On the Market: A Historic New Hampshire Homestead with Apple Trees and a Wine Cellar

This 3,644-square-feet house has ties to the Declaration of Independence (and a pretty sweet backyard).


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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

39 Thornell Rd., Newton, NH
Price: $895,000
Size: 3,644 square feet
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 partial

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Chances are if you’re from New England, you’ve lived in a historic home at some point in your life, even if that significance is rumored. (Like maybe the fireplace in your Back Bay townhouse was once owned by the GOAT himself, Tom Brady?) But this New Hampshire property is the real deal: Its familial ties go back to the Declaration of Independence.

This Colonial-style abode in the small town of Newton once belonged to Captain Joseph Bartlett. It was here he raised ten children, including his daughter, Mary, who went on to marry her cousin, Josiah Bartlett (This was normal in the days before you could right swipe to find a partner or travel easily to meet up with a potential fling). Not to be confused with the West Wing character , this Josiah Bartlett later became the Governor of New Hampshire and the second person to sign the Declaration of Independence.

While Bartlett apparently wasn’t significant enough to warrant being written into Hamilton (thanks a lot, Lin-Manuel), his extended family’s home still stands—and it’s pretty sweet by today’s standards. Despite its 1720 construction, this home is retrofitted with modern accoutrements. The kitchen has high-end appliances centered around a big island for cooking, a back patio that allows you to get in on the outdoor living trend, and the root cellar has been transformed in a wine cellar that would make most sommeliers weep with envy.

But the home has not lost its period charm. Aged wood beams, clapboard siding, and brick accents reflect the house’s age (in the best way) while a cozy living-room fireplace harkens back to the days when people used a hearth for cooking. (Nowadays though, you may just want to use it for the aesthetics.) The yard filled with features many only dream of: Gorgeous garden flowers, mature apple trees, and even a skating pond. It’s the type of landscape you can easily imagine belonging to a Colonial homestead—only now it comes with modern features.

For more information, contact Sean Fellows, Tate & Foss Sotheby’s International Realty, tateandfoss.com.

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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Photos by Tate & Foss Sothebys International Realty / Mike Barron

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