09.28.2023

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Today’s Forecast

37º | Sunny | 6% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:12 a.m. | Sunset 4:28 p.m.

The devil went down to Ipswich

The eerie film history of Castle Hill on the Crane Estate

An old brick mansion with a gravel driveway in front and blue sky in the background

The mansion at Castle Hill known as the “Great House” is nearly a century old. | Photo by @selkiyang

There’s a mansion on the North Shore that’s witnessed the devil. Well, Jack Nicholson portraying the devil, anyways.

When shooting the supernatural 1987 comedy “The Witches of Eastwick,” filmmakers needed an opulent location to serve as the home of main character Daryl Van Horne — aka Jack Nicholson’s version of Old Scratch. They eventually selected Castle Hill, a piece of Ipswich’s historic Crane Estate.

Comprising of a near-century-old mansion — called the Great House — and 165 acres, the seaside property attracts tourists every year with its stunning architecture and topography. Yet few folks are aware of the estate’s eerie role in the film adaptation of John Updike’s fantasy novel.

BOStoday_CraneEstate_CastleHill_Grounds_Creditselkiyang.jpg — Castle Hill’s grounds span 165 acres at Crane Estate.
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Photo by @selkiyang

Castle Hill’s grounds and Great House appear throughout the movie as Daryl Van Horne’s home, where he woos a trio of local witches. If you need a refresher, they’re played by an enchanting dream team of Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer. The Great House’s elegant brick exterior offered the perfect stand-in for Van Horne’s “Lenox House.” For interior scenes, the shoot moved to Boston’s Boch Center Wang Theatre.

Here’s what you need to know before you visit the bewitching scene:

Ipswich is accessible via the Commuter Rail’s Newburyport/Rockport line.
Through October, the Great House is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. + the gardens and grounds are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 6-14. Admission is free for Ipswich residents on weekdays.
Trail maps are available for on-site hikes and nature walks.
Check the calendar for monthly events, like October’s Vintage Car Climb.

Pro tip: Seaside picnics are encouraged throughout the grounds.

Events

Thursday, Sept. 28

CupcakKe | Thursday, Sept. 28-Friday, Sept. 29 | 7 p.m. | Big Night Live, 110 Causeway St., Boston | $29.50 | You won’t get bars this sweet — or sour — from any other rapper.
ArtsThursday: The Brain and Your Senses | Thursday, Sept. 28 | 5-9 p.m. | Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge | Free | Learn from scientists at Harvard’s Brain Science Initiative as you stroll through museum galleries, enter raffles, and sip cocktails + mocktails from CraftHouse Bartending.

Friday, Sept. 29

Yoko Miwa Trio | Friday, Sept. 29 | 7 p.m. | Sculler’s Jazz Club, 400 Soldiers Field Rd., Boston | $35-$145 | Grab a dinner + show package to see this award-winning jazz staple of the Boston music scene.
Red Wine and Dine Me | Friday, Sept. 29 | 7-8 p.m. | curds&co, 288 Washington St., Brookline | $65 | Come find the perfect porch-sipping red, your ideal mulling mix, or the brightest ray of sunshine to keep you going into sweater weather.
Ross Gay | Friday, Sept. 29 | Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge | $30 | Take home a signed hardcover copy of “The Book of (More) Delights” after a live discussion with the author.

Saturday, Sept. 30

Walking Tour of Jamaica Pond | Saturday, Sept. 30 | 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Jamaica Pond Bandstand, 500 Jamaicaway, Jamaica Plain | Free | Discover how the Pond was transformed from private estates and warehouses into the parkland we know today on the last walking tour of the season.
A Conversation with Ira Glass + Jad Abumrad | Saturday, Sept. 30 | 8 p.m. | Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St., Boston | $30-$125 | Join the iconic national public radio hosts Ira Glass and Jad Abumrad for a discussion about their careers in audio journalism and podcasting.
SZA | Saturday, Sept. 30 | 8 p.m. | TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston | $215-$250 | R&B’s reigning queen returns to TD Garden for the second run of her “S.O.S. Tour.”

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Transit

The MBTA has placed new speed restrictions on the Green Line Extension, slowing trains to ~three mph at select portions of the Medford and Union Square branches. The sections impacted by these zones add up to span over a mile of track. (Boston Globe)

Traffic

Bus + bike lanes on Huntington Avenue are here to stay. The MBTA will add red paint to the lanes between Brigham Circle and Gainborough Street to indicate to drivers that the lines are now permanently reserved for buses and bicyclists. (Universal Hub)

Biz

Lambert’s Rainbow Market is officially off the market. After ~65 years in business, the grocery store has sold its two locations in Dorchester and Westwood to a Westwood local who wants to preserve the store’s current concept. (Boston 25 News)

Health

The state announced it will now fund the Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline, a 24/7 hotline that provides emergency medical care to people experiencing an overdose. The toll-free line was privately funded until the state stepped in with financial assistance. (WBUR)

Environment

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to Eastie Farm in East Boston. The funding will support the farm’s youth Climate Corps program, which aims to teach young adults ages 16-22 about urban farming, food + climate justice, and community organizing. (WBUR)

Cause

This month, Boston Harbor Now raised $1 million at its annual gala on Spectacle Island. The money will be used to protect and support the Boston Harbor + its state and national parks. (Boston Business Journal)

Plan Ahead

⚓ Shippin’ up to Boston

Tall ships will sail back to Boston in 2026

Mayor Wu speaks at a podium that says "Sail Boston, July 11-16, 2026" in front of a waving American flag

Mayor Wu announces the return of the tall ships to Boston at a press conference at Rowes Wharf. | Photo by Jeremiah Robinson

Properly celebrating America’s 250th birthday is a tall order, so Boston’s planning ahead.

Mayor Wu has announced that tall ships — read: large, traditionally rigged vessels — from around the world will dock at Boston Harbor from July 11-16, 2026 in honor of the United States’ semiquincentennial (say that five times fast).

Sail Boston 2026 festivities will invite the public to learn about Boston’s rich maritime history. The tall ships also docked in Boston for America’s bicentennial in 1976, and most recently visited the city in 2019.

Local leaders predict the event will attract ~5 million people, who will support local businesses.

“It’s a reminder for all of us that Boston at our heart has always been about providing safe harbor to all,” Mayor Wu said. “It’s why we came into existence as a community nearly 400 years ago, and it’s what we strive for today.”

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Victoria

From the editor

For all its flaws as a film, you have to admit that the “Witches of Eastwick” cast is divine. I would watch Cher do anything — especially tell Jack Nicholson’s devilish character that he’s “the most unattractive man I have ever met in my entire life.”

Witches 1, Satan 0.

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