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Historic Home in Chesterfield On Market for $1 Goes Viral

Courtesy of https://chesterfieldmarshhouse.wordpress.com/blog/

A historic home in Chesterfield is on the market for a dollar, but the cheap price comes with a big caveat: an estimated $300,000 in renovations.

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The Marsh House, as it’s known, was built in the mid 1850’s in the Carpenter Gothic style, with a colorful slate roof and wrap-around porch. It was a private residence for over a century and later served as the town office. It sits on Route 63 across from an old post office made of locally-quarried stone and in front of the elementary school.

But for the last twelve years Marsh House has sat empty, falling into such disrepair that some townspeople wanted it demolished.

That’s when long-time resident and preservation enthusiast Jeff Scott stepped in.

Credit Courtesy of https://chesterfieldmarshhouse.wordpress.com/blog/
The inside of the Marsh House, which was built by founders of the famed Jordan Marsh Department Store in the mid-19th century.

“I asked the selectboard if I could go in and clean it up and put up a sign on the outside saying ‘Own this building for one dollar,’” he says.

The town agreed.

Scott and his friends spent about six weeks cleaning it out. They inspected the plumbing system (busted), the installation (needs replacement), and even found a secret 12-foot by 12-foot room attached to one of the bedrooms.

“It was a passionate chore and a labor of love,” he says.

Scott estimates that whoever buys it for a dollar will have to put in about $300,000 to fully renovate it and get it up to code. He dreams of it becoming a community center, cafe or art space.

Credit Courtesy of Cheap Old Houses

Last week, Marsh House was featured on cheapoldhouses.com, a trendy site with a huge Instagram following. Since then, Scott has received over a hundred inquiries - including one from Norway.

“I look at this as a gold mine, and we're looking for those one or two nuggets that might be really interested,” he says.

Those with serious interest can schedule a visit and send a proposal.

Eventually the buyer will sign a contract with the town of Chesterfield spelling out the details, which include maintaining the original exterior, installing heat within a year, and bringing the building up to code within eighteen months.

Sarah Gibson joined NHPR's newsroom in 2018. She reports on education and demographics.
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