Living for Free in Wakefield’s Oldest Home
As caretakers of the oldest house built in Wakefield, a young couple found a great way to save money while preserving a town’s history.
When Ariel and Tyler Gaudet graduated college about a year and a half ago, the couple needed a place to live – preferably, somewhere cheap, where they could save enough money to eventually put a down payment on a home.
Ariel and Tyler were familiar with the Colonel James Hartshorne House, the oldest home built in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Ariel’s mother was on the board of directors for the historic home, and Tyler had spent the first months of his life there, when his parents were the Hartshorne House caretakers roughly 30 years ago.
Serendipitously, the Hartshorne House was in need of new caretakers just as the Gaudets returned to Tyler’s hometown, Ariel said. Though the town of Wakefield owns the home, the Colonel James Hartshorne House Association and a board of directors manage it. They also elect the home’s caretakers – always a young couple without kids, Ariel said. This ensures caretakers can manage the home’s upkeep while saving for the future, as caretakers live there rent-free.
The Gaudets leapt at the chance to follow in Tyler’s parents’ footsteps. After undergoing an interview process with the house committee, the Gaudets beat out a few other couples to be chosen as the property’s new caretakers.
“It’s perfect,’’ Ariel said. “We’re so happy we got it.’’
A young couple – Thomas and Mary Hodgman – are thought to have built the Hartshorne House in 1681 (or earlier), the home’s historian Nancy Bertrand said. Interestingly, the home didn’t earn its name till James Hartshorne, a cordwainer (a luxury shoemaker,) bought it in the early 19th century. Bertrand said the home was probably named for Hartshorne because his family owned the property for such a long period of time (1803 to 1890).
The home sits on the shores of Lake Quannapowitt, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the past 335 years or so, it has served as a private residence, tavern, and tenement for icehouse workers for the adjoining Morrill-Atwood Ice Company in the early 20th century.
Ariel said she feels lucky to be a part of Wakefield’s history.
Just the other day, she said was sitting in the kitchen with Tyler, looking out at the snowy grounds.
“Can you believe how many winters like this one this house has been through and survived?’’ Ariel asked him.
Countless blizzards and freezing temperatures have pummeled the area, and still, the original structure of the house has remained intact. It even survived a devastating fire in September 1929 that destroyed all the ice company buildings on the property.
The day-to day operations of the Hartshorne House that fall to the Gaudets include general upkeep, gardening, and snow removal. They’re also in charge of renting the house for weddings, showers, reunions, and meetings, as rentals are the main income source of the money necessary to preserve the house. The home has most recently gotten new sills, cedar clapboards, windows, oak doors, and a modern electrical system.
Ariel, a nurse, and Tyler, who works in home restoration, both have full-time jobs apart from their caretaking roles. Ariel said scheduling events can get a bit hectic, but she wouldn’t trade their situation.
“I really love the patio outside in the summer because it’s located right on the lake,’’ Ariel said. “It’s just gorgeous. There’s such a nice breeze.’’
The Gaudets don’t know what the future holds, but Ariel said they don’t have plans to have kids and leave the Hartshorne House any time soon.
“Wakefield is so pretty. It’s a nice little town,’’ Ariel said, adding that her time living in the Hartshorne has changed the type of house she wants to own one day. “I’m used to the crown molding and baseboards that go all the way up the wall,’’ she said, trailing off. “…there’s way more character.’’
A peek inside the home:
Courtesy of the Colonel James Hartshorne House Association
Courtesy of the Colonel James Hartshorne House Association
No famous events (to Bertrand’s knowledge) have taken place within the walls of the Hartshorne House, though a Revolutionary War doctor – a friend of General George Washington — lived there. But Bertrand said its lack of notable history does not diminish its value.
“We often think of telling history just from public municipal buildings, but in a way, it is a home, like a humble house, that really speaks to the history of most towns,’’ Bertrand said.
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