PLYMPTON – Want to live in what may be the oldest home currently on the market in America?
You don’t have to look very far.
Owners of the Stephen Bryant house, one of the oldest and best-preserved homes of the 17th century in Plympton, have put it on the market for $800,000. The home is located at 125 County Way.
It is the oldest home for sale in the U.S. right now, according to the Instagram page zillowgonewild.
It is known as a First Period home − a style of American architecture style originating between about 1626 and 1725, used primarily by British colonists. Among U.S. counties, Essex County in Massachusetts has the highest number of preserved First Period architecture buildings, according to Wikipedia.
The history of the Stephen Bryant house
Built around 1669 as a half house, it was expanded to its present state by Dr. Caleb Loring in 1703.
The current owners purchased the property, a First Period post-and-beam home, more than three decades ago and have meticulously restored and maintained it, according to the listing.
“It’s super historic and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said real estate agent Jennifer Macdonald, who also restores historic homes. “It has modern features, but they’ve made it like a museum where you can’t see the outlets or the plumbing. It looks like you’re stepping back in time.”
The home has working fireplaces, wide-plank pine floors, custom-to-period lighting, antique and custom replica hand-built windows, exposed hand-hewn beams and more. The 2,500-square-foot home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and is on about two acres of land.
In a video about the property, Macdonald said the home is one of the oldest in the area and is in the historic Harrub’s Corner district of Plympton. She said the town’s doctor lived in the home, which later served as a tea room.
“This area sits among 5 other historic homes that were once the tavern, post office and watering stop for horse on one of the oldest roads in the country, her Instagram post about the home says.
You may know this real estate agent from the HGTV show ‘Houses with History’
The series “Houses with History” follows Plympton couple – designer (and real estate agent) Macdonald and historian Mike Lemieux, owners of Full Circle Homes, and carpenter Rich Soares as they refurbish historic − but dilapidated − homes. The first season featured homes on the South Shore, one of which was built in 1666.
The show has two seasons.
A viral Facebook page inspired the ‘Zillow Gone Wild’ TV show
“Zillow Gone Wild” is a new HGTV series that premiered May 3. According to an article on HGTV’s website by Beth Braden, it all started when Samir Mezrahi, a former accountant who had recently moved to New York City to work at Buzzfeed, had the idea to create the Zillow Gone Wild Facebook page in 2020.
The idea was simple: post wild photos of wacky houses he finds on Zillow (houses with jail cells, potato sheds, you name it), and the concept was immediately beloved. Today, the Zillow Gone Wild Facebook page has 1.5 million followers, the Instagram page has 1.9 million followers, and the TikTok page has 153.5K followers.
This Plympton house is not listed on the upcoming schedule of TV shows.
What is the oldest timber-frame house still standing in the U.S.?
The Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts, is the oldest-known timber-frame house still standing in North America. Built circa 1637 for Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks and their six children, it was home to eight generations of the Fairbanks family over the course of 268 years. The Fairbanks House is now a historic house museum and on the National Register of Historic Places.
