Historic Boxford

Discover Boxford’s History

Historic Boxford is a collaborative partnership between Boxford’s two unique historical organizations: The Boxford Historical Society and the Boxford Historic Document Center.

Featured
Mt. Vernon Cemetery Walking Tour
Oct 4
Mt. Vernon Cemetery Walking Tour

Join us for a walking tour of historic Mount Vernon Cemetery in Boxford! The cemetery is located on Mount Vernon Road. Come and learn about the history of Boxford in the Salem Witch Trials, Revolutionary War heroes, and much more. This program is sponsored by the Boxford Cultural Council.

Mt. Vernon Cemetery Walking Tour
Oct 11
Mt. Vernon Cemetery Walking Tour

Join us for a walking tour of historic Mount Vernon Cemetery in Boxford! The cemetery is located on Mount Vernon Road. Come and learn about the history of Boxford in the Salem Witch Trials, Revolutionary War heroes, and much more. This program is sponsored by the Boxford Cultural Council.

Boxford Historic Document Center

The Boxford Historic Document Center is Boxford’s research archive, located at 173A Washington Street. We are a research center with a climate-controlled storage area for Boxford’s historic documents, books, and photographs. The Document Center offers research services and educational programming. Email or visit us for all questions related to Boxford history!

Boxford Historical Society

The Boxford Historical Society owns and maintains the 1760 Holyoke-French House at 2 Topsfield Road. We also preserve a large collection of historic objects from Boxford families. The Historical Society hosts many fun community events, including the Apple Festival and the Grand Illumination. Email or visit us to learn more about the Holyoke-French House or to inquire about participating in the Apple Festival as a vendor or volunteer.

Follow us to see more Boxford history!

