19th century Hamptons farmstead lists for $5.95 million

A 19th century farmstead that includes a restored five-bedroom farmhouse and several outbuildings on 3½ acres near East Hampton village is on the market for $5.95 million. The annual property taxes are $8,924.

“Twenty years ago, this is what everybody came out to buy: an old farmhouse that they’d fix up,” says listing agent Paul Brennan of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

The seller restored the farmhouse in the authentic vernacular of the late 1800s, but added modern conveniences such as insulated windows and en-suite bedrooms, says co-listing agent Martha Gundersen, adding that the home was on one of the many large farms in the area.

Located across from an agricultural preserve and protected by a 50-foot easement on the property’s southwest boundary, the 3,700-square-foot house has five bedrooms and five bathrooms, a light-filled living room with three walls of windows, a primary bedroom with built-in bookcases, a dining room with beadboard walls, and a first-floor bathroom with slatted wood walls and original clawfoot tub.

The home is on Roberts Lane just north of East Hampton village and is in the East Hampton Union Free School District.

The property has restored farm outbuildings, including an old haybarn, now a high-ceilinged studio with wood rafters and beams and slate floor, a two-room cottage, formerly a cow barn, and an open antique barn that serves as a pavilion for the swimming pool.

Exactly when the house was built is a mystery.

“It appears from the foundation and other clues that it might have been as early as the 1840s,” says owner Madelyn Ewing, a historic preservationist. “There were two additions added later, perhaps in the early 20th century, around 1900 to 1914.”

Upon purchasing the home in the early 2000s, Ewing was told that the original owners had 20 children, who undoubtedly lent a helping hand with what appears to have been a potato farm with cows, chickens and a vegetable garden.

Gradually, Ewing updated the house, incorporating original details wherever possible.

“The 6-foot long vintage kitchen sink and the early kitchen cabinetry plus all the original doors and windows and early hardware, when possible, were maintained to preserve the authentic charm and character of the farmhouse,” she says.