The land on which the house sits was sold in 1701 to Matthew Perkins by Major Francis Wainwright, whose home was where the Ipswich Inn now stands. Perkins was a grandson of John & Judith Gator Perkins, and his parents’ home, the Perkins-Hodgkins house still stands at the intersection of East St. and Jeffreys Neck Road. For many years this house was inaccurately referred to as the Norton-Cobbett house, but the home of the two early Ipswich minister stood next door and was demolished in 1818.
Captain Matthew Perkins served under Col. Francis Wainwright in military expeditions to Front Royal in 1707 and 1710. In 1719, Perkins requested permission of the selectmen to establish an inn at his home, “at the sign of the blue anchor,” and he became known as “Taverner Perkins.” The house is the 1857 birthplace of famous Ipswich artist Arthur Wesley Dow.
This house features an elaborate pilastered chimney, rear saltbox, overhangs on the front and sides, and a fine Jacobean staircase. It was for a period of time owned by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) now known as Historic New England, which holds a strict preservation agreement with the owners.
Read more about this private residence at the Historic Ipswich site.
Historic Ipswich 