In the late 1600s, settlers of Chebacco (now known as Essex) broke away from the town of Ipswich to create their own parish. They built a meetinghouse and designated an acre lot for a graveyard. Nearly a century and a half later, the villagers' sacred burial ground became the site of the largest recorded graverobbing in New England’s history. In our latest Timeline, based on author Rob Fitzgibbon's series for The Cricket, this is the story of The Essex Body Snatcher.

Credits:
Rob Fitzgibbon
The Cricket
Essex Historical Society & Shipbuilding Museum
Digital Commonwealth
HistoricIpswich.net
historicmassachusetts.org
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1623 Studios is a #nonprofit organization dedicated to producing community programming for #CapeAnn—Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Essex—and to providing a forum for the free exchange of information and ideas. We also provide a full spectrum of creative services to support our mission. Learn more at https://1623studios.org