{"nrhp_refnum":"80000467","name":"Wade House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5 Woods Lane","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ipswich","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.67656370700007,"lon":-70.83099778099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1½-story gambrel cottage with a center chimney at 5 Woods Lane in Ipswich, Massachusetts, built in 1792 for Francis Merrifield Jr. It stands on a bank above the road on a corner lot of less than one acre.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship, and its ties to the early development of Ipswich. It also points to long ownership by the Wade family, the quantity and quality of surviving original detail, its picturesque setting, and the scarcity of gambrel cottages in Ipswich.","narrative":"Built in 1792 by Francis Merrifield Jr. on a corner lot bought from his father, this 1½-story gambrel cottage at 5 Woods Lane in Ipswich has a center chimney and a symmetrical five-bay facade centered on an entry with a rectangular transom. A small rear ell, added in two stages and containing a cooking fireplace, enlarges the original two-rooms-over-two-rooms plan. Inside, much original detail survives, including a central stair with a simple but handsome balustrade, a panelled fireplace wall in the south room, and panelled doors with painted graining. Fragments of early wallpaper are preserved, and the south room is papered with a reproduction based on them. In 1827 Mary Wade, daughter of Revolutionary War figure Col. Nathaniel Wade, bought the property, and it has stayed with her family since. The long ownership by one notable Ipswich family, the quality of the original detailing, the wooded setting and the rarity of gambrel cottages in town make it significant.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Francis Merrifield, Jr. (original owner who built the house); no architect named","architectural_style":"Third Period (Federal)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a residence and has stayed in the Wade family since 1827.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.103038-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/24/7901/63790124/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000467.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000467/a2bd34ca11-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000467/a2bd34ca11-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IpswichMA_WadeHouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IpswichMA_WadeHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790124","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_House_(Ipswich,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7959066"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/wade-house-80000467/"}