[1] The building occupied by the Ipswich Female Seminary, and which was employed simply for purposes of instruction and for study, was erected in 1825 by a joint-stock company incorporated under an Act of the General Court of Massachusetts.
The property and affairs of the company were committed to a board of trustees, and so remained for about 24 years, when it was purchased by the new proprietor and principal of the Seminary, Rev.
James M. Ward, of Abington, Massachusetts, under whose guidance and instruction the school was opened to both male and female students.
[2] In 1835, Lyon relinquished her post as assistant principal of the Ipswich Seminary, and gave her time and energy to founding in 1837 of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
[5] Under the care and instruction of the Cowles, and with the aid of efficient and accomplished assistants, the Seminary continued with varying prosperity until it was suspended in the fall of 1876, [2] due to the increasing availability of public schools, which had reduced the need for educational institutions of this type.
Pupils were not accepted based on examination, but, if of suitable age, upon application, and then classed according to their abilities and attainments, their own and their parents’ views, and their probable future course of life.
It offered a "rigorous curriculum",[3] including study of English, arithmetic, geography, chemistry, human physiology, history, the natural sciences, religion, vocal music, and calisthenics, and placed an emphasis on "standards of personal conduct and discipline".
The custom of giving diplomas to young women on their completing a regular and prescribed course of study, was introduced by Grant at Derry, and brought by her to Ipswich.