Ellen Ruby Blog's: Charming Stone Cottage Built in 1650 Is the Week’s Oldest Home

Tuesday 22 June 2021

Charming Stone Cottage Built in 1650 Is the Week’s Oldest Home

As explorers began to build out what would become the American Colonies, an English Tudor stone cottage in Pennsylvania was erected in 1650.

Miraculously, the home is as beautiful as ever well over three centuries later. The charming home is now up for sale, making it the oldest listing to hit the market this week on Realtor.com®.

Like this Pennsylvania antique, the week’s other vintage properties have all been lovingly brought back to life. You’ll find these homes with cheery finishes like bright blue paint, marble countertops, and modern conveniences. A Connecticut Colonial from 1690 features a robin’s-egg blue door, which complements its crisp white exterior. Another Nutmeg State home from 1743 done up in a cool blue exterior is immaculately framed by blooming white roses.

Tour these antiques for yourself and see how a little love—and a lot of elbow grease—can bring the oldest homes back to life.

1. 2730 Creamery Rd, New Hope, PA

Price: $1,495,000
Year built: 1650
Stone charmer: Updated throughout, this three-level English Tudor home has 2,020 square feet of living space, including four bedrooms.

There’s a dining room with fireplace, beamed ceiling, and crown molding. A walkout lower level is finished with a bluestone floor. Outdoors, the 2-acre lot is dotted with mature trees, weeping willows, a pond, creek, and landscaping around the terraces.

2. 4 Swifts Ln, Darien, CT

Price: $3,295,000
Year built: 1690
Renovated Colonial: This move-in ready masterpiece was reimagined by architect Bo Malpass and originally served as a tavern in Stratford, CT, before being relocated to this waterfront street.

The five-bedroom, 4,500-square-foot home has wide-plank hardwood floors, stone hearths, restored beams, and brick floors. Modern upgrades include radiant heat in the mudroom and family room, and a heated garage. The three-quarter-acre property sits close to beaches, the train, and town.

3. 120 Crane Hollow Rd, Bethlehem, CT

Price: $1,450,000
Year built: 1700
Crane Hollow compound: This large 66-acre property includes a 2,268-square-foot home from the turn of the 18th century. It once belonged to the town’s first selectman and is considered one of the first homes built in the area.

The property also comes with a three-car garage, Quonset hut, cow barn, workshop, storage barn, and several ponds.

4. 809 Mayflower St, Duxbury, MA

Price: $1,000,000
Year built: 1700
Reimagined Colonial: The current owners have updated this antique four-bedroom residence for style-forward modern living.

It features shiplap, detailed moldings, and wide-plank pine flooring throughout its 2,827 square feet of living space. The acre-plus lot includes an in-ground pool, patio, three-car garage with unfinished loft, and antique barn.

5. 37 Boulevard, Newtown, CT

Price: $659,000
Year built: 1715
Historic appeal: This six-bedroom, 3,426-square-foot home features wide-plank floors, beamed ceilings, a library with built-ins, and two staircases. But the showstopper is a glass-enclosed sunroom off the dining room.

Outside, there’s a bluestone patio, living area, and pool. The 1.13-acre lot comes with a three-car garage that’s topped by an 875-square-foot studio with vaulted ceiling.

6. 76 Warren St, Georgetown, MA

Price: $599,000
Year built: 1730
Light-filled Colonial: Generous windows and skylights fill this 2,828-square-foot, three-bedroom home with light.

There’s an office downstairs, upstairs bedrooms with high ceilings, and wood floors throughout. An unfinished basement offers 600 additional square feet for a new owner to configure. Outside, there’s a barn for storage and lovely backyard for entertaining.

7. 201 Route 9W, Palisades, NY

Price: $2,295,000
Year built: 1738
Office hidden behind bookcase: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this four-bedroom Colonial is filled with views of the surrounding rolling lawns and woods.

Topped with a Gothic Revival–style roof, the three-level home has a veranda, five original fireplaces, and original wood paneling. There’s also a great room with skylights and a secret office, accessible behind a bookcase.

8. 26-27 Dronningens Gade, St. Thomas, VI

Price: $1,000,000
Year built: 1740
Crown House: Old homes aren’t limited to the contiguous United States. This landmark residence in the Virgin Islands once housed Danish governors and has the historic plaque to prove it.

Over the past two decades, it’s been renovated by the sellers, who are architects. The five-bedroom, 6,000-square-foot home has views of St. Thomas Harbor, pitch pine flooring, 18-foot tray ceilings, and a Baccarat chandelier.

9. 468 Main St, Wethersfield, CT

Price: $469,900
Year built: 1743
Wethersfield historic district: This pretty blue Colonial with the classic center chimney has been updated and renovated.

Even after the refresh, the three-bedroom home still has its original wide-plank wood flooring, raised wood paneling, four fireplaces, and hand-plastered walls and ceilings. There’s a large unfinished attic as well as a garage with loft and workroom. Outside, the half-acre property includes terraced patios, stone walls, garden beds, and a picture-perfect picket fence.

10. 31 Old State Rd, Epping, NH

Price: $589,900
Year built: 1745
Antique charm: Renovated throughout its four bedrooms, this Colonial is move-in ready.

It features original wide-plank pine floors, a second-floor office, and a third-story loft. Outside, the half-acre property includes a patio and a circular driveway. An attached barn can store all the toys your heart desires.