Purchase a piece of history

By JOHN MATTES

For the Monitor

Published: 09-17-2020 8:41 AM

It all started with a letter written out of hope and adoration that may or may not have ever reached the intended recipient.

Carol and Jeff Owen wrote the letter about two years ago. Carol had made a habit of walking the “five-mile loop” from their house in Canterbury past the one in Loudon for exercise.

“We just love old houses,” she says.

One day, she peeked into the windows. “It looked like someone had left the place in the middle of the night and taken everything with them,” she says.

A week later, she stopped in again when she saw a car parked out front. It was the caretaker who said the owners had “relocated.”

A few days later, she wrote the letter and addressed it to the owners but left in the door for the caretaker: “We’re interested in the house,” it said. “If you ever think of selling please think of us first.”

And then … nothing.

It was a month or so later that they received the phone call.

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“A couple had bought the place at an auction, but they had decided pretty quickly that they weren’t ready to put in the work” to restore it, Carol says.

“They were calling us because they had found the letter in the house.” She can’t be sure that it had ever been opened by the previous owners. “But thankfully, it still included our right numbers.”

This beautifully renovated gentleman’s farm dates from 1800. The main house has large connecting rooms and lots of sunlight.

“The family room, living and kitchen area is about 37 feet across, so you could have quite a Thanksgiving,” Carol says.

Set on 4.8 acres, it includes rolling meadows, lots of woods, a brook at the edge of the property, and a sturdy barn with truly classic lines and lineage.

John Porter, an old friend and co-author of the book Preserving Old Barns, visited the property recently. He immediately noted the barn’s oversize beams, hewn most likely from local lumber with predictable influence from the nearby Shakers. But he wasn’t content to stop there.

“Let’s go in and let the barn talk to us,” he said.

Once inside, he could tell that it was probably a horse barn, a fairly small one given the large beams. But because he later located the remnants of a sawmill down by the brook, he estimated that the barn was built in 1810, no small find in this area.

“I’m a believer,” Carol says. “There just had to be some divine intervention involved times when things happen and you’re just ordained to do something.”

Susan Roemer from BH&G Masiello Group is assisting the Owens in finding the next owners for this historic property.

This four-bedroom colonial farmhouse has been renovated from the basement up. The beautiful open-concept kitchen-dining-family room area will be the place family and friends gather. There are three oversized bedrooms on the second floor, including a master suite. A fourth bedroom or office is on the first floor with a formal living room.

The gourmet kitchen, mudroom and covered storage area are in the carriage shed. The classic barn still holds steady and is waiting to board horses or livestock.

Showings start today. Call Susan to schedule an appointment to visit this marvelous piece of history brought back to life. It is offered at $439,000 with an additional two-acre abutting lot available to purchase as well.

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