enthusiastically a militia officer, a Justice of the Court adopted, and the generous subscription made at that time assured a good pecuniary foundation for the new move. A committee appointed at that meeting has solicited funds with encouraging success, and provided the cabinet and table case from the funds of the s.ciety. The other furnishings including the costly table, presented by Mr. D. F. Appleton and Mr. Frank R. Appleton, have cost us nothing. And now that we are comfortably settled in our Historical home, more extended reminiscences may justly be in order, as a prelude to the historical work which will be accomplished here we hope in the years to come. The land on which this building stands was purchased by the county in 1816. A lot measuring 28 feet square was bought of Mr. Moses Treadwell, on the north corner of his homestead, and an adjoining piece, 23 feet by 28, was sold by Susanna Kendall, widow of the late Ephraim Kendall. He of Sessions, and a member of the Governor's council for 1724 to 1734. The Major had purchased the property in 1691 of Hannah Bigg, of Boston, a daughter of Mr. Simm Lynde, of Boston, and Lynde had bought it of Margaret, the widow of Thomas Bishop and her son Samuel. Samuel was college bred but ill-tempered and never well-bred. He persisted in setting his fence on the public domain and the officers of the law were instructed to cut it down. spread fish of evil odor for the express purpose of annoying his townsmen. He was a man often in the toils of the law for his misdoings. The old house then on the estate had been in use as an ordinary many years and John Sparks, a famous inn-keeper, occupied it at the time of Bishop's death, but vacated there and removed to the other side of the road at that time. Earlier owners seem to have included one William Fellows, who bought of John Woodam in 1666. Woodam obtained it by exchange with John and Samuel Appleton in 1653. The Appletons bonght it of Thomas remainder of the floor, including part of Mr. Blake's present store, and the greater portion of this 100m, was occupied by the office of the Register. Manning in 1647, who had it from Ralph Dix, and he from William White who was the original grantee. The adjoining lot, from which a portion of the site of this building was purchased, seems to have been granted to John Jackson. Then it was in the possession of William White, Thomas Manning, John Woodam, 1649, John and Samuel Appleton in 1652. John Appleton was captain of a troop, clerk of courts, county treasurer, representative to General Court, and, if the identification is correct, a sharer in the Andros resistance in 1687. Samuel was the renowned soldier, whose eminent service in King Philip's war shed great lustre on our town. At a later period it was owned by John alone, then by his son John, who bequeathed it to his son Daniel. In 1761 it seems to have been occupied and owned by Capt. John Smith. Capt. Ephraim Kendall was the owner in 1803, and his widow Susanna sold the plot 23 by 28 in 1816. Thus the Historical society finds itself located on an historic site, associated with some of the finest names of the early times. This mellow flavor of antiquity well befits its present use, The whole Probate business of the when the Records and the Registry county was transacted here until 1852, were removed to Salem, but the Probate Court continued to sit semi-annually until September 15, 1874, holding its sessions in the Town Hall. During the ing was occupied as the barracks of a War of the Rebellion, the vacant buildmilitary company recruited here by Capt. John A. Hobbs. It was sold to the and enlarged by the building of an adLodge of Odd Fellows December 26, 1867 dition on the westerly end and adding a second story. The post office was established here about 1835. Our Historical room has an excellent and honorable pedigree, therefore, as well as its location. It is at once a singular coincidence and a happy aagury that from 1817 to the present date, it has never been used for private emolument, but has always served the community in very important public capacities. This old Probate office is inseparably The building erected by the county associated in the minds of the older was 28 feet wide, 40 feet long and a sin- people among us with the name of gle story high, and cost $3700. It was Nathaniel Lord 3d,-Squire Lord" as finished and occupied December 15, 1817, he was familiarly known, who was the For a century, except a few years after ninth Register and filled that office 1798 when a room was fitted up in the from May 29, 1815 to June 12, 1851. His new Court House for an office and residence was the mansion lately replace of deposit, the valuable Probate modelled by Mr. John B. Brown, of Records had been kept in the house of Chicago, and there the Probate Records the Register, and their final deposit, in a were stored prior to the erection of this strong vault, was an event of public in building. He had been chief clerk terest. One room in the new under Mr. Daniel Noyes, the preceding brick building, in the part now incumbent, and was the sixth in lineal occupied by Mr. John A. Blake's descent from Robert Lord, first clerk of apothecary store, was cased with the Colonial Quarter Sessions Court. iron and was deemed fire proof. He was graduated from Harvard in Here the Records were stored. The 1798, and brought to the discharge of |