27 Main Street — Philip Peck House

The Philip Peck House, also known as the Margaret Porter House or the Peck-Porter House, was built circa 1840 by Philip Peck (1812–1875), who had moved to Walpole from Massachusetts in 1830. Peck worked initially as a clerk in Colonel David Buffum’s dry goods store and later became a partner in the firms Bellows & Peck and Peck & Co., embedding him in the commercial life of the village.

Peck married Martha Eleanor Bellows (1811–1898), a member of one of Walpole’s most prominent families and the great-granddaughter of Col. Benjamin Bellows, the founder of the town. On 4 January 1839, Peck moved the circa 1793 Georgian house to the rear of the lot (now 12 Middle Street) and began construction of a new Greek Revival-style residence facing Main Street.

The house was completed in 1840 for Peck’s bride, symbolizing both personal prosperity and social prominence. In 1846, the property was sold to Henry Foster, and after several subsequent owners, it was acquired in 1875 by Dr. Winslow Porter (1823-1891), whose family resided there for many years.  From Dr. Porter, ownership passed to Carrie Augusta Perry Porter (1863-1944), the wife of Warren Winslow Porter (1860-1939), and then to Margaret Perry Porter (1901-1955) whose name has come to be associated with the house.

The house is a superb example of Greek Revival architecture, noted especially for its double side porches, a rare feature in New Hampshire. Its defining element is the pedimented, prostyle portico supported by four two-story fluted Doric columns, flanked by single-story, columned side porches that enhance its classical symmetry and grandeur. Behind the main block, a 1½-story wing links the residence to an attached barn, reflecting a practical integration of domestic and agricultural spaces.

The Philip Peck House stands as a landmark of mid-nineteenth-century taste and refinement, combining architectural elegance with connections to some of Walpole’s most influential families. Its commanding presence on Main Street makes it a centerpiece of the village’s Greek Revival architectural landscape.  The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.