The Caldwell house sits on the lot that was granted to Simon Bradstreet, who became Governor of Massachusetts, and his wife Anne Bradstreet, America’s first published poet, who lived in Ipswich until 1644. Although the traditional date of construction is 1654, the Caldwell house is believed to have been built after 1709, when John Caldwell’s widow Sarah conveyed the property to their son, Dillingham. Unlike many First Period houses in which one side is older than the other, this house was constructed as a two-over-two-room house with a central chimney, The large chambered summer beams and huge fireplace confirm a construction date before 1720. It was restored in 1956, at which time the lean-to was replaced.
Read more about the Caldwell house at the Historic Ipswich site.
View photos of the interior of the house taken in the 1930s for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)
Historic Ipswich 