First Period houses of Ipswich

The Preston-Foster house on Water St. in Ipswich

The following is a list of First Period (1625-1725) and Second Period (1725-1776) houses in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Links are provided to photos and the history of the house.

View as a simple list

The First Period of colonial American architecture was approximately 1626 through 1725. There are more remaining first Period houses in Essex County, MA than anywhere else in the country, and Ipswich has 59 (depending on who’s counting), more surviving First Period homes than any other town.

First Period houses have steeply pitched roofs, are asymmetrical due to having been built in phases, and feature large central chimneys. Exposed chamfered summer beams are almost always found, especially in the front rooms. First Period builders were often trained in English Medieval and post-Medieval techniques. The fronts of these houses ideally faced south to maximize heat from the sun’s rays, which explains why so many First Period homes line the north side of High Street in Ipswich.

View a chronologial list of First Period houses in Ipswich.

SOURCES:

Susan Nelson’s detailed listing for the Ipswich Historical Commission
MACRIS (the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System)
Colonial Society Inventory, 1974
The Framed Houses of Massachusetts Bay, 1625-1725
Architecture in Colonial Massachusetts: A Conference Held by the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
First and Second Period houses of Ipswich, by Susan Nelson for the Ipswich Historical Commission (PDF)
Something To Preserve
Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony by Thomas Franklin Waters
First Period Buildings of Eastern Massachusetts., National Registry of Historic Places
Historic New England, Architectural Style Guide
Ipswich Patriot Properties assessors database
Gordon Harris, Ipswich MA Town Historian

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Ipswich First Period Houses

341 Linebrook Road, the Lot Conant house (1717)

421 Linebrook Road, the Abraham Howe barn (1725)

52 Jeffreys Neck Road, Shatswell Planters Cottage (c 1646)

16 Fellows Road, the Ruth Fellows house (1714)

26 East Street, the Staniford – Polly Dole -John Updike house (1687-1720)

8 North Main St, the Ebenezer Stanwood House (1747)

22 Mineral Street, the Ephraim Harris House (1696, alt. 1835)

82 High Street, the John Brewer house (1680)

Shatswell house, High Street, Ipswich MA

88-90 High Street, the Shatswell-Tuttle house (right side by 1690 / left,1806)

95 High Street, the Simon and Hannah Adams house (1700)

32 Water Street, the Jabesh Sweet house (1713)

27 Summer Street, the Thomas Knowlton house (1688)

46 Summer Street, the James Foster house (1720)

1 South Green, the Captain John Whipple House (1677)

27 High Street, the Edward Brown House (1650)

31 Fox Creek Road, Bennett’s Farm (1680)

76 East Street, the Hodgkins – Lakeman House (c1690)

24 Topsfield Road, the Moses Kimball house (1688)

30 East Street, the Jordan – Snelling – Potter house (c 1708)

45 Heartbreak Road, the James Burnham house (1690)

42 Heartbreak Road, the Thomas and John Low house (before 1684)

11 Summer Street, the Nathaniel Hovey house (1718)

5-7 Poplar Street, the Dr. John Calef house (1671)

