That Old House?! Historic Beach House @Pond/Ocean

Historic beach house (3BR/2BA) on a pond and across street from beach - water views from every room. Crescent Beach is across street; Gun Rock Beach and Black Rock Beach are each a 5-10 minute walk. Peaceful. The space In the mid-18th century, the Black Rock House was built on a ledge overlooking Black Rock Beach in Cohasset. Over the years, it became an inn, and then a hotel -- that was popular among travelers, because it was a day's ride south of Boston on the coastal road. In the 19th century, it expanded into a widely-acclaimed resort where Boston society would “summer” on Boston's South Shore. Then in 1903, wealthy neighbors in Cohasset acquired the property with a plan to tear it down to improve their ocean view. My great grandfather owned a piece of land a quarter mile down the road on Straits Pond, and he bought a wing of the hotel that was slated for demolition. He moved it with horses, men and wooden rollers to set it on pilings at its current location – on a pond, across the street from the ocean. Every room has a water view. It's been in our family ever since. Crescent Beach is directly across the street. It's about 100 yards from the front door to the water's edge, where you can take a dip in a protected cove looking out to Boston in the distance. Black Rock Beach is about a quarter mile (5-10 minute walk) to the southeast, and Gun Rock Beach is about the same distance to the northwest. It's in a fairly quiet part of Hull, at the foot of Green Hill, and at the Hull-Cohasset town line. We believe the three-story structure is from 1820-1840 (Jacksonian Era). It's been updated over the years, but without diminishing its "that old house" character. It has steep 19th century steps, and you can still see the tin plates that once had hotel room numbers. The walls are all plaster mixed with horsehair over lathe, with plenty of patches. We find it a restful place, a bit removed from the hubbub of modern life -- though there is wifi throughout and a 55" flat screen smart TV (with basic cable) in the living room. These days, there are three furnished bedrooms. One has a King bed, another has a Queen bed, and the third can be set up as two Twins or a King. Each bedroom has a water view. The fourth bedroom on the second floor has been converted to a laundry room with a washer/dryer, and a nice view. There's a large bathroom on the second floor, and a second bathroom on the first floor - both have showers. There's also an outdoor shower in the back yard with a privacy fence and a nice view of the pond. The third floor with five small bedrooms and a bathroom is not currently used. The first floor consists of a living room, a kitchen, a dining room and the aforementioned bathroom. The first floor also has three porches: An open porch along the front (north side) of the house, a screened porch off the living room (in the southwest corner), and a back deck off the kitchen (in the southeast corner). There is zone heating and air conditioning when you want it (though typically there are nice breezes off the ocean and off the pond). The house is fairly well-stocked. The bedrooms (see photos) have nice cotton linens, comforters, extra pillow, dressers, bedside tables, hangers (in the closets) and lots of beach house hooks to hang clothes and towels. The kitchen has most of the things you might need: plates, bowls, glasses, serving pieces, flatware, pots and pans, selection of spices, tea kettle, teapot, coffeemaker, blender, toaster, trays, placemats, table cloths, paper towels, napkins, plastic wrap, foil, zip-loc bags, BBQ utensils, gas stove, microwave, and dishwasher. The bathrooms have face cloths, hand towels, bath sheets, beach towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toilet paper, bath mats. The house photographed rather well, so I should alert you that at its core it is very much an old beach house, and its main virtues are its oldness and beachiness. Lowered expectations are always a strong hedge against disappointment. The nearby beaches were discussed above, so here's a bit of information about the pond the house sits on. Straits Pond is about 3 miles in circumference and sits between Hull and Cohasset with a block-wide strip on its north side running along the Ocean. Our house is on the north side of the pond and looks across to the big pretty houses in Cohasset. In Colonial times, what is now the pond was a salt marsh, down by the sea, and fed by the Weir River. However, in the 1800s, the marsh was cleared for a manmade pond that never gets very deep and that is filled with a mix of salt and fresh water. At various times, it’s also been called “Lake Nantasket” and “Lake Galilee,” but Straits Pond seems to be the name that stuck. The water levels in the pond are now controlled by state authorities who adjust the levels throughout the summer by adjusting the locks in the west corner of the pond. As with most waterways in the US, for the past 50 years, there has been a concerted effort to clean up the pond. As a result, the pond is now alive with a variety of wildlife (e.g, ducks, geese, swans, egrets), many of whom come to visit next to or even into our yard. At dusk, it's not unusual to see a cotton tail bunny rabbit emerge from the reeds for a jaunt across the yard. At such moments, we refer to the house as being in the land that time forgot. This area of Hull is at the start of the peninsula, near the town hall. It's about a mile to Nantasket Beach, which is a 3-mile long east-facing sandy beach. The Paragon Park amusement park at Nantasket Beach was replaced decades ago with condos, but there's still a lovely beach walk promenade and a fully-restored historic carousel. If you don't feel like cooking, there are a lot of restaurants nearby, many of which are discussed (with sample menus) in our house Let's Eat Guide. Some of our favorite activities are from a simpler time: good food, communing with nature, talking with family and friends, reading books, or playing cards or board games. You’ll find the house has a small