“Best in Plymouth.” Fantastic Rare Historic Home.
LUXURY in a 330 year old house?! Step back in time -- but with Sub Zero refrigerators and exquisite bathrooms. Here is a home of history, character, and style from our country's earliest period, a home belonging to settlers who arrived shortly after the Mayflower landed. It features hand-hewn beams, hand-cut planks, 330+ year old joists made of tree trunks. Its king posts were harvested from forests growing in the Middle Ages. Experience the past, but with exquisite comfort in this charming house built in 1684 as a mill stream cottage and counting house. You'll enjoy authentic, lovingly-preserved rooms, tasteful New England decor where you can play Pilgrim but grab a drink while lounging beside the waterfall. And where else can you walk from your front door to a whale watch boat, museums, boutiques, restaurants, antique stores, or explore the Grist Mill to grind some corn for your breakfast muffins? You can spend the day at the ocean beach (depending on availability, we can provide beach privileges at another of our houses). Downtown Plymouth is a rich destination for an exciting selection of food -- fresh seafood, gourmet Italian, lobster in the rough, homespun cafes, taverns, coffee shops, and sports bars.
If you've ever toured a ''First Period'' house-museum and thought, ''It would be incredible to be able to stay here,'' we now offer this antique mill-house residence, one of the first dwellings in America. Part of the house was the counting house for measuring out corn to be ground in the grist mill that bestrides Town Brook. Peek into the storage under the stairs to see wallpaper layers from 1800. Lovers of early framing will respond to the king posts, summer beams, floor boards cut from the biggest King's Grant trees, and 4 colonial fireplaces. And especially restorative is the view overlooking the mill, gardens, springs, and rushing stream and waterfall.
In this incredible Antique Mill-Stream Cottage, you'll find comfortable beds, fireside wing chairs, leather topped writing desk, hand loomed coverlets, smooth sheets, down blankets and fluffy towels. The house retains a picturesque antique look with electrified oil lamps, handmade carpets, and wavy window glass. (Some of the 17th-century ceilings are low by today's standards. Please contact us if you have taller travelers or other considerations.) Don't worry, the kitchen offers you quality appliances and two Sub Zero refrigerators, thoughtfully hidden behind wood panels. Bathrooms and powder room are fresh and stylish, newly renovated but full of charm (it's hard to fathom what a 1684 bathroom would be like.) Our favorite is the powder room under the stairs where you'll be surrounded by the coolest of bathroom amenities and by 330-year-old beams and posts, some with their original tree bark on them. The Keeping Room has an impressive paneled fireplace and the master bedroom features majestic hand-planed raised panels from the 1720s. (With respect to the historic nature of the house, we ask that no fires burn in the fireplaces, however.)
Just outside your kitchen doors, step out to a brick barbecue patio that sits on the main massive stone wall, with awning overhead. Down stone steps you'll find a small garden with Adirondack chairs for taking in the verdant view. You can venture along our private winding boardwalk path to the rush and roar of the Mill Stream waterfall (in May, alewife run the stream to the ponds above). Sitting by the waterfall, you will want to jot some notes in your diary, enjoy back-in-time book like ''Mayflower'' or ''Moby Dick'' while sipping your tea or heartier beverage and watching songbirds dart overhead.
Our standards for your comfort are the highest, and we provide you with quality bedding, linens, towels, soaps, and necessaries, a well stocked kitchen with hand-thrown pottery dishes, ample flatware and quality glassware, kitchen linens, modern appliances, abundant spices, condiments and baking needs -- everything you will need for an unforgettable stay.
MAIN LEVEL:
-Sitting/Keeping Room
-Tudor Bedroom (Queen)
-Napping Room (single bed )
-Bathroom w ancient tree beams, king posts
-Additional full (shower) bathroom,
-Eat-in kitchen w 2 antique-paneled Sub Zero refrigerators
-Covered stone and brick patio, gardens and streams and massive stone walls to boardwalk and waterfall.
UPPER LEVEL:
-Quincy Bedroom (Queen)
-Waterfall Bedroom (Full)
-1870s Bedroom (2 single beds)
-Upstairs living room with TV/DVD and sleeping sofa (single) + wing chairs, games, movies, ancient fireplace with cooking ''crane''
Just outside your cloistered walls is Summer Street, and next door is the Sparrow House gift shop filled with beautiful hand made pottery, jewelry, scarves, and more. (You can see first-hand of evolution of first-period homes by visiting Plimouth Plantation, the Sparrow House, and the Antique Mill House.) Also next door: Leo and Nancy give top-rated historic tours (in costume) from the Jenney Museum. A few steps away, on the other side of Town Brook is the Jenney Grist Mill with is huge water wheel, where Plimoth Plantation staffs the mill and explains history. There's a pub, shops, and a serene, stream-side path through ''Brewster Gardens'' to Plymouth Rock and the waterfront.
Our latest review 8/11/2018: ''Gorgeous historic home - perfect location! This house was so much fun to stay in with surprises around every corner. You couldn't ask for a better location either. It is within walking distance to shops, restaurants, museums, and other historic site. Loved it!'' (S.D)
''My sister visited from Europe and we stayed at this truly incredible home. All of us were in awe when we arrived and started exploring. The 1684 house seemed compact from the outside, but as we went through the hallways and stairs we discovered room after room, and we found that we had to go through the house again to take it all in. The house has been meticulously maintained and restored, with antiques and period furnishings throughout. Each room is an absolute pleasure, not only for the incredible 17th century woodwork, but also the furnishings, which all have beautiful natural textures, warm neutral hues, and rich antique bronze. Stepping out the back door we were in awe anew seeing the garden and waterfall. The house sits atop a small river valley, surrounded by lush greenery and the sound of the rushing water below. The yard is terraced, and the top terrace has a covered brick patio with dining seating. Down stone steps the next level has Adirondack chairs and a firepit. Down more stone steps Is a gate opening to a wonderful deck/boardwalk/bridge for walking under the trees to the old well and lily pond down to the mill stream waterfall with Plymouth Grist Mill on the opposite bank. The beautiful foliage, colorful flowers, birdsong, and rushing water make the backyard a wonderfully tranquil and restful sanctuary. This is not just a place to stay. It's a place to experience. We loved this 17th century home with hidden modern luxuries like the 2 Sub zero refrigerators, digital cable TV and wifi router hidden behind historic cabinets and hand planed paneling. The beds have beautiful quilts anda fluffy down comforter. The kitchen is better equipped than any home we've rented through this website. Other highlights: - Proximity to everything we cared about: lovely beaches, historic sites (a gorgeous tree-lined river path in Brewster Gardens Park you can stroll from the grist mill to Plymouth Rock), and only 18 min drive to Cape Cod, 1 hour to Boston. Sitting areas on both the 1st floor+2nd floor - A layout that thrilled the kids who yelled '''I found a hidden staircase!'' A thoroughly clean house, gleaming tile showers. We absolutely loved it!' -- Christa M.
Recent guests said: ''FIVE STARS! We had such a great time staying in this historic house. Everywhere we turned was an eventful discovery. My 14-year-old daughter was 'mystified''(we guess that means 'intrigued') by everything the house had to offer. We loved the grist mill behind the house. We would love to come back in 2020, when Plymouth celebrates its 400th anniversary.'' show more show less