5 County Street, the Richard Rindge house (1718)

36 Water St. Ipswich MA the York-Averill house

36 Water Street, the York – Averill House (1715)

15 Summer Street, the Jonathan Pulcifer house (1718)

28 Water Street, the Harris – Stanwood House (1696)

49 Candlewood Road, the Robert Kinsman house (b 1714)

52 Jeffreys Neck Rd. Ipswich Ross Tavern

52 Jeffreys Neck Road, Ross Tavern – Lord Collins house (c 1690)

12 Water Street, the Glazier – Sweet house (1728)

43 Summer Street, the Wilcomb-Pinder house (1718)

3 Hovey Street, the John Kendrick house (1665)

67 Turkey Shore Road, the Stephen Boardman house (1720)

43 Argilla Road, the Giddings – Burnham house (b 1667)

7 South Village Green, the Rev. John Rogers – Col. John Baker House (c 1700, remodeled in 1761)

69 S. Main Street, the Samuel Dutch house (b 1733)

106 High St. the Caleb Kimball house (1715)

51 Linebrook Road, the Hart House (1678)

52 High Street, the Henry Kingsbury – Robert Lord house (1660)

45 High Street, the John Lummus house (1712)

17 High Street, the Thomas Lord house (1658)

9 County Street, the Benjamin Dutch house (1705)

6 South Main Street, the Shoreborne Wilson – Samuel Appleton house (1685)

13 High Street, the Joseph Willcomb house (1669)

Matthew Perkins house, 8 East Street, built in 1709

8 East Street, the Captain Matthew Perkins house (1701)

12 Green Street, the Andrew Burley house (1688)

33 High Street, the John and Sarah Dillingham Caldwell house (1660)

7 County Street, the Thomas Dennis House (1663)

26 High Street, the Philip Call house (1659)

104 High Street, the John Kimball house (1715)

2 North Main Street, the John Appleton house (1707)

41 Turkey Shore Road, the Howard – Arthur Wesley Dow House (1680)

The Isaac Goodale house, built in 1668, was moved to this location at 153 Argilla Road

153 Argilla Road, the Isaac Goodale House (1670)

39 Summer Street Ipswich MA, the Foster Grant house

39 Summer Street, the Foster – Grant house (1717)

80 East Street, the Perkins – Hodgkins House (c 1700)

39 – 41 High Street, the Daniel Lummus house (1686)

77 High Street, the John Kimball house (1680)

103 High Street, the William Merchant house (1670)

6 Water Street, the Reginald Foster house (1690)

47 Jeffreys Neck Road, the Paine house (1694)

168 Argilla Road, the Tilton-Smith house (c 1720)

57 North Main Street, the Day-Dodge House (1696-1737)

8 Water Street, the Harris-Sutton House (1677)

Ipswich Second Period Houses

The Second Period refers to Colonial Georgian architecture, from approximately 1725 until the American Revolution, which ushered in the Federal era. While often similar to fine First Period homes, 2nd houses feature a planned balanced facade, pilasters, other ornamental details and chimneys on either end of the house. Most earlier homes were updated to appear Georgian as they were enlarged or remodeled, but the lack of symmetry and the large central chimneys remain.

