A piece of history dating back to 1739 is for sale. Documented as the oldest house in Warren, Connecticut, the Marsh-Whitlock house on Brick School Road and two parcels of 32 acres and 50 acres is up for grabs for $1,745,000.
Litchfield Hills Sotheby’s International Realty is representing the seller.
This single family house, spread across 2,710 square feet, has four bedrooms and three full baths.
The house is named after Ebenezer Marsh, who built the house, and Samuel Whitlock, who purchased the house 10 years later. The current owners, Fred Hill and his wife May, acquired the property in 1975 when it was in dire need of a repair and decided to retain its period details during renovation. Though additions including a kitchen, family gathering room and a master suite were added in a new wing, these were done preserving the architectural integrity of the entire structure.
“As far as we know, the house had been lived in continuously for almost two-and-a half centuries," Hill was quoted in an article on Sotheby’s website. "But in all that time no owner was prosperous enough to add on to it, nor poor enough to abandon it.”
A post and beam barn with an office was built in 1979 and later a tennis court was added in 1984. However, like all old structures, the Marsh-Whitlock house’s legend is what adds to its popularity. It is said that a horse lived on the second floor of the house and neighbors have even reported seeing one peering out of an upstairs window.
Explaining the origin of the legend, the Hills pointed out that an old eccentric lady named Carey used to live in the house from 1937 to 1969. During winter, to keep the place warm, she is said to have brought her horse inside the house.