The Fantasy Lifestyle

Resthaven has spoiled our family in so many ways. None of us wanted to leave this special place, with it's fairytale stone chapel, cool rushing brook, towering maple trees, refreshing pool, and the bright, comfortable, elegant rooms of the large granite house. The truth is that after Resthaven, we will never settle for "just a house" again. It has changed our mindset, our view of how life should be lived. Those who dwell in the ubiquitous and homogenous McMansions of suburbia may never realize how a unique property can change one's life, but having been there, our family has fully realized its benefits. Living in such a place is nothing less than a Lifestyle. Some people fantasize about living on an English country estate, or owning a Tuscan villa, but one does not have to go that far to experience the serenity that these fantasy destinations provide. See for yourself at www.onlinepropertyshowcase.com/showcase/10241.

Geneology of a House

I have communicated with all but one of the owners or their descendants of the Nathan C. Aldrich House. As the house is 184 years old, and has been sold at least nine times in it's history, it has required many hours over the past 12 years to locate and then finally contact these individuals.. The internet has been an invaluable tool, and has sped up the pace of my research a hundred-fold. But other resources have been equally important in their own ways; old Mendon town records at the Taft library, the Worcester County Registry of Deeds, anecdotal stories and artifacts from people whose families have been in town for generations, my historical preservation consultants for the National Register project, Neil Larson and Jill Fischer, the Mendon Historical Commission and the Historical Society, and even ebay! Just like people, a house has a family tree- locate one branch, and suddenly you've got three more to pursue. When I finally located the great-great-great-great-grandaughter of Nathan C. Aldrich, it was like I was actually reaching back in time and touching the man whose vision created this majestic granite home. And when, through my research, I was able to reconnect family members who had lost touch 70 years ago, I felt like I was doing so much more than conducting an academic project to satisfy my own interests. It is why the human stories related to the home's history matter to me most; they are what actually touch people's lives.

The Biggest Man in Mendon

Rumor has it that in 1850, a child who was later to become the biggest man in Mendon's history was born at the home of Nathan C. Aldrich and his wife, Dianna. According to the census map, Nathan's brother, Scammell, lived close to the 140 acre homestead. Perhaps Dianna assisted her sister-in-law with the birth of Horace Scammell Aldrich, who reportedly weighed in at up to 500 pounds as an adult. The Town Crier featured a story about Horace in it's June 1996 issue. Despite his robust size, Horace lived to the age of 75, which, for the time, was considered a ripe old age.

Newborns and New Kitchens

Our contracter gutted our old kitchen at Resthaven the day I brought home my son from the hospital. I figured I'd be in a coma for the next 3 months anyway, so why not get it all done at once (colic and huge renovation project)? In hindsight, it was a really good plan, being on site every day during my 11 week maternity leave. I didn't really need a kitchen for our new addition to the family, as I was nursing, and my mom lived a minute away with dinner for everyone else. I love building and renovating houses. I built my first house (with the help of the critical construction eye of my fiance) at 25, and thought it was a great experience. Renovating this historic house was just the same. For our kitchen project, we hired Landmark Services, which specializes in renovating antique properties, as respecting the history of the house was of utmost importance to us. Renovation finished the day I went back to work, and the result was superb. Three small rooms were gutted to create a large open space with ample granite countertops and a huge island. We bumped out the back wall to create a built-in banquette eating area, filled with light, overlooking the back patio and pool. It is glorious, and actually won an award in a Better Homes and Garden renovation contest. I will never go without a range like the Thermadore we installed, with 4 gas burners and a built-in grill, and a huge electric convection oven. For northeasterners, the grill is just about the best invention for a cook, as grilling year round is simple. The custom cherry cabinets, with the mantle surrounding the range, are elegant and flow perfectly with the house, as do the random width wood floors with antique square head nails. Numerous salvaged wavy glass windows and a french door leading to the solarium let in ample light all day long, creating an inviting space in which everyone loves to gather.

