Are you meant to be a steward of the past?

As in most towns, a historical reference point is important in Durham and gives us something to help define our collective rural character. Because Durham’s Main Street is quaint with many original homes intact, it's not hard to imagine the bustling stagecoaches as it once provided an important route between Boston and New York. Retaining and maintaining these lovely antique homes is important to a town’s character. I can’t imagine Durham’s Main Street, for example, dotted with circa 1970s houses. Certainly, it wouldn’t hold any appeal. Finding passionate stewards for our antique homes should be a priority—people who can appreciate a home’s history as much as the authentic period details that  make it unique.

New on the market is the Ithamar Parsons House on Middlefield Road in Durham, just off of Main Street. Built in 1733, the house has a long history of farming families and it remained in the Parsons family until 1853 when it was sold to Thomas W. Lyman. It was most recently the home of the Willet family. To read more about the home’s history, click here.

A post-and-beam center chimney Colonial, it offers five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and generous interior space totaling over 3600 square feet. The kitchen alone is reason to consider this home—it’s incredible.

A Donna Thomasson addition combined the original Keeping Room with a custom chef’s kitchen and vaulted family room wrapped with French doors to create ideal entertainment space topped off by a private screened porch with stone floor, perfect for summer cocktails and meals. Thoughtful kitchen design offers Dacor double ovens, twin Subzero refrigerators, a six burner Russell Range with grill, breakfast bar, wide plank chestnut floors, custom cabinets and a closeted pantry. And to remind the new homeowners of what is most important, the richly colored granite counters are inlaid with Asian symbols: “Thank Heaven for Family that Cooks Together.” 

Antique lovers will relish original spaces and details including the formal dining room, parlor, library, four working fireplaces, front and rear staircases, raised paneling and wainscoting, and local brownstone.

Five bedrooms on the second floor include the master featuring one of the four fireplaces, large closets, and chestnut floors as well as the charming red and white bedroom with built-in captain’s bed and curio cabinet ready to shelve your treasures.

Other notables include a giant cedar closet, first floor laundry room, central air, and lovely first floor bathroom featuring a Jacuzzi tub and marble vanity. The 1.37-acre lot offers the privacy of a deep backyard with distinctive gardens and stonewalls. Settle yourselves into this historically significant home and get ready to celebrate its tricentennial. Offered for $519,000. To view the complete listing, link here.