{"nrhp_refnum":"90000236","name":"Burnham, James, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"37 Heartbreak Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ipswich","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.66487607800008,"lon":-70.82980021599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-03-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Historic - Non-Aboriginal","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2 1/2-story, five-bay residential house at 37 Heartbreak Road in the Candlewood section of Ipswich, Massachusetts, with a First Period core dated c. 1677-1703 and later additions and alterations. Its architect is unknown.","why_significant":"The house is judged likely to contain a significant First Period (17th-century) structure behind its later finishes, making it eligible for the information it may yield on First Period architectural history. Physical evidence includes joist spacing, steep roof pitch, room dimensions, very wide summer beam boxes and differing wall thicknesses. Deed research also suggests it was owned by James Burnham before 1703.","narrative":"Located at 37 Heartbreak Road in the Candlewood area of Ipswich, this shingled house has a steep roof, a central chimney and a rear ell. Its right-hand room and chimney bay are the oldest part, probably dating to the late 17th century, while the left-hand rooms and rear ell were added in the 18th century. No First Period framing is exposed, but several clues point to early construction: joist spacing of 17 to 18 1/2 inches, nearly square rooms about 20 feet across, very wide boxes around the summer beams, and thicker walls on the first floor that may hide former overhangs. These resemble the Whipple House and Ross Tavern in Ipswich. Deed research suggests the house belonged to James Burnham, a trooper in King Philip's War and a witness in the 1692 Salem witch trials. Interiors were remodeled in the Federal period, and early 20th century and 1950s changes gave the exterior a Colonial Revival look. A garage on the property was designed by McKim, Mead and White.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect unknown; garage designed by McKim, Mead and White","architectural_style":"First Period core / Colonial Revival exterior","criteria":["C","D"],"status_note":"Residential use; condition described as good.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.934826-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/47/7898/63789847/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/90000236.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000236/6b29ebdb27-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000236/6b29ebdb27-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IpswichMA_JamesBurnhamHouse.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_JamesBurnhamHouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789847","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Burnham_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6130523"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/burnham-james-house-90000236/"}