[4] The General Court of Massachusetts renamed the place Topsfield in 1648, undoubtedly after Toppesfield, England, a small parish in the county of Essex north of London.

Indeed, Topsfield was founded in part based on "alarming" 1633 news that the Roman Catholic French had planted settlements nearby and intended to send settlers "with divers priests and Jesuits among them".

[11] Governor Winthrop and the Puritan establishment (who believed a Protestant theocracy was proper), countered the perceived Catholic threat in March of that year by sending English men and women into the wilderness that would become Topsfield.

Topsfield's pre-eminent historian, George Francis Dow, recorded: "No minister of those early days left a deeper impression on the town than Reverend Joseph Capen, who wisely led the minds of the people along the varied paths of knowledge until his death in 1725.

[15] Nonetheless, as tensions between crown and colonists mounted in the years before the American Revolution, Topsfield joined the network of committees dedicated to preserving the rights of the people.

On June 8, 1771, the town voted to stand ready "to preserve and Defend Our Own Lawfull Rights Libertys and propertys even to the last Extremity".

[17] As Dow tells us, "The news from Lexington, spreading like wildfire in every direction, reached this place at about ten o'clock in the forenoon.

"[18] Topsfield men participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, and were part of General Washington's Continental army throughout the remainder of the American Revolutionary War.

[20] Topsfield was one of the towns surrounded by the original "Gerrymander"—meandering electoral districts drawn by Governor Elbridge Gerry in 1812 to further the interests of his political party.

We understand a large number of persons from Georgetown, Boxford and Topsfield, who had never travelled with a steam horse, ventured the experiment of jumping on and trying him.

Dow adds, "The ladies of Topsfield worked heartily in the cause of the soldiers during the war, and forwarded to the army, money, clothing and hospital stores".

[23] The Topsfield soldiers—many of whom may never before have "travelled with a steam horse" or left town at all—fought and died in places far from home: Bull Run, Virginia; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and Port Hudson, Louisiana, to name just a few.

In his will, Dr. Justin Allen left money to the town to erect a monument to honor Topsfield soldiers of the Civil War.

Alphonso T. Merrill's design, called "The wounded color Sergeant", is a prominent landmark on the Topsfield Common, dedicated in 1914.

[26] During the time of the Great Famine of Ireland, a wave of Irish immigrants came to America, arriving in Topsfield in the 1850s to work constructing the railroad.

Dow tells us, "The Irishmen employed in the making of the roadbed were brought into Topsfield in 50 tipcarts, just at the edge of the evening [after the work day was over]."

[29] On the estate of Thomas E. Proctor, now owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society (the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary), Italian immigrant stonemasons constructed the "Rockery"—a lavish rock garden and series of caverns—which still exists.

With the rapid growth of high-technology industry in the suburban areas along Route 128, the highway came to symbolize the Boston high-tech community itself.

In 1955, Business Week magazine ran an article titled "New England Highway Upsets Old Way of Life" and referred to Route 128 as "the Magic Semicircle".

The number of companies grew rapidly from that point in time, many of them involved with Space Race and Cold War defense projects.

More than anything else, affordable automobiles and modern road systems changed Topsfield and made the town what it is today—a suburban bedroom community within the greater Boston metropolitan area.

The highest point in town is found on Great Hill, with an elevation of at least 245 feet (75 m), according to the most recent (2011-2012) USGS 7.5-minute topographical map.

[33] Hood's Pond, covering an area of 68 acres (28 ha) in the northern part of town, is the largest body of water in Topsfield, though most of it lies in Ipswich.

The current members are Lynne Bermudez, Chair, Marshall Hook, Clerk, Boyd Jackson, Cameron Brown and A. Richard Gandt.

The fair today features carnival rides, games and concert events in addition to the more traditional attractions, such as exhibitions of livestock, rabbits and cavies, crafts, horses and produce.

Satellite parking during peak hours of the fair can be found at Masconomet Regional High School, with busses regularly bringing people back and forth from the lot.

His son, Samuel Smith (II) also influenced local politics and was heavily involved in the First Provincial Congress in Concord in both 1774 and 1775.

The house is privately owned and not open for tours, but large groups are regularly seen visiting the property and commemorating the prominent figures of the Latter-day Saint society.

Old-timers look forward to live music, displays of arts and crafts, and the latest donations to the Friends of the Library book sale.

On August 22, 2024 the Topsfield Pirates defeated the Blue Jays 7-6 to win the Men’s Softball Title ending a 18 year drought.