22 North Main Street, the Colonial Building (1904)

The Colonial Building at 22 North Main Street was built in 1904 as a commercial attempt by the Feoffees of the Little Neck Trust. Ralph A. Daniels of Rowley had a furniture store in the building and Howard J. Blake, jr. had a hardware store at one time. One floor of the building was rented by the School Board in 1907 to accommodate the 9th grade. Charles Lampson converted the building into apartments about 1945

The Colonial Building, N. Main St. in Ipswich — Photo from MACRIS

Women and children dressed as Puritans for the Tricentenial. The Colonial Building is in the background on the right.

Measures Candy store, photograph by Edward L. Darling, courtesy of William J. Barton. The two buildings on the right were removed to construct the Colonial Building.

Wilcomb Store on N. Main St. in Ipswich — Photo from the collection of Edward L. Darling, and William J. Barton, who wrote, “North Main Street, 24 and 26, I am told, is where the John T. Heard Masons Lodge (organized on August 26, 1864) held their meetings, known as the Willcomb Building, home of William Willcomb’s confections, and later Austin Measure’s candy store. The next building, 28 N. Main was a boarding house run by the Thompsons. For years, John Fannion had a barber shop. These buildings were torn down and the Colonial Building was built.

Early history of the lot by Thomas Franklin Waters

“The eastern end of the old Sparks homestead was sold by Ephraim Smith to his mother, Martha Smith, Dee. 8, 1713 (29: 67), and Thomas Smith sold the same, as the deed expressly declared, to Aaron Potter, cooper, Feb. 17, 1723 (42: 166). Benjamin Dutch came into possession of a part of this very soon and probably built the house. He conveyed his estate to his sons Benjamin and Nathaniel, March 12, 1741 (83: 126) and Benjamin sold his interest to Nathaniel, Jan. 16, 1750 (101: 38). John Manning became owner of an interest in the Nathaniel Dutch property, and sold the north half to Nathan Jaques, May 2, 1807 (I8l: 181). Daniel Dutch sold the south half to Robert Farley, Aug. 29, 1833, and Farley to Col. Charles Kimball, June 28, 1834 (276: 288). The deed describes the property, “being one half the homestead formerly of Benjamin Dutch, which by a deed bearing date, March 12, 1741, he conveyed to his sons Nathaniel and Benjamin, the estate being the same which was owned by Nathaniel Dutch and which was conveyed to me by Daniel Dutch, Aug. 29, 1833.” This marks the eastern boundary of the old Fuller-Sparks Wainwright property. The old Dutch house or Jaques house has been torn down within a few months by the Trustees of the Manning School, who have erected a new business edifice on its site.” (1904)

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