Jonathan Wade arrived in Ipswich in 1635 with the first wave of Puritan settlers. He came into ownership of land along the South Green originally granted to the Rev. Nathaniel Ward, and left an estate valued at £783. In the 19th Century, the Wade family of housewrights built several homes on for the family on County Rd., and other houses throughout the town.

94 County Road, Jesse and John Wade’s shop (1888) - Jesse and John Wade were in a long line of builders from the Wade family, who constructed several houses on the east side of County Rd. This 1888 house is said to have been their shop.

92 County Road, the Nathaniel Wade house and shop (1810) - The Nathaniel Wade house and shop at 92 County Rd. was constructed in 1810. Many of the 19th Century houses on the east side of County Rd. were built by the Wade family, many of whom were contractors.

90 County Road, the William Wade house (1822) - Captain William Wade was a carpenter by trade, and the house features an attractive stairway and handrails in the front entry hall. The Wade family dominated this stretch along County Road.

9 Woods Lane, the Francis Merrifield – Mary Wade house (1792) - Francis Merrifield, Jr. bought this corner lot from his father in 1792 and built the gambrel cottage. Mary Wade, Jr., daughter of Col. Nathaniel Wade of Revolutionary War fame, bought the property in 1827. She bequeathed her estate to her nephew, Francis H. Wade. The house remained in the Wade family well into the 20th Century.

88 County Road, the Col. Nathaniel Wade House (1727) - This house was built in 1727 by Captain Thomas Wade. On September 25, 1780, his son Nathaniel Wade received an urgent correspondence from General George Washington that General Arnold had "gone to the enemy" and to take command at West Point. The house is protected by a preservation covenant with the Ipswich Historical Commission.

85 County Road, the John Wade house (1810) - The John Wade house was built at the far end of South Green in 1810, but was moved further down County Road in 1948 to make room for the South Green Burial Ground expansion. This house bears remarkable similarity to the homes of housewrights Asa Wade and Samuel Wade, both still standing in their original locations on County Rd. facing the South Green.

84 County Road, the Reverends Daniel Fitz and Moses Welch house (1829) - The house was used as a joint residence by Rev. Moses Welch, who assumed the pastorate of Linebrook Church in 1831, and  the Rev. Daniel Fitz, who assumed the pastorate of the nearby South Church in 1827 upon the death of the Rev. Joseph Dana

78 County Road, the Samuel Wade house (1831) - In 1831, Samuel Wade purchased a lot and built this house as his home. In the early-mid Twentieth Century, the Samuel Wade house became the Southside Nursing Home, with 20 rooms & 13 bathrooms. It was restored as a private residence by the Marchand family, who made it their home in the 1960s and 70s.

76 County Road, the Asa Wade house (1831) - This building is similar to the house next door, which was built by Samuel Wade, who may have built both houses. Asa Wade is buried in the Old South Cemetery across the street.

72 County Road, the David Giddings house (1828) - The site of the David Giddings house was bequeathed by Jonathan Wade to his grandson Nathaniel in 1749. In 1828 Wade sold the lot and the shop standing on it to David Giddings, who enlarged it to a two-story dwelling facing the Green.

64 County Road, the Southside Store (c. 1836) - The South Green also had a grocery store for many years. Originally known as the Goodhue Grocery, in the 20th Century it was called the South Side Store. The store closed in 1980.

17 Argilla Road, the Samuel Wade – S. F. Canney house (1845) - Samuel Wade built this house as a cottage in 1845. In 1856 it was owned by S. F. Canney, whose lumber company burned at its first location by the County Street Bridge, and again at its Brown Square location.