The story goes that on September 30th, 1740, a traveling preacher arrived at the First Church of Ipswich to deliver one of his fire-and-brimstone sermons “of unparalleled intensity”! The church, built upon an outcrop of rocks, had gained a reputation throughout the Colony for the piety of its ministers and their devil-wrestling skills. The 26-year-old preacher, the Rev. George Whitefield, was in rare form that day. He was so loud delivering his hellfire sermon, that people came from all over town to hear his message about the evil Satan.
It was rumored that the devil lived in an old, curved mirror that rested in the back of, or above, the pulpit. From that vantage point Satan could watch the congregation each Sunday to stay current with what they were saying about him. On this day, Whitefield’s sermon was so condemning of the devil that he just couldn’t take it any longer. He leaped from his mirrored home and threw himself at Whitefield.
Here's where historical accounts begin to differ. Some stories say that the confrontation described above began inside the church, others say it started outside on the outcrop of rocks to the side of the church. (This account says that Whitefield had to move his sermon outside because the church could not accommodate all 2000+ people who showed up.) All accounts agree, however, that the preacher and the devil went from being inside the church to outside of the church, that they got into a wrestling match, and that the devil was able to manipulate the preacher up the side of the church to the tip of the steeple.
It was there, atop of the steeple, that Whitefield bellowed to Satan and pushed him from the steeple. The Devil fell with such force that he landed on one of the large outcrop rocks creating a cloud of hot steam when he landed. Although the devil never returned to that church after that, the rock on which he landed is emblazoned with the devil's hoof print, which you can still see today.
As for the Rev. George Whitefield, he climbed down and dusted himself off, gave thanks to God, and the meeting resumed. He was a humble man, and all his journal for the day recorded was, "Tuesday, Sept. 30 [1740] Preached at Ipswich about 10 in the morning, to some Thousands; the Lord gave me Freedom, and there was great Melting in the Congregation."
When you visit the site, ask any local about the story, and I guarantee they can recite it with as much vigor as George Whitefield in 1740. Indeed, when getting permission to locate the virtual at this site, the church’s current pastor, the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Pugh, told me that as a result of Whitefield’s successful eviction of the devil, over 10,000 people joined the anti-slavery movement.
Special thanks to the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Pugh (Pastor) and Carmen Fatu (Office Administrator) of the First Church of Ipswich, without whom this Virtual Cache would not be possible.
While you are in Ipswich, be sure to visit some of the beautiful locations that make Ipswich a popular tourist attraction: Crane Beach, The Crane Estate, to name a couple.
The BACKGROUND photo, depicting the Devil atop of the church steeple, is part of a series of murals that illustrate the history of Ipswich and is located less than a half mile from the church at the Ipswich Riverwalk. You'll find it at N 42 40.713 W 70 50.287. (There's plenty of free parking). It's not required to go there to earn the 'find' but well worth the time!
To earn the Find:
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Please post a photo of your foot next to the Devil's footprint as I did below, and
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Message me with the dimensions of the Devil's footprints.
Congrats to Geo-Knot for being the FTF!
Resources:
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The Devil’s Footprints: Ipswich and Norton, Massachusetts. Daniel V. Boudillion. 26 May, 2007.
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Weird Massachusetts: Your Travel Guide to Massachusetts' Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets Hardcover – May 6, 2008 by Jeff Belanger.
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Haunting Tale of Devil's Footprint Lives on in Ipswich, MA | https://wokq.com/haunting-tale-of-devils-footprint-lives-on-in-ipswich-massachusetts/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral. 97.5 WOKQ. Townsquare Media. 2024.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.