Essex County, Massachusetts
Wenham Homes For Sale
MA
$0M
Avg. Home Value (Zillow, mid-2026)
$0M
Median Sale Price (3-mo., Redfin)
0
Population (2020 Census)
0
Incorporated
Location
Where Wenham Sits
Live Listings
Homes For Sale in Wenham, MA
Listing information is provided by the MLS. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Listings displayed may be subject to prior sale or withdrawal.
A Local's Perspective
From "Frozen Gold" on Wenham Lake to One of the North Shore's Smallest, Most Sought-After Towns
Wenham's land was settled by English colonists in 1635 as part of Salem, and in September 1643 it became the first town to be formally set off from Salem — making it one of the oldest incorporated towns in Essex County. Today it remains one of the smallest towns on the North Shore by population, a largely residential community of roughly 5,000 people bordered by Hamilton to the north, Beverly to the south, Manchester-by-the-Sea to the east, Topsfield to the northwest, and Danvers to the west.
Wenham's most famous 19th-century export wasn't a crop or a craft — it was ice. Starting in 1842-43, Charles B. Lander built a network of ice houses and a small private railway around Wenham Lake, and the Wenham Lake Ice Company went on to ship "Wenham ice" across the Atlantic to Britain and beyond. Prized for its exceptional clarity (chemist Michael Faraday praised its purity) and marketed as a luxury commodity in Victorian London — even earning a royal warrant from Queen Victoria and a mention in Mrs. Beeton's household guide — Wenham Lake ice became an international brand decades before mechanical refrigeration existed. The lake's commercial ice-cutting era is long over; today Wenham Lake serves primarily as a public water-supply reservoir (fed in part by the 1917 Salem-Beverly Waterway Canal) and a local spot for swimming, fishing, and boating.
Modern Wenham blends that deep colonial and industrial history with a quiet, affluent, conservation-minded character: nearly 1,200 acres of permanently protected open space, the 485-acre Gordon College campus, and the Wenham Museum (built around one of the country's most extensive doll and toy collections, alongside a 1690 historic house). Housing supply is extremely limited in a town this small, and prices reflect it — Zillow puts the average home value at roughly $1.09M (up about 4% year-over-year as of mid-2026), while realtor.com reports a median list price near $1.435M, consistent with the constrained, high-demand market Bentley's has documented across neighboring Cape Ann and Greater Newburyport towns.
At a Glance
- Population
- 4,979 (2020 Census)
- Land Area
- 7.6 sq mi (8.1 sq mi incl. water)
- County
- Essex, MA
- FY2026 Tax Rate
- $15.99 / $1,000
- Median Household Income
- ~$194,781 (ACS estimate, wide margin of error)
Source-verified as of 2026-07-29.
Highlights
Why People Choose Wenham
Wenham Lake
The town's namesake lake, shared with Beverly — site of the famous 19th-century "Wenham Ice" export trade to Victorian England, and today a water-supply reservoir and local spot for swimming, fishing, and boating.
Wenham Museum
A beloved North Shore museum built around an extensive collection of dolls, toys, and dollhouses spanning centuries, alongside rotating exhibits on local and natural history.
Claflin–Richards House
A First Period house dating to around 1690, located on the Wenham Museum's Main Street campus and used to interpret colonial-era daily life.
Gordon College
A private Christian liberal-arts college on a wooded 485-acre campus at 255 Grapevine Road, a few miles from the ocean and a major presence in town life.
Iron Rail
A roughly 90-acre town-owned property off Grapevine Road, originally purchased by philanthropist Helen Clay Frick as a countryside retreat for mill workers and now the subject of ongoing planning for expanded public trails and open space.
Larch Row
A historic country road often described as the heart of Wenham's "horse country" — large-lot estate properties bordering conservation land, a short drive from Wenham center.
Neighborhoods
Wenham's Neighborhoods & Villages
Wenham Center
The compact village core along Main Street, anchored by the Wenham Museum, Claflin-Richards House, Town Hall, and the Hamilton/Wenham commuter rail area.
Larch Row / Wenham's Horse Country
A rural, large-lot residential area along Larch Row near the Hamilton line, known for equestrian properties and proximity to conservation land.
