Water Front WF_0412 : Page 88

[ WATERFRONT ] WATERFRONT REAL ESTATE • LUXURY HOMES The 1901 shingle-style home in the center of Mattapoisett, Mass., stands on the former Meigs Shipyard property. History and a harbor view BY MARY R. DRAKE T 88 he expansive southerly views across Mat-tapoisett Harbor and Buzzards Bay from her family estate in Massachusetts have entranced Polly DuffPhipps for decades. Her 1901 shingle-style home stands on the former Meigs Shipyard property, where whaling ships slid down the ways in the 1800s. continued on Page 92 The sunroom is called the “Harpoon Room” because F. Gilbert Hinsdale, DuffPhipps’ great-uncle, displayed his collection of harpoons and antique firearms on the walls. He bequeathed it to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. WWW.SOUNDINGSONLINE.COM APRIL 2012

Waterfront

Mary R. Drake

WATERFRONT REAL ESTATE • LUXURYHOMES History and a harbor view The expansive southerly views across Mattapoisett Harbor and Buzzards Bay from her family estate in Massachusetts have entranced Polly DuffPhipps for decades. Her 1901 shingle-style home stands on the former Meigs Shipyard property, where whaling ships slid down the ways in the 1800s. Originally the 5,500-square-foot home was a bit more modest. Duff- Phipps’ great-uncle and great-aunt (F. Gilbert and Martha Hinsdale) added twin waterfront porches and 17th century wood paneling in the interior, furnished the house with oil lamps and antique furniture and extensively landscaped the grounds. “Till my husband and I bought the property in 1973 and lived here year-round, the house was only used for summer entertaining,” says DuffPhipps, who is 77, retired and enjoying life. “We made only a few changes — sanding the wide-plank hard pine floors, updating the wiring and plumbing, installing a security system and adding a furnace for adequate heat. It still looks virtually the same as when [the Hinsdales] lived here.” Now that her husband, Peter, has passed away and their seven children are on their own, DuffPhipps finds the house too large. She has the eight-bedroom home with three full and two half-baths, a two-car attached garage and a 1.68-acre property with a 324-foot water frontage, sandy beach, two stone piers and a boat basin with a floating dock on the market for $2,650,000. A stone wall lines the street side of the property’s double lot. Millstones serving as steppingstones from the parking area to the front door and twin porches enhance the vintage look of the house. Inside, the dining and family rooms still feature the 17th century wood paneling, built-in cabinetry and elaborate dentil woodwork that Hinsdale acquired for the house when he inherited it from his parents. “People these days pay a lot to duplicate that antique look,” DuffPhipps says. The dining room’s wood-burning fireplace is flanked by arched cabinets, and the antique chandelier that she and Peter installed in 1973 goes with the sale. The waterfront family room, divided into two sections by bookcases, has a pellet stove. Both rooms now have gas-fired forced hot-air heat. The sunroom, which has windows on three sides, provides the best waterfront views. “We always called this the ‘Harpoon Room,’” DuffPhipps says, “because my great-uncle’s antique harpoon and firearm collection filled every inch of the wall space.” (He bequeathed the collection to the New Bedford Whaling Museum.) The kitchen and butler’s pantry, designed for use by servants, are conveniently off the dining room, but separate from the public rooms. The twin porches, easily reached from the hall and common rooms, offer sheltered views of the harbor. “This is a wonderful house for entertaining, for it had plenty of space for us, our seven children and lots of friends,” she says. “Also, the half-bath near the garage entrance [one of two downstairs] was great in the summer when people came in from the beach.” The main stairway, with garden views through the small-paned windows, leads to the second floor, where they created a spacious master suite by combining a bedroom with a waterfront porch that has three walls of windows. The porch’s trompe l’oeil floor resembles the stones forming the pier outside, and the beadboard ceiling complements the room’s character. The master suite has its own fireplace and full bath. “I spent most of my time in that master bedroom,” DuffPhipps says. “It was so sunny and pretty with the views of Mattapoisett Neck and Buzzards Bay. The sunrises are gorgeous, especially when lots of yachts are in the harbor.” Also on the second floor, the main guest bedroom has a fireplace and ship-lap hardwood floors. It shares two full baths — “one for girls, one for boys” when DuffPhipps lived there — with the other three upstairs bedrooms. All have water views. (The servants’ quarters in the kitchen ell of the house contains three small bedrooms.) Decorating the spacious, level lawn is a massive heart-shaped rock, which DuffPhipps’ great-uncle delivered to his wife by oxcart one Valentine’s Day. The lawn extends down to the two stone piers and a sandy, pebbly beach where some family members swam. (Most swim off the longer pier, which has a 4-foot-wide swim ladder.) The long pier protects a rock-free boat basin with float within the smaller J-shaped pier. “My son often brought his 36- foot powerboat to the float to load and unload passengers and gear,” DuffPhipps says. “It would be perfect for launching kayaks or small sailboats.” The property is one lot away from the town dock and beach at Barstow’s Wharf. Within a few blocks are the shops, restaurants, attractions and services of Mattapoisett Village, a formerly prominent whaling and shipbuilding port, and now a tourist destination. Mattapoisett has no malls or retail and restaurant chains. The nearest are along Interstate 195 in nearby Fairhaven or Wareham, Mass. “I miss the view [of the islands, water and yachts in Mattapoisett harbor] terribly,” DuffPhipps says. “But now it’s time for someone else to enjoy it.” The house has a basement, gas-fired heat, public water and sewer. Annual taxes are about $28,000. Jeanne McGlone, (508) 728-2370, of Olde Dartmouth Sotheby’s International Realty Inc., South Dartmouth, Mass., (508) 996-6562, www.sothebysrealty.com, lists the property.

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