KENNEBUNK – The only sound on this serene June morning is birdsong; the only movement, quick flittings by a pair of busy bluebirds. This is Cranberry Hollow Farm in summer mode, lush and green across level four acres of lawn and meadow and mature trees including two towering black walnuts.

Harry and Iva Knight farmed here decades ago. The rich, pesticides-free soil would welcome a successor, farming organically and irrigating from the spring-fed pond. The land is also perfect for equestrians; the seller will add abutting acreage to suit such needs. More land would come with deeded access to Alewife Pond in the Kennebunk Land Trust’s 625-acre Alewive Woods Preserve.

The resulting property would be a private haven offering recreational enjoyment, from snowshoeing to kayaking, in a location close to downtown and three fine beaches.

The home, a four-bedroom, 2.5-bath, 4,932-square-foot, post-and-beam Colonial, is a story in itself. Built in 2000, the bright and fresh reproduction farmhouse feels completely new: Among its contemporary comforts is five-zone heat; a cathedral-ceilinged great room is just one modern design element; and the kitchen is a delight, with a granite-tiled island, butcher block counters, and Heartland repro appliances done in nickel plating and porcelain.

But the home’s character is deeply, warmly traditional, authentic in its fixtures (the three chandeliers are museum-quality recreations, the interior hardware blacksmith-crafted) and in its construction. The 24-foot-by 32-foot great room, which has a floor-to-ceiling chimney with a Rumford fireplace, was built from the locally salvaged frame of a post-Civil War stagecoach barn.

So was the detached garage, which has a heated, finished office/bonus room upstairs. The main house timbers came from a 1770s building in Newmarket, N.H. Note how skip-trowelled walls complement its hand-hewn beams.

Truly, the home at 337 Cole Road, Kennebunk is a must-see. It is listed at $645,000 by Julie Grady of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices N.E. Prime Properties in Kennebunk. Please contact Julie at 207-985-4952 ext. 1506; 207-590-0977, or at jgrady@OwnNewEngland.com.

Comments are no longer available on this story