Okay this is a *true* where is it Wednesday! We've been working on identifying a batch of slides of Boxford houses that were taken in 1966, and we have no idea which house this is. Can you help? #boxfordhistory #boxford #boxfordma #boxfordmass #Wher
Okay this is a *true* where is it Wednesday! We've been working on identifying a batch of slides of Boxford houses that were taken in 1966, and we have no idea which house this is. Can you help? #boxfordhistory #boxford #boxfordma #boxfordmass #WhereIsItWednesday
Register for our Mt. Vernon Cemetery Walking Tour next month at www.boxfordhistory.org/events
Register for our Mt. Vernon Cemetery Walking Tour next month at www.boxfordhistory.org/events
Excited for fall? The Boxford Apple Festival is THIS Saturday from 10-3 (rain date Sunday 9/21). Come enjoy food, drinks, vendors, and live music! A highlight this year will be free tours of the 1760 Holyoke-French house at 2 Topsfield Road, which ha
Excited for fall? The Boxford Apple Festival is THIS Saturday from 10-3 (rain date Sunday 9/21). Come enjoy food, drinks, vendors, and live music! A highlight this year will be free tours of the 1760 Holyoke-French house at 2 Topsfield Road, which has been newly renovated top to bottom. This event is sponsored by the Boxford Historical Society. This photograph shows Rosamond Ingalls Price selling apples at Ingaldsby Farm from the trunk of her car in 1949 (photo from the Boxford Historic Document Center collection). #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxford #boxfordmass #apples #appleseason #boxfordapplefestival #boxfordapplefestival2025 @ingaldsby_farm
Some big news in the Boxford history world! As some of you may know, I (Robin Siegel) have been working as the Director/Archivist at the Document Center for the past 6 years, but I've also now been working for the Boxford Historical Society since the
Some big news in the Boxford history world! As some of you may know, I (Robin Siegel) have been working as the Director/Archivist at the Document Center for the past 6 years, but I've also now been working for the Boxford Historical Society since the end of last year, and we are forming an umbrella organization that will be known as "Historic Boxford" which will present one unified social media stream and website, and we will be working together to bring lots of new historical programming and fun events to Boxford. We are still separate organizations, but it will be a lot easier to share our news, events, and interesting Boxford facts and photos with everyone who wants to see them. Check out our new website to learn more! Social media will change over to the new name early this week. https://www.historicboxford.org #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxford
Love love LOVE this photo that was just donated to our collection! It William Gemmell's milk delivery wagon with what we are guessing is a new paint job by Spofford's Carriage Paint Shop. The shop was in Groveland but it was owned by Frank Spofford o
Love love LOVE this photo that was just donated to our collection! It William Gemmell's milk delivery wagon with what we are guessing is a new paint job by Spofford's Carriage Paint Shop. The shop was in Groveland but it was owned by Frank Spofford of West Boxford. Gemmell's Hillside Farm was located at the end of Brook Road. #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #milkdelivery #horseandcarriage #freshpaint
This is a letter Nellie Spofford wrote in backwards "mirror" script to her sister Mary in 1920. You would think she was about 12, but the sisters were actually 48 and 45! Nellie is writing with news from Boxford about their brother's recove
This is a letter Nellie Spofford wrote in backwards "mirror" script to her sister Mary in 1920. You would think she was about 12, but the sisters were actually 48 and 45! Nellie is writing with news from Boxford about their brother's recovery from a recent illness. #boxfordhistory #boxford #boxfordma #boxfordmass #mirrorwriting
Where is it Wednesday! The house is still standing at this interesection, so technically, this should be an easy one, but i think it is actually pretty hard! #boxfordhistory ##boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #WhereIsItWednesday
Where is it Wednesday! The house is still standing at this interesection, so technically, this should be an easy one, but i think it is actually pretty hard! #boxfordhistory ##boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #WhereIsItWednesday
Taking a break from harvesting apples at Morss farm on Lake Shore Road in the early 1900s. #boxfordmass #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxford #appleseason #applepicking
Taking a break from harvesting apples at Morss farm on Lake Shore Road in the early 1900s. #boxfordmass #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxford #appleseason #applepicking
These photographs were taken in 1964 as land was cleared for the "Mast Hill development," which is now Silvermine Road. This location was known as Mast Hill for the large trees that once grew here which were cut down and sold to the shipyar
These photographs were taken in 1964 as land was cleared for the "Mast Hill development," which is now Silvermine Road. This location was known as Mast Hill for the large trees that once grew here which were cut down and sold to the shipyards in Essex to be used as the masts for the ships built there. #Boxford #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass
