Save This Place

Welcome, This Is a Farmhouse

Save This Place

And with its sound foundation and desirable historic features, it can easily be adapted to contemporary demands.

Photographs by Cait Bourgault

THE BACKSTORY

When carpenter Alanson Chandler built his vernacular farmhouse on Sumner’s Front Street around 1850, he placed himself in the heart of a bustling village on the Nezinscot River. He came to town with his brother, Hiram, a carriage maker and merchant who lived next door. Like many houses in the area, this one has a connected barn, an indicator of the role farming once played in the community.

WHY RESCUE IT?

Sumner is much quieter these days, but this sturdy, 1,332-square-foot farmhouse is a window on life in 19th-century rural Oxford County. It retains many of its original features: wide-pine floors, exposed beams, and an antique, cast-iron Glenwood Home Grand kitchen stove still in working order. The back porch offers stunning views of the rolling Oxford Hills. The barn can be used to keep small livestock (recent residents have been chickens and goats) or remodeled into a studio, shop, or living space.

Sumner, Maine, Farmhouse

WHAT YOU’RE IN FOR

Repairs and renovations have been made over the years, but this house is ready for new owners to make it their own. The foundation and metal roof are in good shape, but the charming clapboarded exterior should be scraped and repainted. The kitchen would benefit from new cabinetry (but the stove and steel sink are worth saving), the bathrooms could use a complete makeover, and the electric system needs to be upgraded.

Location: 56 Front St., Sumner
Asking Price: $55,825
Agent: Pamela D. Sessions; pam@bearfootrealty.com

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