Ipswich, town (township), Essex county, northeastern Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Ipswich River (there bridged since 1764), 28 miles (45 km) north-northeast of Boston. Settled in 1633 as Agawam, it was incorporated in 1634 and renamed for Ipswich, England. Lace making, the town’s first industry, was carried out on machines smuggled to the American colonies in defiance of British export laws. The town’s Rebellion Tablet commemorates the Reverend John Wise’s public denunciation in 1687 of British taxation without representation. Ipswich was the home of several leading writers of the colonial period, including Nathaniel Ward and the poet Anne Bradstreet.
Modern Ipswich has developed as a summer resort noted for seafood (the celebrated Ipswich clam). In addition, its economy is based on light manufacturing (mainly electronic components), education and other services, publishing, and trade. More than 50 colonial houses have been preserved, notably the John Whipple House (1640). Area 33 square miles (85 square km). Pop. (2000) 12,987; (2010) 13,175.