4 Goodwin Avenue

History

The house at 4 Goodwin Avenue is a late-eighteenth-century central-chimney half house that has been expanded over time but still retains the defining massing and features of its original construction.

The primary structure is the right-hand, three-bay, side-gabled block, characterized by a steep roof pitch, a centrally placed brick chimney at the ridgeline, narrow window spacing, and restrained exterior detailing typical of modest Newburyport houses in the late 18th century.

A “Beverly Jog” projects from the main house’s volume. A “Beverly Jog” was usually added to a home to provide extra space, but could also be used to enclose a set of stairs leading to an upper floor without altering the home’s original footprint. The small enclosed entry or sunporch attached to the jog likely dates to the twentieth century, as it isn’t depicted in the 1924 Assessors’ map.

Historical Narrative

The property at 4 Goodwin Avenue stands on land long held by members of the Goodwin family, whose presence on this small lane shaped both the street name and its pattern of development. Although the exact date of construction has not been documented, deed references confirm that a dwelling stood on the lot by the mid-nineteenth century, and architectural evidence supports a construction date of circa 1780.

The earliest firmly traceable owner in the deed chain is Joseph Lunt, who conveyed the property on March 5, 1867, to Eben P. Goodwin (Essex South 719/229). The boundaries described in this deed match the present parcel and reference abutters Benjamin, Stephen, and Josiah Goodwin—indicating that the house was situated within an extended family enclave. In 1875, Eben Goodwin sold the property to Raynal Dodge (Essex South 935/160). The deed explicitly states that the premises included “the land with the buildings thereon,” confirming the house’s existence at that time.

Following Raynal Dodge’s death, his heirs, Lyman, Benjamin B., and Mary A. Dodge, consolidated title to the property through a series of intra-family transactions between 1918 and 1919. Benjamin B. and Mary A. Dodge then conveyed the house in 1921 to Benjamin W. Stevens, Newburyport’s harbor master (Essex South 2494/82). This marks a period of Stevens family ownership that lasted into the 1940s.

On February 8, 1946, the house was sold by Neelie Bruce Stevens Balch to Florence B. Stewart (Essex South 3439/592). The Stewarts transferred the property in 1952 to Ralph G. and Florence B. Main (Essex South 3917/236). Later that year, the Mains conveyed it to Raymond P. and Lee Ann Welch, establishing nearly fifty years of ownership by the Welch family.