The Caleb Kimball house, or the “House with Orange Shutters” as it is commonly known, is at 106 High Street in Ipswich, a First Period house built between 1690 and 1715. The orange shutters are a long tradition.
Caleb Kimball (1) was born in 1639 in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts. His parents were Richard Kimball and Ursula Scott. He was a farmer and married Anna Hazeltine on November 7, 1660. Anna was born April 1, 1640, the daughter of Robert and Ann Hazeltine of Rowley. Anna’s sister, Mercy, married Caleb’s brother, Benjamin Kimball.
Caleb Kimball (1) bought this land from Richard Kimball in 1665 (4:257). The owner restored the interior of the left side as a First Period home, with exposed beams and a large fireplace. The right inside has Georgian features, plaster ceilings, and a Rumford fireplace.
A few years ago, the sills on this First Period house had rotted to the extent that the structure was leaning forward by 8” from the sill to the front edge of the roof. Woodwright James Whidden jacked up the house and repaired the sills, posts, and girts. Whidden referred to this as the “A. Kimball house,” but the name is unknown. Whidden’s death at age 49 was a great loss to the town of Ipswich.
The House with Orange Shutters was chosen as the 2013 recipient of the Mary Conley Award for Historic Preservation by the Ipswich Historical Commission. View MACRIS.
Sources
Historic Ipswich 