The lot at 48 Turkey Shore Rd. was purchased in 1720 by Daniel Hodgkin, when he married Abigail Hovey. He died at sea in 1740, but the house stayed in the Hodgkins family until 1813. The house is one of three five-bay gambrel capes in Ipswich, with two windows on either side of a central front doorway. The other two gambrels are the 1792 Merrifield-Wade House on Woods Lane, and the 1756 Joseph Fowler House on High Street. Rockport and Gloucester are known for their three or four-bay gambrel fishermen’s cottages.
During the second and third decades of the 18th Century, domestic architecture in our area rapidly transitioned from First Period exposed framing to plastered ceilings and boxed frames. In the little yellow gambrel house at 48 Turkey Shore Road in Ipswich are eight beaded and shouldered corner posts, which along with the date of Nathaniel Hodgkins’ purchase, is the primary physical evidence of its age.
Over the past three hundred years, the house was significantly altered several times. A large stone chimney base in the basement is all that is left of the original central fireplace, which was removed to reconstruct and enlarge the front entryway and replace the original front stairway. Walls and ceilings in the downstairs rooms, a dining room ell on the rear, and the two small rooms in the attic were plastered, leaving only the corner posts exposed. The rustic frame of a small building was added behind the ell, and in the 19th century, a poorly constructed second floor was added to this rear conglomeration.
In 2022, all of the rear additions to the original gambrel house were removed and replaced with a connecting breezeway to a large addition, and a second building was constructed on the property. The gambrel was freshened with modern insulation and wiring, leaving the interior corner posts exposed. The entire process was featured on the PBS program This Old House.
View photos and read more about the Nathaniel Hodgkins House at the Historic Ipswich site.
Historic Ipswich 