Home of the Week
George Washington would likely feel at home in this house, but he missed it by a couple centuries
The home at 278 Ridge Road in Worthington is on the market for $589,000. Turnkey Media
$589,000
Style Colonial
Year built 1976
Square feet 1,889
Bedrooms 3
Baths 3
Sewer/Water Private
Taxes $8,011 (2025)
Though built in the 1976, the house looks it was around at the beginning of the nation. – Turnkey Media
Ebenezer Leonard, Nathaniel Daniels and Thomas Kinne — Revolutionary rebels all — likely would feel at home at this house in Worthington, a rural town on the eastern side of the Berkshires. And so would that superstar of American history, George Washington. But they missed the house by a couple centuries.
When this Hampshire County home was constructed, the nation was celebrating its Bicentennial, and the homeowners decided to recreate the domestic life of 1776 — this time with electricity, indoor plumbing, and baseboard heat.
According to listing agent, James D. Adams, the original owners wanted to live in a home that reflected their love of antiques. The obituary of late owner Robert Perkins describes reads:
“He was fascinated by early American architecture and, while pursuing his artwork, he restored several historic houses. He built his own 17th century reproduction of a saltbox house where he lived with his wife Catherine and their beloved dogs for 46 years.”
The front exterior. – Turnkey Media
In doing so, the builders did something the aforementioned 18th Century Worthington residents and supporters of the American Revolution would have done. Cherry was harvested from the 5.9-acre lot and used for the wall paneling throughout the home.
Reached by a 300-foot dirt driveway, the home sits at the peak of a shallow slope and is surrounded by mature trees, lawn, and multiple independent garden areas. Deliberately so, it looks older than 50 years. The exterior is shingled with cedar installed with rosehead nails, the kind used in the 18th Century, and the roof is split cedar shakes.
Inside, the attention to historic standards is in use everywhere. The flooring is wide planked pine or cherry, the ceiling is crossed by thick square exposed wooden beams, the ceiling is unfinished displaying the bottom side of the planked flooring on the upper level, and the interior doors are slabs or planks of unfinished wood. Most of the walls are unfinished too. There are two functioning fireplaces with fireboxes of granite.
There are key attributes of 21st Century living, too. There is electricity, oil and electric heat, nine-over-nine double hung insulated windows installed throughout, and a poured concrete foundation.
The multi-purpose room was used as an art studio by the late owner. – Turnkey Media
From the driveway, a set of stairs leads to a broad deck that surrounds the house. The deck provides access to what some might call a multi-purpose room as it occupies the bulk of the home’s one-story wing; the entire area is untroubled by interior support columns and totals 251 square feet. With one of the two full bathrooms, it could be a bedroom suite with a private entrance. The full bathroom is 27 square feet with a single vanity. Flooring is wood and there is a curtained shower insert.
A hallway, dubbed the foyer in the floor plan, leads from the wing to the main house. Moving straight ahead from the foyer, one arrives in the 175-square-foot living room where 18th Century styling reigns, including hand plastered walls and ceiling and an entire wall of cherry paneling harvested from the property. There is also a functioning woodburning fireplace and access the front door, although it was rarely used by the owners.
The living room connects first to a 79-square-foot sitting room, with the second fireplace and a woodburning stove insert, and then to the 120-square-foot dining room. A chandelier with candle-like lights above the best spot for a dining table. Natural light comes from five double hung windows in the dining room.
The kitchen features a unique island. – Turnkey Media
The dining area. – Turnkey Media
A three-quarter-height wall with cabinets separates the dining room from the kitchen. The kitchen retains the historic mixed with modern comfort with a unique feature. While most kitchens have an island topped by stone or quartz, this home has an island that is essentially a wooden stump with legs, its surface smoothed by years of use. The range is electric and white as is the refrigerator. A bank of track lights hangs in the mid-point of the room next to a ceiling beam. The stainless steel double sink is inset into counters of wood and the cabinets are cherry harvested from the property.
A stairway leads to two upper floors.
The primary suite — a combination of the bedroom and a 50-square-foot office — is on the second floor as is the second full bathroom, a second bedroom, and a separate sitting room. The primary bedroom is 136 square feet with wide planked flooring and white walls. The trim and a built-in bookshelf have been stained a light shade of brown.
The primary bedroom looking into the adjoining office. – Turnkey Media
The primary bedroom. – Turnkey Media
The second full bathroom is a Jack-and-Jill setup. It’s between the primary bedroom and the 113-square-foot second bedroom on this level. The bathroom is 61-square feet with a single vanity and a shower/bath combination. Completing this floor is an 87-square-foot sitting room.
The bedroom on the third floor. – Turnkey Media
The third floor contains the final bedroom, which is 171 square feet, and the 269-square-foot attic.
James D. Adams of Hilltown Real Estate in Worthington has the listing.
The house sits on 5.9 acres. – Turnkey Media
Send listings to [email protected]. Please note: We may not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter at Boston.com/address-newsletter. John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @JREbosglobe.
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