Hamilton

Two hundred years ago, the people of Hamilton harnessed the power of the Ipswich River to operate their mills and relied on Chebacco Lake for food and trade. Originally part of the town of Ipswich, Hamilton became a town in 1793. Many years later, it was a fashionable summer retreat for wealthy Bostonians. Hamilton takes the reader on a journey through time to see how life was in a small rural town, located between Salem and Ipswich. Within these pages, see the summer home of Gen. George S. Patton, a World War II hero of mythic proportion; the resting place of a sagamore with a macabre history; and the home of Manassah Cutler, a Congregational minister and an agent of the Ohio company that helped to open up the Northwest Territory. In Hamilton, take a tour of a unique religious camping ground; learn about the Myopia Hunt Club, which occasionally still rides to hounds; and see an ancient Native American trail turned highway.

Annette V. Janes is a member of the board of directors of the Hamilton Historical Society and author of History of the Hamilton Public Library 1891 to 1991. She was director of the Hamilton Public Library for twenty-five years and a reviewer for Library Journal. A resident of Hamilton since 1955, she is indebted to Edna A. Barney and Mary Anne Burridge, co-curators of the Hamilton Historical Society, for their assistance.