Historic House Blog

The owner of this house told me that this house was “a preservationist’s dream,” and it’s easy to see why.  Located in a quaint town nestled between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, and just a half hour from the super-hip city of Burlington, this Federal style colonial includes some truly impressive original features.  Touted [...]

There is a common misconception that most historic houses are “dark” inside . . . but this listing caught my eye as an example of why that misconception is, well, a misconception.  The “Henry Cherry House,” built 6 years before the U.S. Civil War, is a perfect example of a 19th century house that mixes [...]

Wow!  Here is yet another landmark historic house for sale.  On Wednesday, April 18, at 3:00 p.m., the historic manor home of George Washington’s first biographer, Parson Weems, will be sold at auction.  Located at 14513 General Washington Drive in Woodbridge, Virginia, “Bel Air” is the oldest home in Prince William County, having been constructed [...]

When I stumbled upon the property called “Orr’s Ford,” I knew I had to blog about it.  What is Orr’s Ford?  Orr’s Ford is a historic property for sale in Bucks County, Pennsylvania (7483 Old Easton Road, Pipersville, PA).  It sits on almost 4 acres on a picturesque creek, with 250 feet of frontage.  Like [...]

Even among historic house lovers, I am probably one of the few crazies who would actually love to live in a rustic 17th- or early 18th-century home.  An old “New Englander” would be especially nice, with creaky wide-board floors, exposed beams, and wood-paneled walls.  I can picture myself enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with my family, gathered [...]

“Preservation Nation,” the blog of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recently featured a remarkable property for sale in Germantown (Philadelphia), PA.  Though it’s dubbed “The Clarkson-Watson House,” the property at 5275 Germantown Avenue has a couple of even higher-profile names attached . . . Jefferson & Washington.

So, it’s Halloween . . . and with Halloween comes ghosts.  And where are the ghosts?  Well, usually, they’re in historic homes!  Why is that?  The answer, in some ways, seems obvious.  Historic houses have been around for at least a couple of generations, if not several centuries.  Certainly, they are much more likely to [...]

I had not realized just how much of a market had developed for historic log cabins.  Old log houses.  Antique log buildings.  Pioneer log homes.  Whatever you want to call them. I’ve been fascinated with pioneers’ cabins since I was a kid.  When I was in 4th grade, my dad rented an old farmhouse near [...]

A classified-style listing (for sale by owner) on eBay offers the former home of Governor John J. Crittenden (1787-1863).  Crittenden was not just a prominent figure in Kentucky; he was also a nationally-known politician during the antebellum era.  In addition to being Kentucky’s 17th governor, John Crittenden represented Kentucky in both the U.S. House of [...]

Many-a-time on our road trips between Connecticut and Ohio, we would exit I-80 to stop for gas near a small city named Sharon, just after crossing the border from Ohio into Pennsylvania.   Yet we never really drove into town, feeling we didn’t have time to casually “explore” on such a long trip.  But had I [...]