In 1660, Henry Kingsbury, who arrived with John Winthrop in 1630 on the ship Arbella, sold a house lot at today’s 52 High Street to Robert Lord, the son of early Ipswich settlers Robert and Mary Waite Lord. Architectural details indicate, however, that the oldest part of this double house dates to after 1716, when… Continue reading The Lord-Harris House, 52 High Street
Category: Architecture
41 Turkey Shore, the William Howard House
William Howard was born in 1634 and is believed to have married Tabitha, the daughter of his neighbor Robert Kinsman, about 1673. Nothing more is known about him, other than that his profession was making felt and felt hats. In 1679, he bought this lot from Daniel Rindge, with the 1638 home of Thomas Emerson… Continue reading 41 Turkey Shore, the William Howard House
The Dennis-Dodge House, 10 County St.
The 17th-century home of Thomas Dennis, the famous 17th-century joiner, and his wife, Grace, who died in 1686, is at 7 County Street. They had three children: Thomas, who died young, John, and Elizabeth, who married Ebenezer Hovey. In 1685, Thomas Dennis purchased the lot at 10 County Street for his “new dwelling house,” and the property… Continue reading The Dennis-Dodge House, 10 County St.
The Edward & Faith Brown House, 27 High St.
The Ipswich Historical Commission awarded the 2025 Mary P. Conley Preservation Award to the owners of the historic Edward Brown House at 27 High Street. Edward Brown arrived in Ipswich with the early settlers, married Faith Lord, and served as a marshal for the town. The eastern half is believed to have been constructed in… Continue reading The Edward & Faith Brown House, 27 High St.
Houses at the South Green
The Ipswich South Green Scan to follow on your phone. Links to Audio files are being added to this website and the Ipswich Interactive Map of Historic Houses and Places. The first area to be completed is the South Green. This virtual tour of houses facing the Ipswich South Green Historic District can be started… Continue reading Houses at the South Green
Ipswich Manning House at the MFA
The frame of a 1692 house that once stood at the intersection of Manning and High Streets in Ipswich is on display in the "Art of the Americas" wing at the Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.
Three Old Houses at the Intersection of Poplar St. and Turkey Shore
The Dr.John Calef House, the Heard-Lakeman House and the Burnham-Patch-Day House sit near each other, a charming sample of 18th century Ipswich architecture.
The White Horse Inn, and the Early Ipswich taverns
The house began as a small one-over-one structure built one of the lot's four 17th-century owners. Corp. John Andrews' White Horse Inn makes a good story, and that's how the house got its name.
Last of the Victorians, the Queen Anne Classic
Queen Anne Free Classic houses of the late 19th and early 20th Century share the basic form of elaborate Queen Anne houses but without the excessive ornamentation of the Victorian era.
1695 William Donton House: a Lost Architectural Treasure
William Donton, a mariner bought the lot on the corner of North Main and Summer Streets in 1695 and constructed a picturesque post-medieval-style house, a landmark whose disappearance we still regret today.
The Ross Tavern
A small dwelling was moved in 1735 to the southeast side of the Choate Bridge where it was greatly expanded and became known as the Ross Tavern. The building was moved again in 1940 to the former Wendel Estate on Jeffreys Neck Road.
The Story of Argilla Farm, 107 Argilla Rd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onAE4zmpe9I The land and marsh on the east side of Labour-in-vain Creek, extending to Northgate Road were bequeathed to John Winthrop in 1634. The Agawam Sagamore Masconomet had controlled the land, and made terms with Winthrop as follows: " I doth testify that I Maskonomet did give to Mr. John Winthrop all that ground that… Continue reading The Story of Argilla Farm, 107 Argilla Rd.
The Treadwell House at Willcomb’s Square
"My neighbor’s house was sold to the town and wrecked and picked clean by salvagers and finally burned in a great bonfire of old notched beams and splintered clapboards that leaped tree-high throughout one whole winter day’s cold drizzle. Then bulldozers, huge and yellow and loud, appeared on the street and began to gnaw, it seemed, at the corner of our house.
The Christian Wainwright House, Demolished
The home of Christian Wainwright house originally sat next door to the Nathaniel Treadwell house at 12 North Main Street. In 1845 Joseph Baker moved it to the corner of Market and Saltonstall Streets. The Ipswich Historical Society tore down the house in order to create a better view of the Whipple House before it was moved to the South Green.
John Sparks, Taverner, 6 North Main St. (1671)
John Sparks was granted a license to open an inn and sell beer "at a penny a quart." The tavern became a popular stopping place on the Bay Road, where men of business would meet for food and drink. The Court met at this location, where it heard and dismissed charges of witchcraft.
Old English Barns in Ipswich
The town of Ipswich is fortunate to have a considerable number of barns still standing behind the houses in its Architectural Preservation District. While many of the barns date to before the 20th Century, this barn appears to be one of the oldest.
Historic Ipswich 