Castle Hill
The History
Castle Hill with its beautiful mansion on a high hill overlooking Ipswich Bay is not only an aesthetic pleasure, but a site of historic interest and personal memories. During my high school and college years, Castle Hill was not just a beach but also employment and entertainment.
I have never read anything about the naming of Castle Hill. It seems to have carried that name from the founding of the town. The only clue that I can give is that in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, from whence many of the early settlers came, there is also a Castle Hill. Perhaps the newcomers, not only named the Town after their English home, but also some of its sites.
At a meeting of the Selectmen on December 29, 1634 it was voted "That the Neck of Land wheareuppon the great Hill standeth, wch is known by the name of the Castle Hill, lyeinge on the other side of this River towards the Sea, shall remayne unto the comon use of the Towne forever."
Forever came quickly.
In June of 1637, John Winthrop, Jr. was threatening to leave Ipswich. He was the founder. The son of the Governor, John Winthrop, Jr. was important to the young town because he was their guardian, their in to the colonial government. His leaving would be a blow to the Town and its people. In order to entice him to stay they promised him Castle Hill. In June 0f 1637/8 Castle Hill was deeded to Winthrop.
Despite verbiage that he could
have it only as long as he stayed, in 1644 and 1645 he deeded Castle Hill to
Samuel Symonds, Deputy Governor. He in turn deeded it to his son-in-law
Daniel Epps in 1660. By 1645, it was in the hands of the Brown
family. After John Burnham Brown died, the land was deeded to Richard
Teller Crane, Jr. of Chicago and the plumbing Cranes, on January 10, 1910.
"Upon the summit Mr. Crane has erected his splendid summer home, with a beautiful sunken garden, rose garden, lawns and terraces, commanding a marvellous view of land and sea, of Agamenticus and Boar's Head and the low-lying Isles of Shoals on the distant horizon, Bar Island and the long bar with its many lines of white breakers, sand dunes and the level beach near at hand. Mr. Crane has purchased as well, Wigwam Hill and the great tract of picturesque dunes, the old Castle Neck, with the exception of the small tract owned by the United States, on which the light house was built in 1837. He has acquired also the Sagamore Hill farm."- Thomas Franklin Waters, Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Vol. 2, 1917.
Richard Crane built an Italian Renaissance Villa for his wife Florence. Designed by Shepley, Rutan and Choate of Boston, the house sat on the highest hill overlooking the sea. The famous Olmsted Brothers, successor to Frederick Law Olmstad, creator of Central Park, Boston's Emerald Necklace and others, were selected to do the landscaping. Between 1910 and 1912 they produced a series of terraced gardens, and a long 160 foot wide Grande Allee leading from the house down to the water nearly a half mile away. In between the Castle and the water, at a valley, they placed the casino or bathhouse, a salt water swimming pool, quarters for guests and a ballroom. On either side of the Allee were statuary and urns of Italian style.
Unfortunately for Mr. Crane, his wife Florence was not enamored with his creation. Apparently the mansion was cold and drafty. It was also ugly and did not fit the setting. In order to get her to come to stay in Ipswich, Crane promised that if she didn't still like it in ten years, he would replace it.
Richard Crane built and Italian Renaissance villa with red tiled roof and stucco walls. It had over 60 rooms. Mrs. Crane, a woman of good taste, was very unhappy with the design and the finished product, but Mr. Crane believed that she would eventually learn to love it as he seemed to. He agreed with her that if she would give it ten years, he would replace it if she still did not like it. Much to his dismay, Mrs. Crane never learned to like it, much less love it.
True to his word, in 1924 the Italian fiasco was torn down and a new mansion was begun. David Adler of Chicago was hired to design a new mansion for Castle Hill. The "old" villa was torn down and a new fifty nine room Great House was constructed. The front was designed in the 17th century Stuart style. The library was imported from an English country house, the paneled interior rooms from an 18th century London town house. The Great House opened in 1928. This magnificent structure, known locally as the Castle, has remained largely unchanged since its construction.
Retained from the previous building was the landscaping created by the Olmstead Brothers between 1910 and 1912. The house was placed at the top of the hill and a 160 foot wide avenue of grass was laid from the house to the cliff overlooking the ocean. The lawn was lined with evergreens and interrupted with Grecian and Roman style statues. Midway along the grassy area known as the "Grand Alleč" was the "Casino" Cut from the hill so that it was not visible from the mansion, the Casino consisted of the swimming pool and cabanas and quarters to house guests.
