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Famous Historic Homes Currently For Sale

Famous Historic Homes Currently For Sale

Calling a house “historic” is one way a homeowner can try to squeeze extra value out of a home they want to sell. But just because a house is old, it isn’t necessarily historic.

What makes a house historic? The National Register of Historic Places has rules on the matter. It says that a house is historic if it satisfies one or more of these criteria: It is associated with significant events in history; it is connected with the lives of significant people; it has distinctive characteristics, construction techniques, or other factors that make it unique; its presence yields important information about a certain time period.

To assemble a list of historic houses currently on the market, 24/7 Tempo accessed information and listings from real estate sources such as Historic Properties, OldHouses.com, and Historic For Sale.com, verifying some details with the National Register of Historic Places and other historical sources. Houses listed were on the market as of June 24, 2022. (These are the American cities with the highest concentration of historic places.)

Not every house on our list is on the National Register, but all but four of them are at 100 years old. A handful of them date from the 18th century, including one built for a Colonial-era British tax collector in Pennsylvania. The largest property on the list, an estate in Virginia covering more than 1,400 acres, is also the most expensive, priced at $29.9 million. (Have a look at the grandest historic mansion in every state.)

When a house is declared historic by the National Register or local preservation groups, homeowners might qualify for funding for its restoration and upkeep. On the other hand, houses with an historic designation generally can’t be significantly altered or updated with permits or a hearing to determine whether changes can be made to it at all. 

Source: RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / iStock via Getty Images

Martha Mitchell House
> Location: Pine Bluff, AR
> Built in: 1887
> Asking price: $200,000

This Queen Anne-style home was the childhood home of Martha Beall Mitchell, wife of Attorney General John N. Mitchell, who spoke her mind during the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.

Source: JasonDoiy / iStock via Getty Images

Peck-McDowell House
> Location: Sacramento, CA
> Built in: 1924
> Asking price: $1.47 million

On the market for the first time in 90 years, the Peck-McDowall House is an example of the Colonial Revival architectural style, the work of master architects Dean & Dean.

Source: scerruti / Wikimedia Commons

A.H. Beach House
> Location: Escondido, CA
> Built in: 1896
> Asking price: $2.3 million

This Queen Anne-style home built by real estate broker/builder Albert H. Beach in 1896 was acquired sin 1900 by H. A. Putnam, who invented a fence-wire barbing machine.

Source: Courtesy of Laguna Beach Garden Club via Facebook

The Ark
> Location: Laguna Beach, CA
> Built in: 1923
> Asking price: $9.95 million

A Craftsman-style beach cottage on Moss Point overlooking this Southern California resort community, The Ark was built to resemble the famous boat it borrows its name from.

Source: russokm1105 / iStock via Getty Images

The Establishment
> Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
> Built in: 1885
> Asking price: $2.2 million

Known by many names, this building, a former rooming house, was moved to its current location in 1895. By 1973, it had been dubbed “The Establishment,” and became commonly referred to as “the Stab.” It evolved into a communal living space.

Source: dougtone / Flickr

Governor’s Mansion
> Location: Winsted, CT
> Built in: Circa 1896
> Asking price: $550,000

The one-time home of Connecticut’s Governor Lorrin A. Cooke (1896-1899) is located in a historic neighborhood on about half an acre of land.

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Sudler House
> Location: Bridgeville, DE
> Built in: Earliest part from 1750
> Asking price: $600,000

It has been said that an ambassador sent by Lord Calvert to liaise with local Native American tribes from the Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay may have been the owner at one time.

Source: Courtesy of Bank House Bed & Breakfast via Facebook

Bank House
> Location: Milford, DE
> Built in: 1851
> Asking price: $650,000

Designed and built by Alonzo Reynolds, a famous 19th-century architect and builder in the 19th century, this structure was built as the headquarters for the president and executive staff of the Bank of Milford.

Source: Brian Stansberry / Wikimedia Commons

Late 19th Century Home
> Location: Lincolnton, GA
> Built in: 1898
> Asking price: $375,000

This completely renovated property includes a renovated barn and a pecan grove. The current owner acquired the house from the original owners, the York family.

