The Mary P. Conley Preservation Award is given annually to recognize historical preservation in Ipswich. The 2007 recipient, Bryan Townsend, completely restored the second-period 1750 home built by Captain John Boardman or his son Thomas. The barn Townsend restored on this property received the 2009 award. The house was previously known as the Isaac Fellows house, but we now know that it was built by John or Thomas Boardman, the latter owners of the same property.
According to the town assessor’s records, the house dates to 1730, although this is not directly substantiated by the book entitled Candlewood, An Ancient Neighborhood in Ipswich. The property appears to be located on Lot #30 in the book, with John Andrews as the first owner. The lot was sold on Feb. 7, 1659, to William Fellows, who died and left it to his son Isaac Fellows. Isaac’s farm was then run by William Durgey. On March 31, 1705, Isaac conveyed the farm to his son Jonathan Fellows, reserving the use of the premises.
Jonathan sold the farm to Benjamin Kinsman on April 28th, 1742. Benjamin Kinsman sold both farms, the Isaac Fellows 50 acres and the 18 acres he had purchased from Palatiah Kinsman, with all the buildings, to Capt. John Boardman on Dec. 21, 1747. Capt. Boardman granted to his son Thomas all the real estate he purchased from Kinsman, with a further portion to his other son John, and shares to his daughters as well (proved Oct. 13, 1760).
On page 35 of “Candlewood,” we see the first mention of a house: “The house was built either by Capt. John, the first, or Thomas, we may presume.” Thomas Kinsman died on May 28, 1779.
Richard Irons, Restoration Masons, dated the bricks to the mid-18th century as well. The bricks in the front center staircase show scorching, evidence of prior use. There are beehive ovens in two separate ground-floor fireplaces, one in the large kitchen fireplace and another in the secondary, smaller fireplace adjacent to the kitchen fireplace.
Information was provided by Bryan Townsend, the owner.
Historic Ipswich 