Perched on the water, a Maine residence provides the answer to the question: How do you handle a northern New England winter in comfort?
The matriarch of the Moynihan family called the grand Colonial at 72 Pepperrell Road in Kittery Point home for about three decades. Now, the family is ready to say goodbye and asking $2.6 million.
The three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath house sits on 88 feet of Pepperrell Cove on the Piscataqua River, which leads to Portsmouth Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. The house, built in 1812, comes with a two-car garage and horseshoe-style driveway.
But there will be no shoveling for the next owner.
The property has a heated sidewalk and driveway, so the owner can watch the wind whip while tucked inside beside the gas-fueled fireplace.
"It combines the warmth and rich character of a historic home with the brightness and airiness of a modern home," said Mary Moynihan, a 65-year-old communications professional and the second-eldest daughter of Moynihan's 11 children. "No two parts of the day felt alike. Each season was really beautiful. It’s really cozy with the fireplace and very breezy during the summer."
Tatjiana Shone, an agent with The Aland Realty Group with Luxury Portfolio International, listed the home on Dec. 1.
Mary Moynihan's mother moved into the home in the 1990s looking for a fresh start. She had raised her 11 kids alongside her husband in Andover, Massachusetts, but sought a new beginning in Pepperrell Cove after her last child graduated from high school and they divorced. The house and community, rooted in maritime history, gave her what she needed.
The residence served as a gathering point for newly minted friendships with her neighbors, and her kids and 22 grandchildren flocked there during the summers — watching ships and humpback whales pass.
"There was always something going on, fireworks unexpectedly at night. You just never knew," said Martha Terrion, a 66-year-old retired schoolteacher and the eldest daughter.
Little bothered the owner during her time living there. The one exception was the tight two-car garage and driveway, which offered little space to enter and exit the property. She later got rid of a pesky hedge and changed the design to a horseshoe layout.
Other changes came in recent years: a new roof, siding, landscaping and an irrigation system.
Now, the owner has downsized, and the home is ready for its next chapter.
Shone said the house is "what stories are made of. That southern Maine coastline is breathtaking. This takes all of that in."