Begin on the South Green* (1) and enjoy a panorama of the social and architectural history of the town. Though some of the earliest houses no longer exist, some of their owners, Nathaniel Ward, lawyer; Ezekiel Cheever, schoolmaster; Rev. Nathaniel Rogers, minister of the First Church; and Richard Saltonstall, renowned Puritan, are memorialized on a granite marker to the right of the Heard House.
Of special significance on the South Green are the houses of Col. Nathaniel Wade, 1727 (2), General George Washington’s aide-de-camp; the Col. John Baker House, 1761 (3); the Swasey Tavern, 1700 (4), renovated in the 19th century; and the Old South Cemetery* (5).
Many of the houses around the green and throughout the tour,date back to the
17th century. In fact, Ipswich is said to have more 17th century houses than any other town in the country. It has a wonderful sampling of houses from the First Period (1625-1725); Second Period, or Georgian (1725-1790); Third Period, or Federal (1790-1830); and various styles from the Victorian Period (1830-1900).
Toward the center of town is the Whipple House*, c. 1677 (6), one of the oldest structures in Ipswich. The heavy framing, gable windows, heavy summer beams, casement windows, and the wide-board floors are important features of the First Period.
Across the street is the Ipswich Historical Society’s Heard House* (7), also known as the Waters Memorial, built by John Heard in 1795. It is in the Federal style with a Palladian window over the front entrance.
Closer to the center of town is the Hall Haskell House*, 1819 (8), site of the Ipswich Visitor Information Center and soon to house The Ipswich Partnership, Inc. Here also, local artisans exhibit.
Next door is Town Hall* (9), originally a Unitarian Church. The town bought it in 1843 and enlarged it to its present size during the Civil War.
The Choate Bridge*, 1764 (10), now twice its original width, has withstood the traffic of over 230 years. The bridge is the oldest continuous use stone-arch bridge in Massachusetts.
Meetinghouse Green* (11) is the heart of old Ipswich. The first meetinghouse on this hill, circa 1634, was where evangelist George Whitfield is said to have confronted the devil, throwing him out of the church’s belfry. The devil’s “footprint” can be seen today imprinted in the rocks in front of the current church, the sixth structure on this site.
At the foot of the green, on the corner of North Main and Central Streets, stands the Col. John Appleton House, 1707 (12), significant for its connection with the 1687 tax revolt against Governor Edmund Andros, the British governor. The houses along North Main Street, such as the Dr. Manning House (13) and the First Old Ipswich Post Office, 1769 (14) are a visual record of the architectural development of the town.
On the east side of the green is the Ipswich Public Library*,(15), built by Augustine Heard with endowment contributions from Daniel Treadwell in 1869 and recently enlarged.
At the corner of North Main and High Street, one of the oldest streets in Ipswich, sits the handsome Capt. Richard Rogers House, 1727 (16). Across the street is the Day-Dodge House, 1737 (17).
The Reverend Nathaniel Rogers House (18), and nearby the Pillow Lace Site* (19), are marked by a tercentenary plaque memorializing the pillow lace industry in Ipswich. In 1827, a pioneering lace manufacturer, the New England Lace Co., unsuccessfully attempted to make lace on a knitting machine here.
Further down High Street you’ll find the William Russell House, 1890 (20), built in the Queen Anne style. The Capt. Joseph Willcomb House (21) is a First Period house whose most famous owner was a captain of the clipper ship Malay. The vessel made a record voyage of 78 days from Boston to Melbourne, Australia in 1856.
Next you will see the Jacob Manning House, 1818 (22), the Thomas Lord House, 1658 (23), and the Philip Call House, 1659 (24). The Waldo Caldwell House, c. 1660 (25) was owned by Waldo Caldwell, an early American ancestor of writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. The site was also the home of Simon Bradstreet, later governor of the colony. His wife, Anne, daughter of Governor Thomas Dudley, is thought to be the “first American poetess."
Continue on to the Lord-Baker House, 1720 (26) and the Jonathan Lummus House, 1712 (27). Beautifully renovated, the Lummus House contains diamond-paned windows and the original frame and exposed nogging in the two front rooms. Across the street is the Kingsbury Lord House, 1660 (28).
Ipswich’s earliest burials took place in the Old Burying Ground* (29) soon after the founding of the town in 1634. Two of the first to be buried were the wife and child of John Winthrop, Jr., son of the governor of Massachusetts. Since the earliest grave markers were made of wood, none remain. The black marble Safford family stone memorializes descendants of Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag Tribe and friend of the first Plymouth settlers.
Enriching High Street from Lord’s Square to Town Farm Road are some of the finest early homes in Ipswich. Among them are the John Kimball House (30), the House with the Orange Shutters (31), and the Merchant Choate House (32), all First Period homes.
* The majority of the properties on this tour are privately owned. Please use discretion when conducting your tour. Public access is permitted only on those properties indicated by *. (The Heard House, Whipple House, and Hall Haskell House are open May-October.) More information is available at the Ipswich Visitor Information Center. Thank you.
