FALMOUTH – Raspberries are ripening in profusion, the mallard in the spring-fed pond is minding her duckling brood of 10, the organic beds are lush with phlox, peonies, heirloom roses, globe thistle, foxglove, veronica and lavender, and the little orchard (apples, pears, plums) promises its annual bounty. Thanks to the busy barn swallows there are no nuisance bugs on this sunny July morning, but the 3.75-acre grounds will be alight with fireflies in the evening, shortly after the turkeys pay their nightly call.
Babbidge Farm, in the rural, west side of town, close to access on Highland Lake, is no longer a working farm, although the potential exists for a farm-stand type of business. It is an historic property on a road that was once the stage coach route to lake resorts in Naples. The home was moved here from Cumberland in 1820, by a team of oxen; the huge, post-and-beam barn was disassembled and transported here, too.
If that sounds like a lot of work, consider what today’s sellers have accomplished since 1989: essentially, created a home that is as enchanting as their gardens, expanding and totally modernizing it, systems included. Highlights include the tiled solarium; the cathedral-ceiling, exposed-beams family room/kitchen, with its custom cabinetry, granite surfaces and six-burner Garland gas range; the main-level master suite, whose French doors open to side gardens; and by the deck, the stone fireplace with a rhubarb-leaf relief inset.
Beyond the home’s great natural appeal, the property is versatile, too. The original ice house is heated by a wood stove and makes an ideal woodworker’s shop, or studio. The smaller barn has a potting shed room, chicken quarters, and three-ground floor offices. Upstairs is a one-bedroom guest suite/apartment. Possibilities for use (home business, rental, etc.) are to be explored with the town.
The property at 77 Babbidge Road, Falmouth, is listed for sale at $575,000 by Melissa Richter of The Richter Group at Keller Williams Realty. Taxes are $6,037 (2016). An Open House will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 30. For more information or to arrange a private viewing, please contact Melissa at 553-2424, 450-9090, or at melissa@mainesold.com. For a Mattaport tour, please visit www.77BabbidgeRoad.info.
The Friday feature home is produced by the Marketing Department of the Portland Press Herald. Send feature home suggestions to jrolfe@pressherald.com.
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