Hyacinth on the Bremer River
In the early 1900’s hyacinth was a major pest on the Bremer River in Ipswich. The fast-growing weed infested the river with dense impenetrable mats and at its worst completely congested the river spreading from bank to bank, drawing river transportation to a standstill. Hyacinth is a...
Cribb & Foote – Celebrations
Benjamin Cribb started his London Store business in Ipswich in 1849. In 1854 Benjamin partnered with J.C. Foote, and Cribb & Foote were formed. The business grew to become an indelible part of Ipswich’s commercial history for 128 years. The Cribb & Foote Families familiar involvement with...
Queens Park 150th Anniversary Celebrations
A community celebration will be held on Sunday 14 July from 10am – 3pm to mark the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Queens Park. This day of celebration will feature live entertainment, kids’ activities, exhibits, active and static displays, an official tree planting ceremony as well as Open...
Epidemics in Ipswich
In the 1880s and 1890s, Ipswich was seriously affected by a number of epidemics with outbreaks of typhoid, dengue and scarlet fevers as well as diphtheria. These epidemics resulted in large increases in the number of patients being admitted to the Ipswich Hospital. In 1889, fever cases made...
Dr. Euchariste Sirois and The Marburg Private Hospital
Doctor Euchariste Sirois was born in Quebec, Canada in 1854 and trained in dentistry and medicine at McGill University Montreal , where he received his qualifications in 1883. In 1909 after practising medicine for 25 years in the City of Montreal and the American states of Massachusetts...
A picture is worth a thousand words – 130 years of Whitehead Studios
This years marks 130 years of Whitehead Studios operating as a photography business in the Ipswich area. The studio was first established on March the 10th , 1883 by Mr Francis Arnold Whitehead who was born in Ipswich in 1863 to Reverend Samuel Francis Whitehead (said to have established...
The Baths of Ipswich
In the early days of Ipswich, households purchased water for their use. There was generally little left over for bathing at the end of each day. One could take a dip in the Bremer River to wash or cool down, however in the 1850s this was illegal...
St Mary’s College, Ipswich – Celebrating 150 years
Catholic education began in Ipswich with the establishment of the first Catholic school in 1861 by Father McGinty. The development of this school, located on the corner of Elizabeth and Mary Streets, prompted the Sisters of Mercy to travel to Ipswich in 1863 to begin teaching 180...
Picture Puzzle
Many of the images in Picture Ipswich have been kindly provided by the community. Along the way gems have come to light that are unable to be identified or important information is missing and because of this we need the community’s help. We are always looking for photos...