It is located in an area known as The Hill, a cluster of historic properties south of Deer Street which was created as part of a road widening project.

It is a 2+1⁄2-story L-shaped wood-frame structure, with a gabled and hipped roof and clapboarded exterior.

Its main facade is five bays wide, with a center entrance flanked by pilasters and topped by a four-light transom and a pedimented gable.

[2] The house is thought to have been built in the early 1720s by Michael Whidden, a joiner, and was originally located on Deer Street, an area that was platted for development in 1712.

After his death in 1773 the house was purchased by Nathum Ward, who extensively renovated the property, giving it most of its surviving late-Georgian appearance.