Source: Jud McCranie / Wikimedia Commons

Harris-Ramsey-Norris House
> Location: Quitman, GA
> Built in: Circa 1850
> Asking price: $149,000

This circa 1860 Greek Revival cottage with a Gothic-style pitched roof has undergone a complete restoration since it last changed hands in March 2005.

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

Thomas Square Neighborhood Home
> Location: Savannah, GA
> Built in: Circa 1910
> Asking price: $600,000

Pine flooring, cast-iron fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and picket-fenced outdoor areas are among the attractions here.

Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images

Landmark Historic District Townhome
> Location: Savannah, GA
> Built in: Circa 1851
> Asking price: $1.85 million

This antebellum Savannah house features door hardware imported from London, fixtures imported from South Africa, and other unusual details.

Source: Brian Stansberry / Wikimedia Commons

Pine Heart
> Location: Tignall, GA
> Built in: 1898
> Asking price: $649,000

This Wilkes County home, between Augusta and Athens, features nine fireplaces, coffered ceilings, original light fixtures, brass and crystal door hardware, and nine sets of double French doors.

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Grove Street Cottage
> Location: Washington, GA
> Built in: 1900
> Asking price: $240,000

Mantled fireplaces, original six-panel wooden doors, and moldings throughout are featured in this attractive house.

Source: TampAGS / Wikimedia Commons

Pharris Home
> Location: Washington, GA
> Built in: 1816
> Asking price: $248,000

This expansive Federal-style home is in the heart of Washington’s historic district.

Source: Blastoids / Wikimedia Commons

Belmont
> Location: Washington, GA
> Built in: 1790
> Asking price: $997,000

Belmont was built for George Walton, a federal court justice and one-time governor of Georgia, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Dinglewood House
> Location: Columbus, GA
> Built in: 1859
> Asking price: $1.93 million

An Italianate home with high,French windows and Carrara marble mantels, Dinglewood House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Source: cosmonaut / iStock via Getty Images

Andrew Loetscher House
> Location: Dubuque, IA
> Built in: 1906
> Asking price: $450,000

Panoramic views of Dubuque and the Mississippi River are offered by this Arts and Crafts-style home built on a bluff.

Source: harmantasdc / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Amana Colonies Historic Home
> Location: Amana, IA
> Built in: 1856
> Asking price: $699,500

This historic property includes one of the first homes built in Amana, one of the villages built by German Lutherans. The area has been designated a National Historic Landmark District.

Source: vkbhat / E+ via Getty Images

Boise Iconic Home
> Location: Boise, ID
> Built in: 1910
> Asking price: $1.39 million

The original deed to this house was signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, and it was once home of Charles Calvin Moore (1866-1958), the state’s 13th governor.

Source: franckreporter / E+ via Getty Images

Queen Anne Victorian
> Location: Chicago, IL
> Built in: 1893
> Asking price: $779,000

A three-story greystone house currently owned by a Chicago architect, who has restored it, this historic structure boasts mahogany wainscoting, ornamental plaster ceilings, and seven fireplaces.

Source: BOB WESTON / Getty Images

Updated mansion
> Location: Plymouth, IL
> Built in: 1900
> Asking price: $169,900

An updated mansion in a community near the Missouri border, this house has century-old parquet floors, dark woodwork, Greek columns, and a massive oak stairway.

Source: User:Magicpiano / Wikimedia Commons

Queen Anne Victorian
> Location: La Porte, IN
> Built in: 1845
> Asking price: $449,500

A fully restored mansion with exotic tigerwood floors, a grand staircase, and a wrap-around front porch, is in the center of La Porte’s historic district.

Source: Kbytes / iStock via Getty Images

The January House
> Location: Maysville, KY
> Built in: 1838
> Asking price: $695,000

Built by one A.M. McConnell January, this house is still owned by his descendants.

Source: Z28scrambler / Wikimedia Commons

Bocage
> Location: Darrow, LA
> Built in: 1837
> Asking price: $1.85 million

Bocage is considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in America. It is attributed to architect James H. Dakin, who would later design Louisians’s Gothic Revival Old State Capitol.

