Historic House Blog

So, this really exists.  An 18th century farmhouse (dating to 1795) that is now a McDonald’s restaurant on Long Island in NY. Read more…

This property just drips with historical significance!   Now offered for sale (at just $159,000!) is a log cabin that was constructed in 1790 — just 7 years after the American Revolution.   So it has withstood the test of time and witnessed a lot of history — including, of course, the famous Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 (this reminds me of my article about the Gettysburg farmhouse that was used as a hospital during the battle).  But what makes this property even more remarkable is that Thaddeus Stevens once lived here.  Who was Thaddeus Stevens, you ask? Read more…

Quick — what do all the following things have in common?:  Susan B. Anthony, exotic animals, a U.S. ambassador, 1960s hippies, and Stephen King.  Yep, you guessed it . . . they all have connections to “the Gilbert Mansion,” a unique Victorian home in Hampden, Maine.

The history I was able to dig up about this house is, at times, a little muddy — but there is no denying the intrigue of the many eclectic tales surrounding this property.  Here are six (6) of them: Read more…

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 as “one of the best preserved examples of high-style Federal architecture in Vermont,” the house seems to fit that bill.  Considering the number of original features that survive, it is all the more remarkable Read more…

I’m a huge baseball fan, so I had to feature this one: Babe Ruth’s former suburban home outside of Boston, in Sudbury, Massachusetts just hit the market with a $1,650,000 asking price.  Christened “Home Plate Farm” by The Bambino himself, the house was apparently built circa 1800, replacing another old house on the site (circa 1700) that had recently burned down.  Ruth lived in the house from 1922 until 1926, a span during which Ruth slugged nearly 200 home runs & won his only MVP award (1923).  Read more…

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 quaint older features with an open, bright, and “hip” vibe.  And this is not uncommon — many historic homes are very bright & “airy” inside.  As a real estate agent who has toured hundreds of houses, some of the brightest interiors I’ve seen have been in Queen Anne Victorians (1870s-1910s).  The house above (built in 1855) has more of a square, Federal shape to it, but it still manages to pull off a very bright, open feeling (pictures below).  The Henry Cherry House sits just blocks from Read more…

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 in 1740 by Major Charles Ewell.  The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized by the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission.  Oh . . . and did I mention? . . . George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were both guests at “Bel Air”! Read more…

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 many Pennsylvania colonials, Orr’s Ford is an attractive stone house — and yet it’s unique with its double front door facade.  It also has wide plank floors and “dueling fireplaces” in the great room.  But the history of the land on which the house sits is perhaps what makes it truly one-of-a-kind— and an opportunity to own a piece of American history… Read more…

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 around a large harvest table while a fire roars in the large stone fireplace.  And stuff like that.

But very few of these early period homes ever hit the real estate market, so I had to feature this incredible example, since I can’t actually buy it.  The “Haskell House” in Gloucester, Massachusetts is a circa 1700 “Early Period” house and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The house is being offered Read more…

In 2005, in West Cape May, NJ, a developer demolished the historic Moffitt House, a circa 1770, pre-Revolution Colonial — despite outrage and preservationists’ active plans to save the house by moving it.  A report by Jack Fichter of the Cape May County Herald notes that the demolition of the former B&B proceeded with “most of its original wood floors, mantles and doors in place,” which were just “crushed and hauled away.”  Ugh.  (Photo above by Gary Novak). Read more…