12 North Main Street, Treadwell’s Inn (1737)

Thomas Morley house, 48 North Main St., Ipswich MA

48 North Main Street, the Thomas Morley house (c 1750, alt. 1845)

315 Linebrook Road, the William Conant house (1777)

27 East Street, the Widow Elizabeth Caldwell house (1740-1755)

178 Argilla Road, the Stephen Smith house (1742)

Pulsifer house, Waldingfield Rd., Ipswich MA

11 Waldingfield Road, “Applefield,” the Oliver Appleton Farm (1759 and earlier)

Captain Treadwell house, 2 Old England Road, Ipswich MA

2 Old England Road, the Captain Treadwell house (1748)

3 Newbury Road, the Philomen Foster house and barn (1787)

68 Jeffreys Neck Road, the Captain John Smith house (c 1740)

44 Fellows Road, the Joseph Fellows Jr. house (1734)

7 Summer Street, the Thomas Treadwell house (C 1740)

19 Summer Street, the Solomon Lakeman house (before 1745)

130 Topsfield Road, the Robert Wallis house (1703)

50 Mill Road, the Caleb Warner house (1734)

43 High Street, the Fitts- Manning-Tyler house (1767)

108 High St., the Dow-Harris house (1735)

307 High Street, the Moses Jewett house (1759)

27 Lakeman’s Lane, the Benjamin Fellows house (1719)

5 Spring Street, the Henderson house (1770)

5 Summer Street, the Widow Fuller house (1725)

155 Argilla Road, Asa P. Stone house (b. 1839)

20 Market Street, the Stacey-Ross house (1734)

49 North Main Street, the John Chapman house (1770)

38 North Main Street, the Old Post Office (1763)

50 North Main Street, the James Brown house (1700 / 1721)

30 High Street, the Joseph Bolles house (1722)

68 High Street, the Wood – Lord house (c 1740)

110 High Street, the John Kimball Jr. house (1730)

85 High Street, the Elizabeth and Phillip Lord house (1774)

83 High Street, the Isaac Lord house, c. 1690-1784

73 High Street, the Nathaniel Lord house (C 1720)

59 East Street, the Daniel Ringe house (1719)

Nathaniel Hodgkins house, Turkey Shore Road

48 Turkey Shore Road, the Nathaniel Hodgkins house (c 1720)

59 South Main Street, the Philomen Dean house (Old Lace Factory) (1716)

40 High Street, the William Caldwell House (1733)

9 High Street, the Samuel Newman house (1762)

38 East Street, the John Harris house (1742)

11 County Street, the Bennett – Caldwell house (1725)

12 Warren Street, the Albert P. Hills house (1700)

Burnham-Brown house, 86 County Rd., Ipswich MA

86 County Road, the Burnham – Brown house (1775)

65 Candlewood Road, the Rhoda Kinsman house (b 1776)

107 Argilla Road, Argilla Farm (1785)

232 Argilla Road, the Patch-Brown-Crockett house (c 1760-85)

114 Topsfield Road, the Goodhue – Adams house (1763)

57 High Street, the Stone – Rust – Abraham Lummus house (c 1750)

21 High Street, the Haskell – Lord house (c 1750)

41 Candlewood Road, the Boardman house (c 1730)

Appleton Farms

41 Linebrook Road, Old Cross Farm (c 1717)

11 Woods Lane, the Merrifield house (1792)

34 High Street, the White Horse Inn (1659 / 1763)

Samuel Kinsman house, 53 Argilla Rd., Ipswich

53 Argilla Road, the Samuel Kinsman house (1750-77)

3 Summer Street, the Benjamin Kimball house (c 1720, alt. 1803)

7 South Village Green, the Rev. John Rogers – Col. John Baker House (c 1700, remodeled in 1761)

100 High Street, the Joseph Fowler house (1720 – 1756)

37 High Street, Lord – Baker House (1720)

18 East Street, the Baker-Dodge house (1727)

14 East Street, the Baker – Newman house (1725)

59 Candlewood Road, the Jeremiah Kinsman house (1752)

10 County Street, the Dennis – Dodge House (1740)

16 County Street, the Abraham Knowlton house (1726)

3 High Street, the John Gaines house (1725)

1 High Street, the Nathaniel Rogers Old Manse (1727)

Dr. John Manning house, North Main Street, Ipswich

36 North Main Street, the John Manning house (1769)

The Benjamin Grant house, County Street in Ipswich MA

47 County Street, the Benjamin Grant house (1723)

57 South Village Green, the Aaron Smith house (1776)

58 North Main Street, the Captain Richard Rogers House (1728)

2 Poplar Street, Swasey Tavern (1718)

115 High Street, the Baker – Sutton house (1725)

Wainwright-Treadwell house, East St., Ipswich MA

62 East Street, the Treadwell-Wainwright House (1727)

1 Turkey Shore Road, the Burnham-Patch-Day house (1730)

2 Turkey Shore, the Heard – Lakeman House (1776)

Nathaniel Wade house, County Rd. Ipswich

88 County Road, the Col. Nathaniel Wade House (1727)

Ipswich Third Period Houses

The Third Period was the Federal era between c. 1780 and 1830 but particularly from 1785 to 1815. It is also called “Adam” referring to three Scottish brothers who were influential designers of the era. Builders in the new American republic distanced themselves from English influence and created a new style unique to America. Federal era homes can be distinguished from Georgian architecture mostly by details, including semicircular fanlights over the front doors, side-lights on either side of the doors, palladian windows and wide corner boards.

After 1820 architecture in the United States underwent frequent stylistic changes, including the Greek Revival, Italianate and Gothic Revival Periods, followed by a half century of Victorian architecture: 2nd Empire, Queen Anne, Stick, and shingle styles.