William Howard was born about 1634 and married Tabitha Kinsman, daughter of Robert Kinsman. He was granted “liberty to fall trees” in 1670. In 1679 he bought this lot from Daniel Rindge, with the earlier home of Thomas Emerson probably standing on it. Architectural evidence indicates that the left side of this house was built the following year. The house has framed overhangs, which were popular during the “post-medieval revival” during the late 17th and early 18th Centuries. Howard died in 1709 at age 75, his son inherited the property, and it was at this time that the right side was added. The house stayed in the Howard family until 1769.
From 1891 to 1906, Arthur Wesley Dow and his wife Minnie Pearson ran the Ipswich Summer School of Art from this house. In the 20th Century, the house was obtained and restored by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) now known as Historic New England, and is now a private residence with a preservation agreement. The Ipswich Historical Commission presented the 2021 Mary Conley Award for historic preservation to the owners. Read more about the Howard house and view photos taken for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) under the Works Progress Administration (CCC) at the Historic Ipswich site.
Historic Ipswich 