What does the back look like?

Those are pine knots on the front posts. And it looks like they are in the railings too. I agree this is not the best house style for them. But on another house they would be great. I would guess cottage would be the closest from what I can see. Cute little house.

It's really hard to see from those pics, but my guess is that it was probably minimalist traditional, a style which hasn't gotten much love in later years. In my area, most of them eventually get cottaged out.

I'd look for original photos of the house on your counties property website. That would give you a lot of direction on which way to take the home. The bay is definitely all wrong.

It looks (to me) like a single story craftsman that has been covered through the years

Maybe, but craftsman wasn't very common by the fifties.

I think the back of the house might give a better idea of what it was. More than likely it wasn't remuddled as much as the front.

I 'm not sure it matters what it was originally. You can make it look more old fashioned.

May we see a close up of the porch? The posts and rails look very rustic.

What is your house? It's your home. Work with an architect/designer, good builder too, to affect whatever you want. As long as it feels like home, to you, you'll be fine.