The Historical Commission meets the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m.

The members are: June S. Gahan, Chair, Judy A. Field, Marjorie H. Robie, Bryan Townsend, Francis Wiedemann, Al Boynton and Will Maker.

Mission Statement

The Ipswich Historical Commission (IHC) works with owners and various Town constituencies in identifying, evaluating, preserving and protecting, historically and culturally significant assets within the Town.  Assets falling under IHC’s consideration include houses and other improvements of no less than 75 years of age, as well as any public open space and archeological sites, including bridges, roads, and parks.

 IHC’s activities include: 

Ø       Education and assistance to owners of historically significant structures relating to preservation initiatives;

Ø      Conservation of the Town’s archives of books, records, and photos, including the permanent record showing the inventory of historic structures on a priority basis, including those listed by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and by the National Park Service under their National Register of Historic Places;

Ø      Administration of Preservation Agreements with respect to permanent deed restricted properties.

Ø      Annual presentation of the Mary P. Conley award.

 In addition to interacting with individual owners of property within the Town, IHC works with other Town boards and committees such as the Planning Board, the Design Review Board, the Conservation Commission, as well as with the Ipswich Historical Society, the Essex National Heritage Commission, and the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

Demolition Delay Bylaw

Because the Town of Ipswich does not yet have a local historic district established under MLG, IHC’s preservation efforts are limited to working with individual owners seeking to preserve, rehabilitate, restore, and reconstruct, on a house-by-house basis.  Any structure  75 years of age or older falls under the Town’s demolition delay by-law (Part IV, Chapter XVI of the General Bylaws.)  The bylaw restricts an owner from demolishing or altering an historic structure without IHC’s permission, commencing from one year from the date of request for such work.  The IHC invokes the demolition delay if it determines the structure is a significant building as defined in the bylaw. The one year moratorium on demolition is designed to give the Town time to respond with any and all available preservation resources (Town, State, and Federal) to achieve the best possible outcome for the owner and the Town, with the optimal outcome from the Town's perspective being the preservation of the building..