This is an artist's rendering of what the 1660s house of Captain John Whipple would have looked like. Houses faced south to take advantage of the heating of the sun during the long, bitterly cold winters. Its description, based on the proceedings of his Last Will and Testament and inventory of movable goods, revealed one large room on the bottom floor with a sleeping area called the chamber above---with access by a ladder, not a staircase. I don't see how they could have had much privacy with 11 children, but this was normative for the era. Since John was wealthier than the average settler, as well as a housewright by trade, his likely would have been a bigger and better house. The house was in the possession of Captain John's son, Joseph, and his descendants until around 1850. In the background is seen the Moshassuck River and a salt-water cove.