Homespun Farm Bed and Breakfast

Homespun Farm Bed and Breakfast
Innkeeper Kate Bauer
306 Preston Road (Route 164)
Griswold, Connecticut

Tell us a little about the history of Homespun Farm.

The Brewster Homestead was built in 1740 by Simon Brewster. He was the great, great grandson of William Brewster of Mayflower fame.

The farm stayed in the Brewster family for more than 250 years. They farmed fruit (apples, peaches, pears, etc.) and had a beautiful dairy for more than 200 years. President Reagan awarded the farm the bicenntenial farming award for 200 consecutive years of dairy farming. In 1991, the farm was sold at auction due to the boys not wanting to farm any longer.

We purchased the home and two acres in 1996 from the brothers who bought the entire (250 acres) farm at auction. No one had moved into the house during that time, so we are the second family name to ever live in and own this homestead. The home and property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 2000.

What made you interested in purchasing this property?

We drove by several times. The house just spoke to us even though it was obviously unkept (it was empty for five years). After a lot of searching for the real estate person (there was no for sale sign on the property), we finally got an appointment to meet her there.

My husband was due to go to the North Pole in April (U.S. Navy Submarines), and this viewing of the house was in March. We met, and she was trying to open the door but the key wouldn't work. She said she was sorry but the key was bending in the lock and she didn't want to force it and break it off.

I asked her if I could please try it because if we couldn't get in the see the house we weren't going to be able to make an offer if Ron left for sea duty. She said no, she didn't want the key to break off. I told her I would pay a locksmith if I broke the key, so she handed me the key. I slipped it in the lock and it turned like butter, opening the door to this home for us.

As we walked in (I had goose bumps on my arms), the paint on the ceiling was peeling, and the dirt of the floor was visible as were nuts and branches from small animals that had moved in over the years. There was no heat, no water.

But when I looked at Ron and his eyes met mine, I knew that no matter what we had to do we were going to live in this house. It had been a family home for 250 years, never a B&B, never open to the public, never updated, split into apartments or messed up.

It somehow welcomed us by opening for me and it called to us to save it. (I know it sounds weird but it really is how it felt.)

How much renovation was required?

Ron and I don't consider what we've done "renovation." What we did not do was bring the house backwards by "redoing" things to make it look "old" again, like stripping wood or exposing posts and beams that were covered more than 200 years ago. We feel what we have done is preservation.

The lights in the rooms are turned on by pull strings; there's one plug in each room. There was no plumbing in the main house; the ell had two baths, one working and one rotten and falling in. The roof needed a total redo. We preserved what is here by fixing it and putting new in.

The doors are all latch hook and L/H hinges; there's only one door knob in the whole place. The floors are wide board -- chestnut, tulip, and heart pine. The posts and beams are covered with hand-planed wood and the paint we redid matches colors that we found underneath after cleaning them up.

It's an ongoing process in a house this old. There's always something that needs tending and caring for. I feel we aren't owners of this property, but we are caretakers of it.

What makes a stay at Homsepun Farm unique?

A stay here is peaceful and private. The feeling that this home infuses in each guest is universal with everyone. Every guest has mentioned how nice it "feels" while they stayed here.

I really take no credit for this; it's the age and experience of the house. The history of the home itself is unique, with a direct lineage to the Mayflower and a family that participated in every war and conflict of the U.S., as well as starting the very town that the home is built in.

In fact, this home was a home before the U.S. was the U.S. That in itself is unique.

Please tell us a little about your area.

Foxwoods Casino is the biggest thing around here, the largest gaming facility in the world. It's a great thing as far as night life.

Also, our antiquing is world-class. Route 169 goes from here to Massachusetts, and along the way are some of the best shops I've ever found.

Mystic Aquarium has had a multi-million dollar upgrade and is a lovely thing to do for the day. I always suggest that guests take a trip to Stonnington Village. There are wonderful shops there and a great little lighthouse museum at the end of the town's one way street right out on Long Island sound.