Capt. Joseph Farley came from a long line of grist millers and was an owner of the old stone mill where EBSCO now stands. The Ipswich Manufacturing Company, with Joseph Farley as its President, started in 1830. In 1832 it had 3000 spindles and 260 looms, and made 450,000 yards of cloth annually, employing an average of 18 males and 63 females. In 1836 Mr. Farley conveyed his interests to the company, and in 1846, the Dane Manufacturing Co., purchased the mill and continued the manufacture of cloth.
Having profited from his shipping business before financial difficulties arose at the mill, Joseph Farley purchased this lot in 1842. The house that was standing on it was moved to upper High Stret, after which Mr. Farley constructed the present mansion. The house is one of the best representatives of the Greek Revival period in Ipswich, with doric columns supporting the portico, the entrance opening to a central stairway with light provided by a transom window and sidelights. The wood siding is cut and beveled like at Mount Vernon to simulate stone, and massive corner boards further contribute to its Greek Revival appearance.
Joseph Farley died at age 47 in 1847, but his widow Mary Staniford Kimball continued to live in the house until her death in 1901. Their only child died as an infant in 1842.
Read more about the Joseph Farley house at the Historic Ipswich site.
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