Superb Manor House

Let me describe Resthaven, and how it struck me upon first laying eyes upon it 12 years ago. As I dr0ve by the property, the first thing I noticed were the centuries old stone walls lining the road. And then, turning into the driveway, past the old stone pillars, there it is, sitting majestically high on a knoll. "WOW" is all I could think. The house's granite block construction and Greek Revival massing give it a presence of solidity, enormity, and a sense that neither Mother Nature, nor time, can touch this place. Pulling up the driveway, lined by six 150 year old Maple trees, feels like something out of a novel. The 4.9 acre property, with its extensive lawn and mature plants and trees, gives the feeling of stepping back in time to an English country manor. Again, stonewalls are everywhere, and tucked into the back corner of the lawn, by the woods, sits a storybook-like stone chapel. Although I can't see it from here, I can hear a brook's rushing waters. As we enter the side door of the house, I see a warren of small rooms, and the kitchen. A plant-room/mud room with skylights, off to the left, leads to the two car garage. The kitchen was designed for a maid, not a family. That will have to change, I think. A swinging door leads to a grand dining room, complete wih a fireplace, built in china cabinet, and wainscotting. French doors on either side lead out onto the front porch, and the back granite patio, for al fresco dining. The floors strike me. They are wide heart pine, something I've never before seen, and they stretch endlessly as I look down the long corridor ahead. There is a powder room, and a reading alcove with a fireplace (very cozy!), and a library with french doors and bookshelves, along with a huge closet. Great family room spot. We enter the grand front-to-back foyer. I could drive a car down these hallways, they are so wide. The grand main staircase is there by the front door. Next comes a double sized living room, reaching from one end of the house to the other. Its like a ball room, with a huge fireplace and built-in cabinets. The 7 huge windows give off incredible light, which is something I've noticed through out the house. The windows are big, and numerous, so every space is filled with natural light. I notice the window sills, which are two feet wide, thanks to the granite construction. Gorgeous moldings everywhere. Upstairs, the rooms are large, especially the master, which sits above the double living room. Again, windows and light everywhere, and looking out at the branches of the enormous maples, I feels like I'm in a treehouse. Enormous shower in the master bath, and three closets, with one walk-in. Closet space is NOT an issue here. We head back to the other end of the house, passing 4 more bedrooms, and 2 more full baths, and numerous closets. The place seems enormous, but at the same time, it feels comfortable. Like home. We head down the "good morning" staircase, and out to the back yard. Except it's not a "yard", it's more like an estate. I mentioned the chapel and brook, but there is also an in-ground pool, a carriage shed, and a complete sense of privacy. There is a huge blossoming lilac bush, along with too many other flowering trees and bushes to count. Without even knowing yet of the significant history of the property, I am hooked.

The Stone Walls of Resthaven

Like most historic New England properties, Resthaven is laced with stone walls, intact and untouched by a developer's back-hoe. The walls' positioning on age-old property lines indicate that they have stood in place for well over 200 years. One of the most charming attributes of antique stone walls, which cannot be truly replicated by anything newly built, is the abundance of moss and lichen covering the surface of the stone. Years of exposure to extreme New England weather create the timeless blend of colors and textures; the bright springtime greens and deep greens of new and old moss, and the opalescent light grey-blues of lichen. A charming blueprint saved from 1912 shows Resthaven's 130 acres, delineated not by the straight lines of a ruler, but by drawings of stone walls, punctuated with landmarks such as The Red Oak, The Skating Pond, and Indian Rock. The blueprint is a link to the not-so-distant past, when our land was not just an antiseptic drawing of straight plot lines and numbers sitting at the assessor's office, but rather a living thing with many unique and special features which we knew by heart.

The Hunt for Red Oktober

One of most interesting things about owning an historic property is uncovering its many secrets. An antique house will inevitably keep some secrets tucked away, forever hidden in the past, and others will be revealed only with great effort, such as during a renovation. Many secrets, however, are in plain sight, like puzzles waiting to be pieced together. And so it is with the enormous galvanized steel tank secured with industrial sized rivets that lies in the far corner of our huge cellar at Resthaven. All who enter the cellar inquire about the tank, which I have affectionately named "Red Oktober" in honor of the Tom Clancy book. (It's fun to tweak my young son's imagination with stories about the Soviet era submarine in our basement.) Of course, the truth about Red Oktober is far less exciting. After wondering about it's purpose for years, I was informed that it is simply a huge water tank, a vestige of the Seabury era, when Resthaven served as a girl's boarding school. Water was pumped into the tank from Spring Brook, and then up to the main living areas for household use. Today, it is no longer hooked up the plumbing system, and is simply a reminder of a page in the history book of Resthaven.