East Wenham
The area around Grapevine Road and the Iron Rail property, bordering Manchester-by-the-Sea and Beverly, with an emerging focus on expanded public trail access.
Lifestyle
Life in Wenham
Day-to-day life in Wenham centers on its lake, its nearly 1,200 acres of protected conservation land, and a tight-knit small-town rhythm anchored by the Wenham Museum and Gordon College.
Schools
Schools Serving Wenham
Public Schools
Buker School
Grades K–5 (Wenham)
Miles River Middle School
Grades 6–8 (Hamilton)
Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School
Grades 9–12 (Hamilton)
Higher Education Nearby
Gordon College
Private 4-year Christian liberal-arts college (Wenham)
School assignments are subject to change — always verify directly with the school district before making a decision. Source (verified 2026-07-29)
HOA & Condo Communities
Wenham Associations
Wenham's HOA-style living is concentrated in a small number of condominium developments rather than large subdivisions, reflecting the town's limited buildable land.
The Maples
A 55+ condominium community off Main Street in Wenham.
New Construction
Building in Wenham
Like other MBTA-served towns, Wenham has been working through the state's MBTA Communities Act (Section 3A) multi-family zoning requirement, and has recently added new affordable senior housing.
Maple Woods
New construction of 45 affordable one-bedroom apartments for seniors aged 62+ on Maple Street, built on a 3.5-acre site.
MBTA Communities Multi-Family Overlay Bylaw Amendments
Draft (as of April 2025) zoning bylaw and map amendments creating a multi-family overlay district to satisfy the state's MBTA Communities Act (M.G.L. c.40A, Section 3A) requirement — final adoption/compliance status should be reconfirmed with the town.
Nearby Communities
How Wenham Compares
Hamilton
Wenham's neighbor to the north, sharing the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District and the Hamilton/Wenham commuter rail station on the town line.
South Hamilton
The village center within Hamilton just over the Wenham line, home to the shared commuter rail stop and much of the area's day-to-day shopping.
Beverly
The larger coastal city bordering Wenham to the south, sharing Wenham Lake and offering a full MBTA commuter rail stop of its own.
Topsfield
Wenham's more rural neighbor to the northwest, home of the Topsfield Fair.
FAQ
Wenham Real Estate — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the property tax rate in Wenham?
Wenham's FY2026 real estate and personal property tax rate is $15.99 per $1,000 of assessed value, per the town Assessor's office.
How do I commute to Boston from Wenham?
Wenham is served by the Hamilton/Wenham station on the MBTA Commuter Rail's Newburyport/Rockport Line, which sits right on the Hamilton/Wenham town line; by car it's roughly 25 miles / 35 minutes to downtown Boston, more with rush-hour traffic.
What is Wenham Lake known for, and can I swim in it?
Wenham Lake was once the source of the famous 19th-century "Wenham Ice" export trade to Victorian Britain, prized for its clarity and even awarded a royal warrant from Queen Victoria. Today it's used for swimming, fishing, and boating, with the main public access point on the Wenham side, though it also serves as a water-supply reservoir shared with Beverly.
What schools would my kids attend in Wenham?
Wenham is part of the two-town Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District: Buker School (grades K-5) is in Wenham, feeding into Miles River Middle School (grades 6-8) and Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School (grades 9-12), both located in neighboring Hamilton.
Is Gordon College in Wenham?
Yes — Gordon College's full 485-acre campus, at 255 Grapevine Road, is located within Wenham town limits, even though the area is sometimes casually associated with neighboring South Hamilton.
What's the current home price range in Wenham?
Third-party data puts Wenham's average home value near $1.09M (Zillow, mid-2026) and realtor.com's median list price near $1.435M; Redfin's reported 3-month median sale price is higher still (around $1.5M), though that figure reflects a very small number of transactions in a town this size and should be read cautiously.
Are there condos or 55+ communities in Wenham?
Options are limited given Wenham's small footprint, but they include The Maples, a 55+ condominium community off Main Street, and Maple Woods, a newly built 45-unit affordable apartment community for seniors 62+ on Maple Street.
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