Source: davidwilson1949 / Flickr

Linden Hill
> Location: Princess Anne, Maryland
> Built in: 1750/1835
> Asking price: $285,000

Noah and Elizabeth Ryder built a one-room residence on this site in 1750. Later owners, the Stewart family, added on a formal wing in 1835, but the original structure still stands, complete with a large heating and cooking fireplace.

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

Main House-Colonial
> Location: Edgartown, MA
> Built in: 1820s
> Asking price: $4.25 million

This Martha’s Vineyard estate includes a renovated main house and guest house and a new swimming pool and poolhouse.

Source: GordonBellPhotography / iStock via Getty Images

Harborfront Home
> Location: Falmouth, MA
> Built in: 1908
> Asking price: $22 million

This Cape Cod house sits on a four-acre elevated peninsula with panoramic views of Quissett Harbor, and has a deep-water dock with a large float suitable for a large yacht.

Source: Courtesy of Brandt House via Facebook

The Brandt House
> Location: Greenfield, MA
> Built in: 1890
> Asking price: $1.12 million

This nine-bedroom house on nearly three acres of grounds and gardens has functioned as a B&B for the past three decades.

Source: DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images

Copper Beech Hill
> Location: Wenham, MA
> Built in: 1900
> Asking price: $4.65 million

One of the last remaining in-town estates in Wenham, Copper Beech Hill is surrounded by almost 25 acres of grounds and includes a carriage house with seven horse stalls.

Source: Courtesy of Doreen L. via Yelp

The Keeper’s House
> Location: Isle Au Haut, ME
> Built in: 1907
> Asking price: $1.97 million

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this property includes a Victorian-era lighthouse, still operating (and automated), which offers panoramic views of Penobscot Bay and the offshore islands.

Source: pavdw / Flickr

Rockport House
> Location: Rockport, ME
> Built in: 1875
> Asking price: $2.79 million

A modern residence in a historic former Methodist church, Rockport House covers almost 10,000 square feet over four stories, connected by an elevator.

Source: bellemarematt / Flickr

Dartholm
> Location: Southwest Harbor, ME
> Built in: 1900
> Asking price: $4.37 million

Originally built as a dancehall, Dartholm was repurposed to become the summer residence for the president of Dartmouth College.

Source: Logan Larabee / iStock via Getty Images

Iron Horse Salt Farm
> Location: Sullivan, ME
> Built in: 1930
> Asking price: $3.6 million

On more than 50 acres of oceanfront land, this gated estate includes a barn with horse stalls, a boathouse, and an artist’s studio in addition to the main renovated farmhouse.

Source: tenpoundhammer / Flickr

Brick Colonial Revival Home
> Location: Clio, MI
> Built in: 1907
> Asking price: $420,000

This Colonial Revival classic, built with red bricks from the long-vanished Clio Brickyard, was restored in 2021.

Source: Kbh3rd / Wikimedia Commons

Victorian House
> Location: West Plains, MO
> Built in: 1886
> Asking price: $517,000

Known as “Seven Gables,” this Victorian in the Ozarks retains many of the original details but has been fully restored and updated. It has functioned in recent years as a B&B.

Source: rossograph / Wikimedia Commons

Snowdoun
> Location: Columbus, MS
> Built in: 1854
> Asking price: $700,000

This classic Early Revival house was built for Mississippi governor James Whitfield (1791-1875) and once played host to future Confederate president Jefferson Davis. It’s build around an octogonal central hall and has seven breezeways.

Source: tarabiki / iStock via Getty Images

Converted Church
> Location: Glendive, MT
> Built in: 1900
> Asking price: $250,000

This historic church, complete with pulpit, dome ceiling, and belfry, was once converted to a commercial property but has since been turned back into a home.

Source: ChrisBoswell / iStock via Getty Images

Neoclassical Home
> Location: Lincoln, NE
> Built in: 1894
> Asking price: $724,000

Considered one of Lincoln’s most beautiful historic buildings, this property overlooks the State Capitol.

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Fleetwood Farm
> Location: Tamworth, NH
> Built in: 1790
> Asking price: $2.37 million

Situated on more than 100 acres of land, including open fields, gardens, and a private pond, this residence is accompanied by a log cabin, a barn, and a guest cottage.

