Aqawam, Massachusetts
42 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1997. It stands in Ipswich town. It lies in ZIP code area 01938. It stands on Kimball Brook. The Survey maps it on the Ipswich quadrangle. The federal gazetteer marks this settlement historical: it is no longer a populated place, though the surveys that recorded it still are.
Then and now
1888 to 1997The same ground, surveyed 109 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in Aqawam
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register within a mile 12 of 21 shown
The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.
John Whipple HouseNational Historic Landmark · listed 1966 · 0.3 miles away
Bailey Houselisted 1980 · 0.1 miles away
Caldwell Blocklisted 1983 · 0.2 miles away
Choate Bridgelisted 1972 · 0.2 miles away
Shoreborne Wilson Houselisted 1980 · 0.2 miles away
Ipswich Mills Historic Districtlisted 1996 · 0.2 miles away
Meetinghouse Green Historic Districtlisted 1980 · 0.3 miles away
Benjamin Grant Houselisted 1980 · 0.3 miles away
Brown Stocking Mill Historic Districtlisted 1996 · 0.3 miles away
South Green Historic Districtlisted 1980 · 0.3 miles away
High Street Historic Districtlisted 1980 · 0.4 miles away
Dr. John Calef Houselisted 1980 · 0.4 miles away
Topographic sheets covering this place
17 surveys from 42 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1888 USGS Salem quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Salem quadrangle1:62500, 11 printings
- 1917 USGS Salem quadrangle1:62500
- 1919 USGS Salem quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Cape Ann quadrangle1:125000
- 1945 USGS Ipswich quadrangle1:31680, 3 printings
- 1948 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Ipswich quadrangle1:31680
- 1950 USGS Ipswich quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1958 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Boston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1966 USGS Ipswich quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1966 USGS Ipswich quadrangle1:25000
- 1984 USGS Gloucester quadrangle1:100000
- 1985 USGS Ipswich quadrangle1:25000, 3 printings
- 1997 USGS Ipswich quadrangle1:25000
In the county-history sources
34,928 words on this townshipHistory of Essex County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1888 has no passage naming this settlement, which was common for smaller places. Its township is covered in full.
The chapter on Ipswich Town covers the township.
Read the chapter on Ipswich Town - 34,928 words.
Fires near this place
41 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 41 fires within 5 miles of Aqawam (historical) between 2015 and 2020, burning about 32 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 20 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 7 September 2020 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 28 August 2016 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | IPSWICH |
| 25 August 2017 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 22 August 2016 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | IPSWICH |
| 3 July 2016 | Smoking | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | IPSWICH |
| 26 July 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | IPSWICH |
| 7 June 2019 | Natural | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Specimens collected near this place
12 of 4,556 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 4,556 specimens collected within 10 miles of Aqawam (historical) between 1821 and 1975: 1,817 Plantae, 1,177 Fungi, 1,140 Animalia, 157 Chromista, 151 Unrecorded, 90 Protozoa, 24 Bacteria. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A H HIGGINSON, A Perlmutter, A. A. Eaton and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.
| Image | Species | Year | Collected by | Where, as recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Brasenia schreberi J.F.Gmel. | 1821 | not recorded | Pleasant Pond, Wenham, Mass. |
![]() | Diphyscium foliosum (Hedw.) D.Mohr | 1822 | ALCOTT | |
![]() | Arcyria oerstedii Rostaf., 1875 | 1826 | F. A. Gilbert | |
![]() | Glyceria obtusa (Muhl.) Trin. | 1838 | W Oakes | |
![]() | Lecanora tartarea (L.) Ach. | 1839 | E. Tuckerman | Manchester |
![]() | Ochrolechia yasudae Vainio | 1839 | Tuckerman, E. | [USA] Manchester, Massachusetts. |
![]() | Clethra alnifolia L. | 1840 | OakesHerbarium | Rowley |
![]() | Euphorbia polygonifolia L. | 1840 | Wolle, J. | Ipswich |
![]() | Iva frutescens L. | 1840 | Oakes | ad Ipswich |
![]() | Potentilla anserina L. | 1840 | Wolle, J. | Ipswich |
![]() | Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop. | 1840 | Oakes | Ipswich |
![]() | Dasya C.Agardh, 1824 | 1842 | Collector unknown | Little River near Old Town, 6 miles from the sea |
All 4,556 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this place
7 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Aqawam (historical): 5 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodhue Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Ipswich Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Miles River Sand and Gravel Co | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| R W Drinkwater | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| R W Drinkwater Inc | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Rowley Ready Mix Inc. | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Topseal Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ipswich | 0.0 miles | 42 | |
| Nancys Corner | 2.7 miles | 42 | |
| Little Neck | 2.8 miles | 42 | |
| Hamilton | 3.0 miles | 42 | |
| Rowley | 3.3 miles | 41 | |
| Pinefield | 3.3 miles | 41 | |
| Kent Corner | 4.0 miles | 41 | |
| Essex | 4.5 miles | 42 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1948097. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.




























