NAHANT — Tours of the oldest home in town will be given Sunday to mark three centuries since it was built.
The large yellow house that sits on three-and-a-half acres of garden, orchard, and open fields on Nahant Road, known as the Whitney Homestead, was built by Samuel Breed Sr., of Bedfordshire, England, and his wife, Anna Hood, in 1717. It is believed the home was constructed for their eldest son, Samuel Breed Jr., when he announced he would marry Deliverance Bassett, said current owner Tom Costin.
The home stayed in the family for three generations and nearly a century. It has changed hands only four times during its existence.
The home’s preservation is a lesson in the importance of taking good care of things, said Costin, who considers himself a steward of the house.
“I’m taking care of it for the next generation,” said Costin. “It has so much historical significance.”
Following three generation of Breeds, the house was sold to the Rice and Whitney family in 1918. The Jarls were the next to occupy it. The Bonjiornos purchased the property and owned it for a short time, but never lived in the house. Tom and Cindy Costin have called it home since 1980.
As early as 1778, the house was used as an inn. Costin suspects it was the Breeds’ generosity when visitors were stranded on the island by rising waters that brought the home into the hospitality business.
The guest book, which is preserved at the Nahant Historical Society, has revealed that five American presidents stayed at the inn. It served as a frequent meeting place for Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among other writers. Charles Dickens was also a known guest, said Costin.
He suspects they gathered in the east wing of the house, which was built in 1819, and was once a dining room and pub.
Today, it’s used as his office and houses the desk his father, Thomas P. Costin Jr., used while serving as postmaster of Lynn.
“Oftentimes I come in here after dinner, finishing a glass of wine, and just say ‘wow. If you could have been a fly on that wall,” said Costin.
While several elements of the original home have been preserved, each owner has left their own stamp. One owner planted an apple orchard, while another modified a massive fireplace that exists in the former kitchen, between a dumbwaiter and an original door that opens to the formal dining room.
Costin created a patio and an enclosed porch in the backyard and expanded a massive garden, while maintaining the original structure of the home. To his mother’s request, he installed a bathroom on the first floor. He and his wife renovated the kitchen and installed built-in bookshelves and an additional fireplace.
The couple will open their home for free tours on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. An exhibit of artwork inspired by the property will be on display.
