Events
Ipswich in the Founding Years

Poster for Ipswich in the Founding Years. Poster design and photograph of Salem in 1630 (Pioneer Village) by Bonnie Hurd Smith.

September 2005: As part of Boston's celebration of the 375 anniversary of the crossing of the Arbella fleet from England to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Bonnie Hurd Smith (in her capacity as the executive director of the Ipswich Historical Society) planned a five-part series of events. Many of Ipswich's founders came over with the fleet. Boston's celebration provided Ipswich with an opportunity to investigate its founding days and call attention to the 1677 Whipple House, one of the Society's historic houses.

Programs included:

A Visit with Poet Anne Bradstreet
with English and drama educator Debra Dion Faust and Bradstreet scholar Miriam Butts

Walking Tour of First Period Houses
with preservation planner Paul McGinley

Virtual Tour of East Anglia, England
with owner of Olde Ipswich Tours Jean Moss

17th-Century Medicines and Herbal Remedies
with Peabody Essex Museum educator Sue Kalmes

Ipswich in 1634: Establishing a Frontier Town
with former Whipple House curator James Kyprianos

Exhibit of Ipswich Historical Society Rare Books
some dating to 17th-century England

Tasks:

• Worked with speakers to plan each event
• Worked with Society board, staff, and volunteers to coordinate logistics
• Developed publicity materials
• Interacted with media, experts, and opinion leaders to raise the profile of the event and the Society
• Secured funds to pay for the event (from Salem Five Bank)