Historic Restored Massachusetts House Is Pure Bliss

Historic homes go on the market on a daily basis — but when one like the Daniel Bliss Homestead in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, goes on the market, you sit up and pay attention.

Why? Because it was restored by the guy who pretty much wrote the book on preserving and restoring old homes, John T. Kirk.

This week’s historical shelter is a historic colonial farmhouse with two-and-a-half stories. The main part of the home was built in 1750 and features details common in the era and area — including the Georgian, five-bay-wide, center-chimney structure.

Kirk restored the home in the 1970s, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Kirk, whose book “The Impecunious House Restorer,” is not only a how-to on buying an early American house and how to preserve it inexpensively and authentically by deliberately deciding what to leave as is and what to restore. It’s also the story of how he rehabilitated the Bliss Homestead, which began with Daniel Bliss and a family that was later torn apart by the Revolutionary War.

“This is a rare opportunity to acquire a beautiful piece of preserved Rehoboth history,” listing agent Jennifer Mello of the Mello Group said. “The renowned and gifted restoration guru John T. Kirk restored this home’s original features and documented his experience in his book.”

In addition to the main house, the property also features a one-bedroom guest cottage with a restored 17th-century great room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and brick fireplace.

The main house has four large bedrooms, five fireplaces, and the original keeping room with its gorgeously restored feather edge paneled walls and beamed ceilings.

The kitchen was updated again in 2012 with slate floors and soapstone counters. The sunroom has cathedral ceilings, exposed beams, and a wood stove to keep out the New England chill.

Outbuildings also include a three-car detached garage and a large horse barn.

It is listed by Jennifer Mello of the Mello Group for $575,000.