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Jewel of Manasquan River
> Location: Brick, NJ
> Built in: 1905
> Asking price: $1.85 million

On a bluff overlooking the Manasquan River, this gated estate, once known as Turkey Point Farm, is now appearing on the market for the first time.

Source: 7beachbum / Flickr

Stanhame
> Location: Edgewater Park, NJ
> Built in: 1854
> Asking price: $2.95 million

This Italianate stone house in a riverfront enclave was originally a summer retreat for wealthy Philadelphians. The Italian fireplace mantel may be as much as a thousand years old.

Source: pavdw / Flickr

The Castle
> Location: Hopewell, NJ
> Built in: 1900
> Asking price: $4.99 million

This historic estate has nine bedrooms, nine baths, and two income-producing carriage houses on nearly five acres of grounds.

Source: KForce / Wikimedia Commons

Drumthwacket Garden House
> Location: Princeton, NJ
> Built in: 1905
> Asking price: $2.77 million

The Drumthwacket Garden House was one of six original outbuildings on financier and Princeton University benefactor Moses Taylor Pyne’s 300-acre Drumthwacket estate. Today, the estate’s main house serves as the New Jersey governor’s mansion.

Source: ChrisBoswell / iStock via Getty Images

Honeybrook
> Location: Princeton, NJ
> Built in: 1920
> Asking price: $2.98 million

Sitting upon almost five acres, this 100-year-old house near Princeton University was designed by renowned architect Rolf W. Bauhan, said to have been responsible for about 300 homes in the towns of Princeton and New Hope.

Source: Ultima_Gaina / iStock via Getty Images

Battle Road House
> Location: Princeton, NJ
> Built in: 1911
> Asking price: $3 million

The original owner of this house was George B. McClellan, Jr., a former U.S. Congressman and the 93rd mayor of New York City, serving from 1904 through 1909. The marble tiles that line the entry hall are the same kind used in Grand Central Terminal.

Source: Sunnyedmund / Wikimedia Commons

McNaught Family Farm
> Location: Bovina, NY
> Built in: 1817
> Asking price: $899,000

The McNaught Family Farm was established by Scottish immigrants in 1817, and belonged to five successive generations of McNaughts until it was sold to outsiders in 1962.

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

Greek Revival House
> Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
> Built in: 1832
> Asking price: $1.1 million

A classic Greek Revival building designated on the National Register of Historic Places as the 1832 Captain Waterbury House, this structure is currently arranged to house ground-floor office space plus two rental apartments.

Source: gerrydincher / Flickr

Perry-Cherry House
> Location: Mount Olive, NC
> Built in: 1904
> Asking price: $650,000

There’s a secret room as well as a wine cellar, a sun room, and a library in this Greek Revival house in a town between Wilmington and Raleigh.

Source: Upstateherd / Wikimedia Commons

James Heyward Hull House
> Location: Shelby, NC
> Built in: 1840
> Asking price: $800,000

Built in the Early Classical Revival style, this building has been repurposed to include three rental apartments in addition to the main living quarters downstairs.

Source: lt45 / Flickr

Craftsman Foursquare
> Location: Linton, ND
> Built in: 1906
> Asking price: $259,000

A stucco house in the Craftsman style, this offering is graced with the original oak flooring and woodwork, carefully restored.

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

Stick Victorian
> Location: Cleveland, OH
> Built in: 1870
> Asking price: $648,500

This Tremont district home was designed in the Stick Victorian style, an intermediary genre between the styles known as Queen Anne and Carpenter Gothic. The “sticks” in question are boards positioned against the exterior walls to suggest half-timbering.

Source: MARELBU / Wikimedia Commons

Brown-Vose House
> Location: Lake Oswego, OR
> Built in: 1885
> Asking price: $979,000

The oldest house on Lake Oswego’s Historic Registry, this First Addition district mansion is considered to be a prime example of vernacular architecture.

