By Kathy Brown.
Rebecca Lineberry grew up in Middletown then moved to NY then Wisconsin. In 2019, she relocated back to Connecticut from Wisconsin, after being away for more than a decade, and chose a rental. She kept looking at an online listing for an antique home, but wasn’t sure if she was ready to buy a house. But then COVID hit and “I had a lot of free time on my hands to look at online listings,” Rebecca explained. “I scheduled an appointment with my realtor in April to go see this house that had been haunting me” as well as several others.
The house that she had been looking at was not the house for her, but then they went to the Bailey House on Thayer Road. “I knew from the moment I stepped inside, that this was meant to be my house,” she said. Since the house had been on the market for over 100 days, she put in an offer. Suddenly there was another offer, and she lost it in a bidding war. “I spent the following weekend in tears,” said Rebecca. But as luck would have it, the contracted buyer backed out. Rebecca’s realtor told her that the seller would accept her original offer if she was still interested. She closed on the house in July 2020 and moved in on August 1!
Since she grew up in a home that was built in the 1860’s, owning an old home didn’t scare her. “I was always fascinated by antiques and immersed myself in history whenever I could, and it quickly became my dream to one day own an antique home,” Rebecca said. “I wanted a home that was not in a total state of disrepair, as that level of restoration is a bit outside of my means and capacity at this time, but wanted a home where I could still uncover pieces of the original house and contribute to restoring, preserving and updating [it]. While there are plenty of people who have celebrated this purchase, there are still some who hear I bought a house built in 1755 and think I am crazy!”
Since Rebecca grew up in Middletown, she was very familiar with the area. “I’ve always loved Higganum and Haddam,” Rebecca said. “I love that this area is rich in local history, and has a small village feel with all of the essentials, while being in close proximity to nearby cities.”
There are many historic homes within Haddam. You can read more about them HERE.
“Carefully preserving a community’s historic homes is vital to the sense of place and quality of life for residents and visitors,” said Elizabeth Hart Malloy, Executive Director of the Haddam Historical Society. “They are a tangible link to the historic, architectural and cultural context of a neighborhood and instill a pride of place and respect for those who came before us.”
Rebecca views herself as more of a caretaker of her home, vs. a homeowner. “I feel that a great amount of responsibility comes with owning an antique home,” she said. “It is up to me to ensure that so many of the wonderful historic features that have survived the last 265 years are preserved and treasured, and not replaced with something modern.”
She went on to explain, “It is a balance of making updates that make sense for the 21st century without disturbing the pieces of the 18th century that remain.” For example, when she moved in, she pulled up carpeting and refinished the hardwood floors, though she left the parlor floor untouched since they are original to the 18th century. She will redo the bathrooms, but use fixtures and textiles “that are a nod to the past.” She is also redoing the kitchen to provide current amenities, while trying to hold onto the mood of the house. In doing that, she is having a local carpenter build a wall of open shelves “reminiscent of a general store.” She is also in search of an historically accurate front door, and she would like to restore the front entry/staircase to be a “Bailey museum,” showcasing some of the artifacts that have been found on the property, along with Bailey family history.
She is chronicling the house on Instagram at my_1755_story. Christina Poletto, from the New York Times saw it, and contacted Rebecca because she was doing an article on old homes. That article came out on Friday, January 29, 2021. Rebecca says there is a network of old house people on Instagram who help each other and cheer each other on.
Rebecca has found out there are different types of antique homeowners: the purists (who insist on keeping the houses as close to the original build as possible, and disagree with antique homeowners who stray from that vision and expose beams or bricks), the modernizers (who replace original floors, woodwork, etc. to modernize the house), and the middle-of-the-road homeowners (who preserve history and help the house evolve, so if someone updated the house earlier, it is okay to remove it). Rebecca says an example of this is the ceiling of her parlor. “It is modern sheetrock, and I will be pulling it down this summer to expose the beams (which are also exposed on the rest of the first floor,” she said. “I was attacked by a few different people after this was included in the NYT article, with name calling and shaming. Others were kinder, but noted that exposed ceilings are not period correct. And that’s okay . . . we each have our interpretation of what things should be, and as long as we are deeply respectful of the history and original features in the homes, I believe it is fair game to usher the house into the future, in the way you see fit.”
In researching her house, Rebecca has learned quite a bit about both the house and the former owners. It was built c. 1755 by Caleb Bailey, who is a direct descendent of John Bailey, one of the original proprietors of Haddam. Various Baileys owned the house up until 1942. In the 265 years that the house has stood, Rebecca is the 8th owner of the house, and she has been able to identify the names of the seven previous families. “I am still trying to work out research and would love if any Bailey descendants in the area have any information or pictures to share!” Rebecca said.
Thoughts on purchasing an antique home
She hired Sound Home Inspection to look at the house, because they have many years of experience in antique homes. She said that she learned a lot about the house during the inspection, as well as learned that she could move forward confidently with the purchase process.
If you are interested in buying an antique home, she has this advice, “Do your research, learn what you are looking at and considering, and as long as any needed repairs or restorations are within your means . . . go for it! It is incredibly rewarding to know that each day I am helping to preserve and treasure a piece of American history.”
Things every new antique homeowner should have, according to Rebecca: “a bag of shims, mousetraps, cozy slippers for drafty days and to protect your socks from being shredded by antique nails!”
Another piece of advice, “hiring contractors is tricky, because you need to find someone who truly understands the historical significance of what they are working on/preserving/restoring,” said Rebecca. “And once you find one, they are booked out for months, so plan ahead!”
“The history of the home continues to amaze me each day,” she said, “as if I am seeing it for the first time. To sit by the hearth or to find bits of antique wallpaper, and know that there are hundreds of years of lives lived in this house just takes my breath away each time I think about it.”
Photos provided by Rebecca Lineberry.
