Hancock home older than America had the town’s first indoor ‘privy’
The 1767 home has been used as both a private residence and an inn during its long history.
In the tiny western Massachusetts town of Hancock, known for being the home of a Shaker Village and the Jiminy Peak ski resort, sits a residence that is older than America.
The 1767 home is one of the oldest in the town and was Hancock’s first to have an indoor privy and a clock. It was also the first hotel in Hancock, as in the late 18th century the home operated as J. Gardner’s Inn and continued that way until around 1840, according to “Gardner History and Genealogy.’’
It stayed in the family for about 200 years, Zillow points out. The Gardner family made “new’’ additions to the home in 1795 and 1817. Then it had two other owners before Kelly Szalewicz, her husband, and four kids moved in. They own it now but are looking to sell.
The Szalewiczs, who are selling their home for $479,000, even made a website for their seven-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom, 5,452-square-foot home with a barn to showcase some of the history they have found while living there since 2009.
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See inside 4105 Hancock Road:
Szalewicz said that after moving in she and her husband didn’t make large-scale changes in the home, but did make updates, which lead to some interesting discoveries.
“Every room had three layers of wallpaper,’’ Szalewicz said. “We didn’t do anything to the historic part of the house, just updated it and painted everything. We found some historic elements.’’
They found six or seven fireplaces that had been covered up and uncovered some grain-painted wood in the master bedroom while installing some insulation.
“It was just hiding in the wall,’’ she said.
Listing agent Tanya LeRose also mentioned that the home still has its original “step-up,’’ which was a slab of stone the Gardner family would use to get in and out of carriages.
LeRose noted that in the 1980s, the home returned to being a bed and breakfast. A new owner could use it as a private home or as a bed and breakfast, given its close proximity to the ski resort and the many bedrooms in the home. The home has four acres of land and a variety of fruit trees.
“It would be a paradise for someone who wanted to be self sustainable or to run a bed and breakfast,’’ LeRose said. “There are great views from the property.’’
Though the Szalewicz’s now have to move for work, their love for the home still stands.
“We just fell in love with the history of it,’’ Szalewicz said of when they first took a tour of the home. “We saw past the wallpaper.’’
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