William Goodhue, an early settler of Ipswich, was granted this lot, “about half a mile above the mill.” His descendant, William Goodhue, married Abigail Adams in 1718 and is believed to have constructed this house in 1763.
This timber-framed Georgian house was constructed with an integral lean-to, the popular New England style known as a saltbox. Twentieth-century owners removed the plaster ceiling in most rooms to expose the large beams and wide 3″ x 10″ joists. The white oak trenals (“tree nails” or pegs) connecting the major beams of the house are in perfect condition. Original wide pine board flooring is found throughout the house and the attic.
The Goodhue and Adams families were among the original settlers in Ipswich. William Goodhue was one of the five Ipswich men arrested in a 1687 protest against taxation without representation that gave Ipswich the title “Birthplace of Independence.” From “The Hammatt Papers,” we know that William Goodhue took the Freeman’s oath on Dec. 7, 1636. He had a house lot in Ipswich in 1635 and afterward much other land by grant and purchase, including:
- “Six acres of land lying on the Ipswich River about half a mile above the mill, having a parcel of ground of Thomas Bird’s on the east and a planting lot of Henry Archer’s on the north, and ten acres of land granted to Nathaniel Bishop on the south.”
- “A parcel of land about two miles up the town river encompassed on the southeast and southwest by the river, and running from the east from a dry pit to the west, etc., 26 acres more or less.”
Oliver Adams was shown on the 1832 map as the owner of the house. A map recorded by the town clerk created a new lot by dividing the lot lengthwise in half, with Wallis the owner of the western side, and John Adams the owner of the eastern portion.
The original center chimney was replaced around 1825 by 2 chimneys. All 4 Rumford-style fireplaces are in working order. The base of the massive original chimney is still evident. In the basement, one can walk under the brick barrel vault that supports the kitchen and dining room fireplaces, while the arch under the larger cooking fireplace has been filled in. Such vaults were used for cleaning out the ashes or sometimes as storage. They also support the ends of terminated first-floor joists.
Source: History and genealogy of the Goodhue family: in England and America to the year 1890
Historic Ipswich 