Craftsman Mountain House: March 2011

Monday, March 28, 2011

A Tour

A large front lawn, great for kids to play, hidden in a hidden enclave at the end of a
750 foot private drive

Bluestone patio with cliff views, built-in fireplace, and a new gas grill

Backyard with a small patch of lawn, and paths leading through the woods to moss forest, quarry, waterfall and streams. Our home is adjacent to forever wild protected land.

Main bedroom with queen-sized bed, small closet and two bureaus, down comforter. We provide all linens and towels.

Second bedroom with full-sized bed, closet and one bureau. There is a third bedroom with a single bed, not shown.

Another view of the living room, leading to the kitchen (right).

The livingroom has two couches (one pullout), a piano, and a river stone fireplace. Also included is a TV with cable service and a DVD player.

The sky-lit kitchen features a new Jenn Aire stove (not seen), dishwasher, and new double-door refrigerator. We are well stocked with pots, pans, dishes, cuisinart, and microwave. The big red counter, where everyone hangs out, is great for parties. You can see that the kitchen leads out to the bluestone patio - another great party feature - and opens to the dining area and living room on the other side. Behind the pillar is a great Better 'n Ben's woodstove.

A small office space, seen to the right, gives way to our stand of Mountain Laurel and lowbush blueberry - lots of wildlife! The house features high-speed internet
and cable TV.

The dining area is just next to the kitchen. This table easily seats 10.

Nearby stream along one side of our property

A Little History

The Mountain House was built in the 1920s by Jan Williams, the first clarinetist for the John Phillips Sousa Band. The band used to practice on a retreat on Band Camp Road, a few miles west of our house. We've found old sheet music in the attic. Jan owned a lot of property in the area, and his grown grandchildren have come by to visit the old place.

At one time, the house served as rooms for quarry workers. You can find the old quarry by following the rough trail to the right of the garage. You might need to bushwack a little bit through the woods, past the moss forest, to the old iron bench. The quarry is a fun place to explore. Pete and our friends created the "throne" at the top of the rock hill, beneath which porcupines make their dens. If you look carefully you'll find quills.

In true craftsman style, the wood for the walls of the house were lathed from the trees surrounding it. You can see that the house was originally much smaller - at the edge of the fridge is the "new addition". This skylit area with the small office space was probably built in the 1960s. You might also notice that the counters and door knobs are a little high. We found out why one summer day when the owners from the 70s came by, both over 6' tall.

The house across the way was the original pump house for the main house. We call it the Well House - double meaning. We renovated it a few years back and sometimes we rent it.

Craftsman Mountain House

Monday, March 28, 2011

A Tour

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