library of summer reads, and a variety games for playing on the antique game table. Some guests report their happiest memories are from the simplest moments – sipping coffee on the kitchen porch as the pond comes alive in the morning, or a walk with family to the seawall at Crescent Beach to watch the sun set behind Boston across the water. We are now in our seventh season of renting the house. It seems to be popular with people who want to be in a restful spot at the seashore, and especially those looking to spend time re-connecting with family and friends. We’ve heard from families with children that the kids enjoy the same sorts of activities that generations of children have engaged in here – exploring the pond, the three nearby beaches (and rocks and tide pools), Nantasket Beach (with its arcades and restored Carousel), Fort Revere and the Boston islands, and just being with nature. We also hear that it’s in a wonderful location with the breezes that come across the pond and ocean and its proximity to Boston, the South Shore, Plymouth, and the Cape beyond. Of course, no house is perfect for everyone (We don't recommend it for toddlers due to the unfenced pond, nor to those with mobility challenges due to the steep 19th century stairs to the bedrooms on the second floor). It’s in a quiet neighborhood, with nearby neighbors (including our cousins who share the parking area and have the adjacent cottages and yard), which is why it’s not suitable for large gatherings or parties. However, if it seems right for you, we’ll do what we can to make your stay an enjoyable one. We hope with new memories of a really nice time by the beach. Our local host, Kathy, lives just down the street and has mostly retired from the hotel business, but still loves drawing on her fount of resources to help visitors explore and enjoy the area – including advice about resources in Hull and Cohasset, in other areas of the South Shore, or excursions into Boston, Salem, Plymouth or the Cape. Through Kathy, we also offer special concierge services, should you decide you want to arrange for a bike or kayak rental, fishing trip, boat cruise, clambake, or other special event. Feel free to ask about ways to make your time not only relaxing, but memorable. REVIEWS We made our summer vacation home available starting July 2018. Thus far, people seem to like it. You can read AirBnB reviews elsewhere on this page (try down below), Here's what guests have said on the other platform where we are listed: Wedding Weekend in Hull May 2019 Susan F. Jeff gave me very clear and informative information not only on his house, but about restaurants and things do and see during our visit. I found that I over packed for this stay; in the past when I rented from others, I’ve had to bring almost everything! The house was very comfortable and relaxing. His local host, Kathy, was a true delight and went above and beyond to make us feel welcome, leaving champagne, fruit and gourmet cookies to greet us as well as fresh flowers! I strongly recommend this rental for anyone looking to have a joyful, relaxing time. Quintessential beach house Aug 2018 Kim T. We really LOVED our stay at "that old house". This place was immaculately clean and very well-stocked with everything we needed. Formerly a wing of an old inn, it has some really cool history that is documented in a nicely written booklet in the home. The backyard had amazing views of Straits Pond with beautiful white swans and egrets. The front of the house had great ocean views, as the beach was just across the street. There was so much to do in the area, and we had perfect weather. Our 10-year-old boys had fun collecting cool rocks, shells and other things on the beach. We explored the old Fort Revere a few miles away on Telegraph Hill. They also had fun surfing the waves and playing arcade games at Nantasket Beach (just a mile away). We had lunch and shopped at great places in Hingham, walked the coastal roads in Cohasset and hiked the trails at World's End (251-acre conservation landscape). We would definitely book this vacation home again. Historic lake and seaside house Aug 2018 Rso T. This is a gem, sitting on a salt pond on the backside, and ocean across the road from the front door. A graceful old dame, this house wears its years well and is lovingly restored, maintained, and well appointed. Everything we needed was there: dishes, cookware, coffeemaker; box fans for every room. Bedding, linens, rooms all top quality. Fast internet, cable. Location is great: an easy jog or drive to Scituate's coastal mansions and Hull's long beach. Decent grocery stores nearby. High marks for family travel, with plenty of space, and very quiet. Would be perfect in any season. Attentive hosts welcomed us with a property info booklet, plates of cookies, and a big bowl of oranges. We cannot imagine how this could be improved. Everything was perfect for us. Great value! Highly recommended! Jul 2018 Gordon W. What a find! Our stay at This Old House, even at a time with heat and high humidity, was really enjoyable for our three generational vacation. Yes, the stairs are steep as described, but not a problem for our 70 year old Papa! The warm breezes through all the large, deep windows made for lovely sleeping on our comfortable beds, and amazingly we didn’t miss air conditioning! Neither did we miss the lack of a dishwasher! Having a huge washer/ dryer was really convenient and made for light luggage for our family packing. The house is perfectly situated with lovely views across the pond, access to a rocky beach for scavenging, and 2-minute drive to camp out on the expansive Hull Beach. This Old House is an immaculately kept home of yesteryear offering a truly calming and charming beach experience! Guest access The house (except third floor - attic). Other things to note House Guide (manual) contains lots of information about what's in the house and local resources and activities. There's also a couple 3-ring binders - one with maps and brochures about area attractions and another about local restaurants.