Historic New England: Barrett House

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In October 2022, I visited Barrett House, my last Historic New England (HNE) stop in the regular season. Located about fifteen miles north of Fitchburg, Massachusetts in the small town of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, the home is an easily accessed destination for anyone living in southern New Hampshire, central Massachusetts, and even northern Rhode Island. Barrett House is a three-story whitewashed Federal style house originally called Forest Hall. Wealthy businessman and politician, Charles Barrett, Sr., along with his wife, Rebecca Minott Barrett, built the house as a wedding present for their oldest surviving son, Charles Barrett, Jr., and his new wife and their niece, Martha Minot Barrett. Rebecca’s oldest brother Captain Jonas Minot spelled the family surname with one t instead of two. Jonas had served in the American Revolutionary War and evidently accrued as much wealth as his sister and brother-in-law, as he provided all the furniture for the house.

Barrett House seen from the road; a three-story whitewashed Federal style house with black shutters across a lush green lawn and behind a black wrought iron fence. Barrett House seen from the parking lot; the original portion of the three-story whitewashed Federal style house with black shutters
Barrett House from the front lawn; a three-story federal style house with a one and a half story attachment, with four dark green doors originally serving as stables for horse. Barrett House from the back hill; a three-story Federal style house in the center. To the left is a two-story attachment, then a barn attached to the far left. To the right is a one-and-a-half story stables attachment, then a small shed attachment, and then a two story house attachment
Barrett House from the side; a clear view of all the attachments to Barrett House, plus a white picket fence denoting the garden Wrought iron fence casting shadows on the red brick sidewalk

The newlywed couple soon had five children but maintained a very fancy lifestyle. On the first floor, a parlor and dining room served as an intimate setting for entertaining guests. On the third floor, a massive room with hardwood floors served as the ballroom for luxurious parties. A nearby children’s room filled with toys kept younger guests busy while their parents and grandparents danced. After the deaths of Charles, Jr. and Martha, multiple generations shared the elegant family home. Their second son, Charles Barrett III, received the house in 1842. He passed it to their oldest son, George Barrett, in 1848. After George died in his 1862, eldest son, Edward Augustus Barrett, maintained the house for his mother Frances Hall Ames Barrett until he predeceased her in 1883. Then younger son George Robert Barrett and his wife Elizabeth Maria Lawrence Barr Barrett lived alone in the house during the summer, gradually renovating the space to bring it up to early 20th century standards.

Front Door to Barrett House; A dark green door on top of a pair of concrete steps. A semicircular window is above the door, and a thin window is on either side. Inside the Roof of the Gazebo at Barrett House; eight sections of a roof made of wooden slats Side of the Gazebo at Barrett House; whitewashed wooden slats create diamond shaped openings to form the gazebo wall.
Barrett House Historical Sign; a green sign with white letters Barrett House Gazebo; small gazebo on top of a terraced hill Barrett House Historic New England sign; standard black and blue sign with the Historic New England logo on the lower right
Piano in the Ballroom at Barrett House; a brown wooden piano with ornate carvings Glass Harmonica in the Ballroom at Barrett House; a set of eighteen glasses labeled with their note and kept in a wooden box on a stand. Melodeon in the Ballroom at Barrett House; a large, accordian-like instrument in a wooden box set on a table.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth passed away either in 1911 (according to HNE) or 1921 (according to the death certificate and gravestone), while George died about five years later in 1916, leaving the renovations unfinished. Elizabeth’s younger daughter from a previous marriage, Caroline Hartwell Barr Wade, inherited the house and did not know what to do with it. Rather than dealing with the issue right away, she closed up the home and did not touch it again until 1948. Near the end of this time, she was contacted by preservationist, William Sumner Appleton, Jr., the controversial founder of Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), now HNE. Appleton believed one of his aunts may have lived at the beautiful house and wanted to know if the property was available for donation. Barr Wade was wealthy like her adoptive ancestors and equally generous. She donated the house to SPNEA with an endowment for its upkeep in 1948, the year after Appleton died. SPNEA restored the long-vacant building and turned the space into a museum.

Diptych Portraits over a Mantle at Barrett House; oil paintings of a man and a woman in early 19th century clothing Banjo clock at Barrett House; a golden clock hung on decorative purple wallpaper with a window decorated with a yellow curtain on either side. Library at Barrett House; a room with yellow wallpaper crowded with upholstered furniture
Pastoral Italianate Wallpaper in the Dining Room at Barrett House; also appearing is a whitewashed mantle topped with a Rococo style clock and four delft vases. Rococo Style Clock in the Dining Room at Barrett House; a clockface supported by a pillar on either side. A gilt relief of a woman stands against each figure. Sun motifs top earch pillor, and a third sun is suspended under the clock. First Story Dining Room Window looking across the front lawn at Barrett House
Portrait of a man in early 19th century clothing Portrait of George Barrett, a man wearing early 19th century clothing Portrait of a young boy; he has long curly blond hair

While the Barrett House is decorated primarily in a Federalist style, decor takes inspiration from a diverse array of interior design trends from the 19th century. A gilt clock in the dining room features neoclassical reliefs and suns from the Rococo movement in France. Pastoral Italianate wallpaper in the dining room originally came from another house and was cut to fit the space. Portraits in gilt frames found throughout the house depict several people, possibly members of the Barrett family. Music lovers can view rare musical instruments in the third floor ballroom, including a glass harmonica, a melodeon or American organ, and a fancy piano. Also worth a look is the partially renovated bathroom with a needle bath ribcage shower.

Photograph of a woman playing a mountain dulcimer Bedroom at Barrett House; a canopy bed with cream and pink fabric
Neoclassic wallpaper at Barrett House; faux marble bricks with laurel borders Children's Room at Barrett House; red floral rug underneath a small bed covered in handmade quilts, a toy chest, a sled, a doll house, and other toys.

Many house tours, especially those run by HNE, come with fascinating and even sensationalist stories. Beauport Sleeper-McCann in Gloucester, MA highlights to story of Henry Sleeper, a war hero and openly gay interior designer. Gedney House in Salem, MA is connected to the Salem Witch Trials. Governor John Langdon House was home to a powerful political figure and Founding Father, along with important members of the Black community in Portsmouth, NH. Barrett House does not have the same type of story. While a house tour cannot tell the entire story, I had the impression that the Barrett family was popular and generous but somewhat bland. No one abandoned their home and children after becoming unable to pay debts, as happened at Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden. The house was not a stop for multiple United States Presidents and other important people, not to mention the oldest extant indoor bowling alley, as is the case at Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, CT. The Barretts were big fish in a small pond, happy with their lot, and not the type to rock the boat. They were ideal neighbors and beloved by their community.

Unused Pure Rope Tissue; six rectangular packages in two stacks Needle bath ribcage shower in the Barrett House bathroom; set of four semicircular metal pipes and a showerhead on top
Sign for tolls in the Barrett House barn; also featured are a pair of snowshoes and to corner of a carriage Horse-Drawn Sled Hearse in Barrett House barn; a black sled with an oval window framed with fringed drapes to view a casket

Barrett House is open second and fourth Saturdays from June to early October. Tours take place on the hour from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets are standard HNE small house pricing: $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for students and children, $0 for HNE members (like me!). Like most historic houses, Barrett House does not have ramps or elevators, making the property inaccessible to those using wheelchairs. The stairs are somewhat less steep, but those with limited mobility may still have difficulty navigating the house. No virtual tour is available at this time.


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 7/10

Accessibility: 5/10



Location: 79 Main St, New Ipswich, NH 03071, USA