Grande Alleé 1963
The above photo was taken by my Mother who worked functions in the mansion. (She was trying to get a picture of the fox running across the grass just above the Casino area) She also took a series of photos in 1930 after the new house was open. The Cranes invited the community in every spring for an open house. They charged 50˘ per person. Her photos of that experience are included in "My Mother's Scrapbook".
The landscaping also included several depressed areas called gardens that included fountains and were used for parties and play areas. The Italian Garden and the Rose Garden are the main such areas and remain today.
After the death of Richard, the estate passed to Florence and the children. In 1945, the Crane family gave most of the beach and dunes to the Trustees of Reservations and in 1949 when Florence Crane died, the Great House and Caste Hill were given to the Trustees as well.
A footnote to the Crane story
Richard Crane was motoring along Ipswich roads with his good friend Benjamin Stickney Cable. Crane was driving when and apparently lost control, hitting a tree. Crane was seriously injured, but his friend was killed. Crane believed that if a hospital was closer, his friend might have been saved. As a result, he purchased land at the corner of County Road (route 1A) and Essex Road (Route 133) and donated it for a hospital along with substantial funding. In 1928 when the second house was completed, Crane opened the Great House for three days to benefit the Hospital which was named for his friend, Benjamin Stickney Cable Memorial Hospital. The Hospital remained open until the 1970's or 80's when economics closed it down.
The Whipple House sits on land donated by the Cranes.
A Second footnote to the Crane story
The Crane children and grandchildren led a lonely existence at Castle Hill. There were not many other children to play with. In order to introduce his children to the children of Ipswich, Mr. Crane decided to have a picnic. About 1918, he invited all the school children of Ipswich to the beach for a day with his children. School was called for one day in June and all the children were brought to the town wharf and loaded onto boats and motored to the beach at the base of Castle Hill. There they spent the day frolicking in the water. A luncheon was served on the beach with plenty of cool drinks for all the children.
My mother was in the first group to go on this excursion. It was such a success that Mr. Crane continued it and when he died, his will set up a trust to continue this event each June. By the time it became my turn, only the senior class went by boat, all others were driven by bus. Ice Cream, soda, candy patties, and other items were served for each child. However, for twelve years every June, I joined my classmates and the rest of the school system for a day at the beach.
Because it was an annual event, I always believed, until I was older, that all schools had a day off at the beach.
Personal
Growing up in the Fifties in Ipswich was intertwined with Cranes Beach. Obviously, the first event of the summer was the school picnic. The first swim in the warm sixty four degree water was something we looked forward to, as well as that first sun burn. Each year, we were always warned to cover up and each year we didn't. The bright white sand at the beach acted as a magnifier of the suns rays and increased the speed of the burning. Each year I got a very bad sunburn and each year I went back.
The beach continued to be a major social meeting place throughout the summer and later in high school, the winter.
The lighthouse keepers' house was still intact and right on the beach. It served scouts and church groups as an overnight adventure.
For some the beach was a place to work, as lifeguards, parking attendants and toll collectors, as well as at the concession stand. I did not get into that part of the beach.
The Great House was converted into the backdrop for concerts in the late fifties and early sixties. I spent many a Friday and Saturday evening collecting entrance fees at the lower gate for the concerts that occurred there. The best were the popular ones with Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck, Amhad Jamal, the Kingston Trio and many more. After collecting the tickets, I used to go up and watch the second half of the concerts. A stage was set up above the casino facing the Great House with the audience seated along the Grande Alleč facing the ocean. It was a fantastic setting and the concerts were often spectacular.
There were more classical concerts held as well. These were interspersed with the more popular and because they did not have as great a draw were usually held in the Rose Garden which had been converted into a small outdoor theater. In this setting, even I learned to enjoy the more classical productions. The third category of concert was the Chamber Music. This drew few and concerts were held in the library. A smallish room and a great setting for sleep. The worst assignment was working anywhere close to the Chamber music. Attendance was small.
Several summers I also worked on the grounds of the estate, cutting grass, weeding and whatever else needed to be done. On weekends, I also worked inside for weddings and special events serving. I was one of many who worked and roamed over this property and I'm sure they still do.