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Built in 1855, the Latham-Beebe house on Main Road in Orient was renovated in 1990. The historic property still has many original pieces, such as flooring, mantels and door handles. (Courtesy photo)

The historic Latham-Beebe house in Orient. (Credit: courtesy)
The historic Latham-Beebe house in Orient. (Credit: Douglas Elliman Real Estate courtesy)

Built over 160 years ago, one of the newest houses on the market has one of the oldest stories to tell.

The former Orient home of Daniel Terry Latham was built on Main Road house using materials brought over from New London. Conn. When his relative Emma Latham married Oscar Beebe in 1899, he gave the house to them.

Around the time of their nuptials, the couple moved the house to the foundation of the old Beebe homestead, approximately a half-mile east of its original location, according to documents from the Oysterponds Historical Society. In fact, relocating the house was one of Ms. Latham-Beebe’s conditions for the marriage.

“It’s a moving history,” listing agent Deborah Kusa of Douglas Elliman Real Estate said of the home, now located at 38785 Main Road in Orient.

The home was transported by a team of oxen, but the movers arrived earlier than expected on the appointed day. Ms. Latham-Beebe was working in the kitchen with a friend to prepare that day’s dinner and refused to leave her home, so the women went along for the ride.

The breakfast area. (Credit: Douglas Elliman Real Estate courtesy)
The breakfast area. (Credit: Douglas Elliman Real Estate courtesy)

And while the future owners won’t get a team of oxen to help move their belongings, the approximately 2,600-square-foot house still contains many of the original fixtures, including moldings, floors, two mantels and hardware on the doors, Kusa said.

When the current owners purchased the house from Charles and Laura Ryder in 1990, it was “severely dilapidated,” according to Oysterponds Historical Society records. The Ryders had inherited the house and purchased farmland, now known as the Orient by the Sea community, from the Latham-Beebe estate in 1943.

Because of its condition, the three-bedroom, three-bath house was renovated to “appeal to modern standards,” Kusa said, adding that her favorite aspect of the home is its light-filled two-story kitchen.

“It’s the perfect morning breakfast room with an oversized eat-in kitchen area,” she said. “The light floods through to the dining room and den all the way through the house.For a historical 1855 home, it has a much greater sense of height and light than most of the older homes.”

The kitchen and breakfast area. (Credit: Douglas Elliman courtesy)
The kitchen and breakfast area. (Credit: Douglas Elliman courtesy)

The property itself, which is just shy of an acre, contains a formal garden and spring gardens with numerous plantings, including flowering cherries, hydrangeas and more. The current owners are floral and horticultural design professionals, Kusa said, which led them to create the “beautiful” gardens in the yard.

Even with the gardens, the property has enough room for a pool. It also features a brick patio, upper and lower decks and screened and covered porches.

The home, listed at $749,000, is within walking distance of Orient State Park and Orient by the Sea restaurant and marina. It also comes with beach rights for Truman’s Beach.

“It’s just really pretty,” Kusa said.

[email protected]

See the listing here. Or contact Kusa at (631) 298-8000.

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