Our "Boxford in Bloom" photograph exhibit at 10 Elm has come down and the prints are now available for sale! If you see one you like, please email boxforddocs@gmail.com and we can email an invoice and arrange for free in-town drop-off or shipping, or you can stop by the Document Center during our open hours, Wednesdays from 9-4 and the first two Saturdays of the month from 10-3 (September 6th and 13th). We accept cash, credit, paypal and venmo!
Yesterday, David Smallman donated this patch from the Boxford Firemen's Muster Team. After 3 years of consecutive wins, the trophy was retired and kept by the winning team. The Boxford Fire Department still has the trophy won in 1975! #Boxford #box
Yesterday, David Smallman donated this patch from the Boxford Firemen's Muster Team. After 3 years of consecutive wins, the trophy was retired and kept by the winning team. The Boxford Fire Department still has the trophy won in 1975! #Boxford #boxfordhistory #boxfordmass #boxfordma #firefighter
August 1933 - back when dads did their yardwork in collared shirts and ties. You stay classy, Boxford! #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #stayclassy @ingaldsby_farm
August 1933 - back when dads did their yardwork in collared shirts and ties. You stay classy, Boxford! #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #stayclassy @ingaldsby_farm
Thanks to Holly Lee for letting me scan this and whole pile of 1970s Spofford yearbooks! #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #1970s #classphoto Spofford Pond School
Thanks to Holly Lee for letting me scan this and whole pile of 1970s Spofford yearbooks! #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #1970s #classphoto Spofford Pond School
This is my favorite grave in Brookside Cemetery. It is very hidden, go visit and see if you can find it! Don't get too close though, that is mostly poison ivy growing down the hillside ☠️ This is the grave of Frank and Betsey Emery. Frank grew up in
This is my favorite grave in Brookside Cemetery. It is very hidden, go visit and see if you can find it! Don't get too close though, that is mostly poison ivy growing down the hillside ☠️ This is the grave of Frank and Betsey Emery. Frank grew up in Lawrence, but Betsey was from Boxford. Her maiden name was Whittier, and while her family moved around from house to house quite a bit, she spent her early childhood on the very far side of town near the Bradford/North Andover line in houses that no longer exist. When she was probably about 6, her father built 50 Lake Shore Road, and she spent the rest of her childhood living there and attending school down the road at the intersection of Main Street and Lake Shore Road. #boxford #boxfordmass #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #cemetery #gravestone #cemeteries #HiddenHistory
Where is it Wednesday!
Where is it Wednesday!
Hot frankforts make the picnic! This is a picture of the Boxford Whist Club having a group picnic. Whist is a card game that was incredibly popular in the 1700s and 1800s, with lots of players forming clubs, but it was gradually taken over in popular
Hot frankforts make the picnic! This is a picture of the Boxford Whist Club having a group picnic. Whist is a card game that was incredibly popular in the 1700s and 1800s, with lots of players forming clubs, but it was gradually taken over in popularity by Bridge in the early 20th century. #boxfordhistory #boxfordmass #boxfordma #whist #whistclub #cardshark #hotdogs #franks
Where is it Wednesday! #Boxford #boxfordma #boxford #boxfordhistory #boxfordmass ##whereisitwednesday #WhereIsItWednesday
Where is it Wednesday! #Boxford #boxfordma #boxford #boxfordhistory #boxfordmass ##whereisitwednesday #WhereIsItWednesday
This beautiful artwork is a hand-drawn record of John Peabody and Alice Carleton's family, probably dating from the very early 1800s. #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #PeabodyFamily #carletonfamily #familytree #genealogy #earlyameri
This beautiful artwork is a hand-drawn record of John Peabody and Alice Carleton's family, probably dating from the very early 1800s. #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #PeabodyFamily #carletonfamily #familytree #genealogy #earlyamerican
This is a pretty cool new addition to our website! I just uploaded the 1909 memoir of Franklin Webster Dorman, who writes about growing up in Boxford in the 1840s-1850s. He grew up at 42 Topsfield Road. I think he regularly attended school on Lockwoo
This is a pretty cool new addition to our website! I just uploaded the 1909 memoir of Franklin Webster Dorman, who writes about growing up in Boxford in the 1840s-1850s. He grew up at 42 Topsfield Road. I think he regularly attended school on Lockwood Lane, but he talks at one point about switching over to what is now the Little Red Schoolhouse. To see this memoir, follow the link to our "Memoirs and Oral History" page and scroll down to the very bottom: https://www.boxfordhistory.org/collections/oral-histories #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxford #boxfordmass #Memoir #Dorman
Some Boxford cows for you to enjoy! 🐂Notice how the split rail fence is built above the stone wall. This was very typical for animal enclosures. Stone walls were usually built by hauling fieldstones to the edges of the fields farmers were clearing.
