By 1979 when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis bought Red Gate Farm at the edge of Squibnocket Pond in Martha’s Vineyard, if anyone was in need of refuge from prying eyes, it was the former First Lady.
And now that 340-acre sanctuary with a mile of beachfront near the Cliffs of Gay Head is up for sale.
When Onassis bought the property, there was just a hunting cabin on the land, which had previously been a sheep farm. Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, who had redesigned the White House Rose Garden, designed the landscapes on the estate, and architect Hugh Newell Jacobson designed the Cape Cod-style main house and a two-story guest house.
Our Steal: Mark Jenkins with Wallace & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty has listed 38 Morse Street, Edgartown, Massachusetts for $3.2 million.
What is more patriotic than a summer house in Martha’s Vineyard? If it’s good enough for the Kennedys, it’s good enough for us! In fact, the Obamas and the Clintons have also summered here. And this week, we are putting the spotlight on two of its gems! A prize offering right on the water, and a historic, red, white, and blue steal. Both are in Edgartown, Massachusetts – one of the quaint harbor towns that occupies the idyllic summer island of Martha’s Vineyard – but each have price points that are miles apart.
Splurge: Picturesque Harbor Front Compound For $17.5 Million
Cedar shake shingles for siding is a classic look for cottages all over Cape Cod. They are left unpainted and turn from light tan to a weathered gray over time. Clapboard siding is also commonly seen on Cape Cod cottages. All photos: Leah Shafer
Cape Cod has historic roots in American history, one of the earliest places the Pilgrims settled, later becoming a thriving fishing, whaling, and trading area.
But the romantic mythos of the Cape took off during John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, much of which was based out of the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port. JFK gave his acceptance speech there after winning the 1960 election, and returned frequently during his presidency. The Kennedy’s Camelot and Cape Cod are inextricably linked in the American imagination.
Today, the year-round population of 220,000 swells during summer months, when many thousands flock to Cape Cod for relaxation and resorts. It stretches from Provincetown in the northeast to Woods Hole in the southwest, and each of the 15 towns has its own individual character and hallmarks.
The sunset at low tide from our vacation house near Orleans in Cape Cod. Stunning.
Cape Cod still maintains a charming, maritime feel, with almost 560 miles of wide, sandy coastline (including the gorgeous Cape Cod National Seashore), and house after house with weathered cedar shake shingle siding and colorful flowers that thrive in the temperate summer climate.
I just returned from a week’s vacation in Cape Cod, where we stayed in a classic shingle-style Cape beach house near Orleans on the inner bay. My fiancé’s family has vacationed there since the 1970s, and I joined them last year for the first time. As someone who spent her childhood summers in Galveston, Cape Cod was an enchanting experience, from windy afternoons walking by the seagrass along the shoreline to driving along winding roads with lush vegetation. The whole week we were there, the temperature never rose above 71 degrees.
Candy just wrote about the Cape for Grand Vie Magazine (read it here), and we both are delighted with the region and intrigued by the real estate market there. As Realtor Paul Grover of Robert Paul Properties in Osterville told her, 68 percent of his buyers were from Boston and its suburbs in 2013, and lots are empty-nesters.
But contrary to popular belief, Cape Cod is not just a haven for the rich and famous. As I discovered, there’s a range of housing available, with many beauties available for under $400,000 (I photographed 14 houses I’d consider classic Cape Cod cottage style that you can see throughout this post).
By 1979 when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis bought Red Gate Farm at the edge of Squibnocket Pond in Martha’s Vineyard, if anyone was in need of refuge from prying eyes, it was the former First Lady.
