Castle Hill
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Nearest city | Ipswich, Massachusetts |
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Coordinates | 42°41′6.52″N 70°46′45.14″W / 42.6851444°N 70.7792056°WCoordinates: 42°41′6.52″N 70°46′45.14″W / 42.6851444°N 70.7792056°W |
Area | 165 acres (67 ha) |
Built | 1926 |
Architect | Adler,David; Olmsted Bros. |
Architectural style | Tudor Revival, Other |
NRHP Reference # | 77000183 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | December 2, 1977 |
Designated NHL | August 6, 1998 |
Castle Hill refers to either a 165-acre (67 ha) drumlin surrounded by sea and salt marsh or to the mansion that sits on the hill. Both are part of the 2,100-acre (850 ha) Crane Estate located on Argilla Road in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The former summer home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Crane, Jr., the estate includes a historic mansion, 21 outbuildings, and designed landscapes overlooking Ipswich Bay, on the seacoast off Route 1, north of Boston. Its name derives from a promontory in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, whence many early Massachusetts Bay Colony settlers immigrated, and predates the Crane mansion.
The estate is a relatively intact work from the Country Place Era of the turn of the 20th century, when wealthy families built extensive country estates. The Crane Estate includes architectural and landscape designs from at least seven firms or individuals of national reputation, including the Olmsted Brothers and Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, and is extensively documented. In recognition for its state of preservation and design, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998. The property is now owned by The Trustees of Reservations and is open to the public.
Its history dates back as far as December 29, 1634, when a group of Ipswich town selectmen unanimously voted "That the Neck of Land wheareuppon the great Hill standeth, which is known by the name of the Castle Hill, lyeinge on the other side of this River towards the Sea, shall remayne unto the common use of the Towne forever."