Some Boxford cows for you to enjoy! 🐂Notice how the split rail fence is built above the stone wall. This was very typical for animal enclosures. Stone walls were usually built by hauling fieldstones to the edges of the fields farmers were clearing. They were generally only about waist high because that is a comfortable height for carrying heavy stones. Lifting them above your waist requires a lot more effort and strength, but walls that low are not sufficient for penning in livestock, who will get out and destroy your crops in other fields if not contained. A quick and dirty split rail set on top of a stone wall solved this problem with minimal extra work for the farmer. #boxford #boxfordhistory #boxfordmass #boxfordma #cowsofinstagram #cows #stonewalls
Okay this is a *true* where is it Wednesday! We've been working on identifying a batch of slides of Boxford houses that were taken in 1966, and we have no idea which house this is. Can you help? #boxfordhistory #boxford #boxfordma #boxfordmass #Wher Register for our Mt. Vernon Cemetery Walking Tour next month at www.boxfordhistory.org/events Excited for fall? The Boxford Apple Festival is THIS Saturday from 10-3 (rain date Sunday 9/21). Come enjoy food, drinks, vendors, and live music! A highlight this year will be free tours of the 1760 Holyoke-French house at 2 Topsfield Road, which ha Some big news in the Boxford history world! As some of you may know, I (Robin Siegel) have been working as the Director/Archivist at the Document Center for the past 6 years, but I've also now been working for the Boxford Historical Society since the Love love LOVE this photo that was just donated to our collection! It William Gemmell's milk delivery wagon with what we are guessing is a new paint job by Spofford's Carriage Paint Shop. The shop was in Groveland but it was owned by Frank Spofford o This is a letter Nellie Spofford wrote in backwards "mirror" script to her sister Mary in 1920. You would think she was about 12, but the sisters were actually 48 and 45! Nellie is writing with news from Boxford about their brother's recove Where is it Wednesday! The house is still standing at this interesection, so technically, this should be an easy one, but i think it is actually pretty hard! #boxfordhistory ##boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #WhereIsItWednesday Taking a break from harvesting apples at Morss farm on Lake Shore Road in the early 1900s. #boxfordmass #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxford #appleseason #applepicking These photographs were taken in 1964 as land was cleared for the "Mast Hill development," which is now Silvermine Road. This location was known as Mast Hill for the large trees that once grew here which were cut down and sold to the shipyar
Our "Boxford in Bloom" photograph exhibit at 10 Elm has come down and the prints are now available for sale! If you see one you like, please email boxforddocs@gmail.com and we can email an invoice and arrange for free in-town drop-off or sh
Yesterday, David Smallman donated this patch from the Boxford Firemen's Muster Team. After 3 years of consecutive wins, the trophy was retired and kept by the winning team. The Boxford Fire Department still has the trophy won in 1975! #Boxford #box August 1933 - back when dads did their yardwork in collared shirts and ties. You stay classy, Boxford! #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #stayclassy @ingaldsby_farm Thanks to Holly Lee for letting me scan this and whole pile of 1970s Spofford yearbooks! #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #1970s #classphoto Spofford Pond School This is my favorite grave in Brookside Cemetery. It is very hidden, go visit and see if you can find it! Don't get too close though, that is mostly poison ivy growing down the hillside ☠️ This is the grave of Frank and Betsey Emery. Frank grew up in Where is it Wednesday! Hot frankforts make the picnic! This is a picture of the Boxford Whist Club having a group picnic. Whist is a card game that was incredibly popular in the 1700s and 1800s, with lots of players forming clubs, but it was gradually taken over in popular Where is it Wednesday! #Boxford #boxfordma #boxford #boxfordhistory #boxfordmass ##whereisitwednesday #WhereIsItWednesday This beautiful artwork is a hand-drawn record of John Peabody and Alice Carleton's family, probably dating from the very early 1800s. #boxfordhistory #boxfordma #boxfordmass #boxford #PeabodyFamily #carletonfamily #familytree #genealogy #earlyameri This is a pretty cool new addition to our website! I just uploaded the 1909 memoir of Franklin Webster Dorman, who writes about growing up in Boxford in the 1840s-1850s. He grew up at 42 Topsfield Road. I think he regularly attended school on Lockwoo Some Boxford cows for you to enjoy! 🐂Notice how the split rail fence is built above the stone wall. This was very typical for animal enclosures. Stone walls were usually built by hauling fieldstones to the edges of the fields farmers were clearing.

Contact Us

Have a question or want to learn more? Send us a message using one of the forms below:

For historical research inquiries and questions about educational programming, please contact the Boxford Historic Document Center:

boxforddocs@gmail.com
(978) 352-2733

To learn more about visiting Holyoke-French House or to inquire about participating in the Apple Festival as a vendor or volunteer, please contact the Boxford Historical Society:

boxfordapple@gmail.com