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

Portland Heights Home
> Location: Portland, OR
> Built in: 1900
> Asking price: $3.7 million

Between 1890 and 1910, the firm of Whidden & Lewis, responsible for designing this house, was the preeminent architectural enterprise in Portland.

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

A.J. Armstrong House
> Location: Portland, OR
> Built in: 1893
> Asking price: $875,000

This historic structure features hand-cut stained glass windows, decorative millwork, patterned shingles, and a tower with a cast-iron dome. The showpiece of the gardens is a monkey puzzle tree grown from seedlings given out at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, a world’s fair held in Portland in 1905.

Source: aimintang / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Lord Broomholm’s Summer Residence
> Location: Ambler, PA
> Built in: 1702
> Asking price: $999,000

This manor house is said to have been built for a tax collector for the English Crown. The scale is grand with 10-to-12-foot ceilings and a 13-foot high fireplace. There is a greenhouse and extensive English gardens, including flowering peony trees.

Source: Courtesy of Loch Aerie Mansion, LLC via Facebook

Lockwood Mansion
> Location: Malvern, PA
> Built in: 1865
> Asking price: Not disclosed

Also variously known as Loch Aerie and Glen-Loch, this mansion was designed by prominent Philadelphia architect Addison Hutton for businessman William E. Lockwood. The surrounding property spanned 684 acres, and was so large that it had four railroad stations. The blue limestone and marble liberally used in the interior were quarried on the grounds.

Source: Linda Bielko / iStock via Getty Images

Owen Evans Homestead
> Location: Lower Gwynedd, PA
> Built in: 1710
> Asking price: $2.95 million

One of four Evans Homesteads established locally, this property holds two homes, the original stone house and a bank-ramp barn, built into the side of a hill, converted into a residence in 1950.

Source: Cwieders / iStock via Getty Images

Wyomissing Park Historic House
> Location: Wyomissing, PA
> Built in: 1931
> Asking price: $2.8 million

This house was designed by architect Charles Muhlenberg for his wife Wilma Thun, whose family founded Wyomissing.

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Shillito-Townsend Home
> Location: Abbeville, SC
> Built in: 1820
> Asking price: $169,000

Located one block from the town square in historic Abbeville, this Plantation Plain/Colonial-style home is thought to be one of the town’s earliest houses.

Source: Skye Marthaler / Wikimedia Commons

Fairview, the Clairborne Kinnard House
> Location: Franklin, TN
> Built in: 1850
> Asking price: $5.9 million

On a 31-acre property in the horsey neighborhood of Kinnard Springs, Fairview is considered to be a prime example of vernacular I-House architecture.

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

Grand Historic Mansion in Monte Vista
> Location: San Antonio, Texas
> Built in: 1920
> Asking price: $1.3 million

This historic home near Trinity University, perhaps built originally as a stagecoach stop, has such features as a conservatory, a wine cellar, a guest cottage, and a hidden garden with fruit trees.

Source: Jacob Boomsma / iStock via Getty Images

Plantation Home
> Location: Corsicana, Texas
> Built in: 1860
> Asking price: $1.29 million

There are 12-foot ceilings, 19th-century hardwood floors, a library, and a sunroom in this Plantation-style home south of Dallas. There’s even a hen house.

Source: traveler1116 / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Beechenbrook Chapel
> Location: Lexington, VA
> Built in: 1874
> Asking price: $750,000

A Gothic Revival gospel chapel near Washington & Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute, reconfigured into a single-family home, this is one of only two historic properties in the Jordan’s Point Historic District.

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Greek Revival House
> Location: Fredericksburg, VA
> Built in: 1840
> Asking price: Not disclosed

It’s said that during the Civil War, a cannonball was fired into this Greek Revival mansion and lodged in an upstairs wall. The Green family bought it in 1867, and their descendents owned it until the 21st century.

Source: Public Domain / Picryl

William Christopher Ivey House
> Location: Lynchburg, VA
> Built in: 1904
> Asking price: $997,500

Considered transitional Queen Anne/Colonial Revival in style, this immense mansion was designed by J.M.B. Lewis, one of Lynchburg’s major architects of the era, for William Christopher Ivey of Ivey & Owen, a firm that made a fortune manufacturing snuff.

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