A few weeks ago a woman stopped me to ask if I knew at what period the Old North Church had been painted red.

I have lived in Ipswich all my life and I never can remember it being the color red. It is difficult to believe that anyone could live for 50-odd years almost in the shadow of the church and yet not know what color it was. But it is true of me and of many others.

For the fun of it this week I asked 10 people who have lived here all of their lives if they could remember the church being red. Only six out of the 10 did.

Way back around 1908 the church was badly in need of a coat of paint. The trustees of the church pondered the question of color and they just couldn't seem to agree.

So they asked the well-known Ipswich artist and teacher, Arthur Wesley Dow, to recommend a color. He was a life-long resident of Ipswich and member of the church and was internationally known for his painting. Arthur Wesley Dow had a studio on Town Hill and taught many students who came here in the summer to study with him. At one time Ipswich had a very active art colony.

So, with the knowledge of his abilities, the trustees felt they could not go wrong in having Dow select a color for the church.

Of all the colors from which he had to choose, he picked red. It was not a popular decision but, after all, the trustees had asked him to select a color and they felt they had no alternative but to accept his recommendation.

But when the church was finally painted, everyone agreed that it was truly beautiful. For years after that, the church on the hill was known as the Red Church. It wasn't until the early 1940s that the color was returned to white.

—HAROLD D. BOWEN

Tales of Olde Ipswich