{"nrhp_refnum":"90000230","name":"Howe Barn","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"403 Linebrook Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ipswich","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.67737589300003,"lon":-70.93488141899996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-03-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former barn at 403 Linebrook Road in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts, built in the first half of the 18th century and converted to a residence around 1948. It sits on about 2.12 acres in a semi-rural setting.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building keeps an intact First Period oak barn frame, one of four known to survive in Essex County. Its framing is nearly identical to that of the Stanley-Lake barn in Topsfield, which may help identify regional framing variations. It also supports the early 18th century date given in local histories.","narrative":"Once an agricultural building, this barn at 403 Linebrook Road in Ipswich now serves as a house. Its oak frame dates to the first half of the 18th century and, by tradition, was raised by Abraham Howe soon after he built a house on the property in 1711. Howe was a weaver, slaughterer, carpenter and recorder of evidence for his neighbors. The barn was converted to a residence in 1948 and given Colonial Revival finishes, yet it keeps the profile of the original structure. Four bays long, two and one half stories high and two rooms deep, it has a shingled exterior and a one-story porch as its only addition. The frame survives in the attic and in places downstairs, with principal rafters, purlins and slightly cambered tie beams. It is one of four known First Period barn frames in Essex County, and its construction closely resembles the Stanley-Lake barn in Topsfield. Conversion to a house may explain its survival.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Abraham Howe (according to tradition)","architectural_style":"First Period / Colonial Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Listed on the inventory form as residence / vacant, in good condition; converted from barn to house around 1948.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.644593-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/7900/63790040/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000230.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000230/9f5bf83bb5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000230/9f5bf83bb5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IpswichMA_HoweBarn.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IpswichMA_HoweBarn.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790040","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howe_Barn","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5921518"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/howe-barn-90000230/"}