In 1657/8 Roger Preston sold this lot with a house on it to Reginald Foster, who arrived in Ipswich in 1638 with his wife, five sons, and two daughters. The existing house was once attributed to Preston, but the oldest part was more likely constructed by Reginald Foster’s son Jacob around the time he inherited the property from his father, who lived “to a ripe old age.” Two nearby houses on lower Summer Street are also attributed to this family.
The steep roof and asymmetrical facade are indicative of First Period construction, and suggest a date of construction toward the end of the 17th Century. The first-floor room in the right half of the house has a massive summer beam with quarter-round chamfers, and the wall framing is covered with original horizontal feather-edged paneling. Framing in the left side of the house is boxed with beaded casings, typical of Georgian construction from about 1730 -1750. The house was owned for 50 years by the same couple and was sold in 2023. This house has a preservation agreement with the Ipswich Historical Commission.
Read more about the Reginald Foster house at the Historic Ipswich site.
View more photos of this house at the Landvest Realty site.
Historic Ipswich 