According to family tradition, Stephen Kinsman built the house at 59 Candlewood Rd. in 1752. He bequeathed to his son Jeremiah “all my lands in Walker’s Swamp with the dwelling house and buildings thereon, recorded Dec.27, 1756, by which time Jeremiah and his wife Sara Harris were living in it.
The Kinsman story is conveyed by Thomas Franklin Waters in “Candlewood, an Ancient Neighborhood in Ipswich and in Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony:
The Candlewood district was originally known as the “South Eighth” and included Common Land set aside for grazing, “The Inner Common of the South Eighth.” An area was also granted to individual owners from the beginning. Quartermaster Robert Kinsman purchased a farm and land from John Fuller. The Robert Kinsman house was passed down to Stephen Kinsman in 1714.
Stephen Kinsman and his wife, Elizabeth Russell, brought up a family of twelve children and dwelt in the old Robert Kinsman homestead until 1767, when he sold his farm, 47 acres, and buildings to Samuel Patch. Over time, Stephen Kinsman purchased a large adjoining tract known as Walker’s Swamp and Walker’s Swamp Island. According to family tradition, Stephen Kinsman built this house on “Walkers Island” in 1752. He bequeathed to his son Jeremiah “all my lands in Walker’s Swamp with the dwelling house and buildings thereon, recorded Dec.27, 1756, by which time Jeremiah and his wife Sara Harris were already living in it.
Jeremiah Kinsman died in 1818, and his will bequeathed the Walker’s Island farm to his sons Jeremiah and William in equal parts. Either Jeremiah or William or his son William Jr. built the “cottage” next door, which came to be occupied by Rhoda Kinsman and is now known as the Rhoda Kinsman House.
This house is protected by a preservation agreement with the town of Ipswich and the Historical Commission.
Protected elements include:
- Exterior facades, south, north, and east
- Central frame including primary and secondary members
- Central chimney
- Wooden architectural elements, including the stairway, paneling, doors, and other molded details in the front hall.
- Wooden architectural elements, including paneling, mantelpieces, doors, and other molded details of the two front first-floor rooms, and two front second-floor rooms.
Historic Ipswich 