Five stunning historic homes for sale on the North Fork and Shelter Island

Wondering what your budget can get you on the red-hot North Fork real estate market? We’re here to help, home buyers. In our biweekly column, we’re spotlighting homes for sale in hamlets across the North Fork at various price points.

If you love the North Fork for its rich sense of history, then this edition is for you. As Northforker recently reported, preserving and maintaining the area’s historic homes can present unique challenges for owners. But at the same time, owning a historic home also carries benefits both tangible (a historic homeowner tax credit of up to $50,000 for qualifying homes) and ineffable (having your own little piece of North Fork history).

From a Grand Victorian in Greenport Village and a Jamesport farm compound to a nearly 300-year-old estate on Shelter Island, here are some of the most noteworthy historic homes on sale on the North Fork right now — and what they would cost you to own.

A Victorian “Grand Dame” in Greenport

Built in 1870, the Corwin House is a restored Grand Victorian in the heart of Greenport Village. According to its listing, it has been “owned by only five families, including many descendant families of Greenport’s past: namely, the Corwin’s, the Mills, and the Goldin’s.” The home has three bedrooms, 3.5 baths and 5,000 square feet of space and is situated on parklike, manicured grounds. It’s on sale for $2,249,999 from Excelsior Realty.

A historic family farm compound in Laurel

On more than 12 preserved acres in Laurel, this property comes with lots of history — it used to be a potato farm back in the day — and two homes ripe for thoughtful restorations. The main house, a classic North Fork farm house built in 1890, has five bedrooms and 2.5 baths. A second saltbox style home has four bedrooms and one bath. You also get a large barn and two garages. It’s all listed for $2.4 million from Corcoran.

A turn-of-the-century country courthouse in Greenport

The Clark House, built in 1908, served briefly as the courthouse in Greenport Village and has the dramatic front columns to show it. The three-bedroom, three-bath clapboard house is full of homey details, including hardwood floors, pine cabinets and a bright red clawfoot soaking tub. The Clark House is listed for $739,000 by Century 21 Albertson Realty.

A pre-Civil War landmark in Jamesport

With parts of the structure dating to the Revolutionary War era, this five-bedroom, three-bath Colonial has landmark status and sits on more than three acres of land. When the home was finished in 1841, it became a trendsetter, with other historic homes on Main Road building in the same style unique to the North Fork. These days, you can relax on your covered porch off the dining room, take a dip in the pool or soak in the clawfoot tub. The property also comes with a large barn with a workshop space and second-floor hayloft. It’s listed for $1.925 million by Daniel Gale Sothebys.

A uniquely historic waterfront estate on Shelter Island

The estate known as Kemah — a Shinnecock word meaning “in the face of the wind” — was built circa 1750 and is unique for both its size (nearly 23 waterfront acres) and its rich history. The land features a large berm constructed by indigenous people to protect the water in Fresh Pond. In the past 271 years, the estate has had only four owners, including George Havens, “Squire” John Wickham Tuthill and the current owners, the J.D. Robb family. It features both an 18^th century wood-shingle home and a grand, two-story barn, built in 1886 and later the site of community concerts and square dances. In a release, listing agent Penelope Moore called it “a privilege to be involved with an estate with such a rich background in American history. There is nothing on Shelter Island that compares to Kemah, either existing or having sold in the last several decades, so the ultimate buyer will be getting an incredibly rare property.” The estate is listed for $14.995 million from Saunders and Associates Real Estate.