Real Estate
The 7,891-square-foot house retains the architectural footprint of its dairy farming past.
The second floor living room is helmed by a massive stone fireplace. Daniel Wodecki Photography
You won’t find any cows, but there’s plenty of history at this former dairy barn.
A leader in introducing new dairy techniques to Dartmouth, the Gulf Hill Dairy Farm dates started 1896 with a herd of about 50 cows and brought milk into New Bedford by horse-drawn wagons, according to the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Gulf Hill continued as a leader in the area’s dairy industry through World War II and beyond, when the industry became more industrialized.
1 Masthead Lane was previously the main barn of the Gulf Hill Dairy Farm. – Daniel Wodecki Photography
1 Masthead Lane previously functioned as the main barn of the Gulf Hill Dairy, but was transformed into a private residence in the late ‘90s or early 2000s, with the complete renovation finished to its current status in 2017. The silos were ripped down to the foundation and had their foundations repoured before being rebuilt. Now, a U-shaped gravel driveway leads up to the 7,891-square-foot home, a four-bed, six-bath (four full, two half) space set on 1.84 acres that combines intricate architectural detail with the property’s vast history as a dairy barn. It’s listed for $1,995,000.
Upon entering, a grand foyer features a wide staircase that leads up to the second-floor living space, which offers views all the way up to the third floor. At the top of the stairs, you enter the main living space, which combines the living room, kitchen, and dining areas through an open floor plan that’s helmed by a massive double-sided stone fireplace over Brazilian cherry floors.
“I think it’s the largest fireplace I’ve ever seen,” said Team MCM of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, who has the listing.
The foyer. – Daniel Wodecki PhotographyThe expanded living area on the second floor. – Daniel Wodecki Photography
Overhead, the barn’s ceiling stuns with exposed beams and natural wood. The walls and parts of the ceiling are made of American clay, which provides a highly textured finish. Move into the open dining area, or take a seat at the cozy breakfast nook in one of the silos, which flank the kitchen and each have three levels. A pantry leads up to the third floor of that silo, where you’ll find a small studio space. A catwalk from the top of the silos looks down on the kitchen and the living area, and also leads into a silo study, ideal for working from home.
Back on the second floor, the opposite side of the fireplace is an expanded living area with a hand-carved mahogany pub imported from the United Kingdom. There is a projector and screen tucked under the pool table and a retractable screen in the ceiling. A den on the second floor, which currently has a bed in it, could easily function as a bedroom or a kids’ playroom.
The kitchen. – Daniel Wodecki PhotographyThe dining area and kitchen which is flanked by the silos. – Daniel Wodecki PhotographyThe breakfast nook silo leads out to a spacious deck. – Daniel Wodecki PhotographyThe painting studio silo. – Daniel Wodecki Photography
Head down to the first floor and through a hallway with built-in bookshelves, curved archways, and stonework to reach the bedrooms. There, you’ll find the primary bedroom on the back side of the house, which has a stone fireplace of its own and more of the American clay walls. Equipped with a walk-in closet, it moves into the en-suite bath that leads into the lower part of the silos. A space known as the zen den is a converted mud room that connects the main house to the garage and features a sauna.
A hallway on the first floor features built-in bookshelves and leads to the bedrooms. – Daniel Wodecki PhotographyThe primary bedroom suite. – Daniel Wodecki PhotographyThe primary bathroom. – Daniel Wodecki Photography
There are also two hidden rooms in the house: The first is behind a bookshelf on the first floor and gives access to a bedroom suite, and the second is accessed from behind a bookshelf off the den on the second floor that leads to unfinished attic space.
The garage has enough space for 12 vehicles. There’s also additional unfinished space in the front of the house with a separate entry that could be converted into an in-law apartment or office space.
The smart home, which is controlled by the Lutron app, is equipped with light controls, surround sound, and radiant heat on the first and second floors. All eight mini-splits were replaced in 2024, and solar panels were installed in 2023.
While the Gulf Hill Dairy Farm is no longer serving up milk, you’ll still find that oversized Gulf Hill Dairy Ice Cream Bucket, which first debuted at the processing plant site on Gulf Road in the 1930s, at the town landing at Apponagansett Park.
Gulf Hill Dairy in South Dartmouth, Mass. – John Phelan via Wikimedia Commons
Megan Johnson
Megan Johnson is a Boston-based writer and reporter whose work appears in People, Architectural Digest, The Boston Globe, and more.
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