The history of Pine Ridge Farm

...of the farm is from the 1880's, but it is likely the farm existed well before that.  You can just make out "Pine Ridge Farm" over the transom of the barn.  

Taken about 1925, this is the original farmhouse - you can see the similarity it bears to the nineteenth century photo, but what this doesn't show is the barn.

During a midwinter storm, the photographer captured both the ice-covered trees and the attached barn - at that time, the barn and house were in a single line and connected.

In 1929, the original house and barn caught fire and were totally destroyed.  The property remained vacant until 1931, when the Muzzi family purchased the farm.

A very contemporary Craftsman-influenced bungalow was constructed on the exact site - much smaller than the original but modern for the time, with recessed radiators, a small concrete basement for utilities, and 30 amps of electrical service.

The car had become a key member of the family by the 1930s, so the new house also sported a single car garage.  This garage was later moved to an upper field when the barn was added in the 1950's and today it serves as a woodshed.

The Muzzis were one of New Hampshire's largest chicken farmers - In this picture, the family is standing in front of one of dozens of chicken houses across from the farm.  They sent chickens by the hundreds to abbetoirs throughout the state.

While this is a more recent picture, it shows the four-level horse barn that was built when the Kimballs acquired the property sometime in the 1950s.  The upper barn had four stalls plus a front area, and the lower barn also had four stalls - and both barns had full-height haylofts.  4400 square feet of post-and-beam construction - one of the builders was still alive in 2020 and retired in Florida.

The Paulsens bought the house from the Kimballs in 2002.  Kimballs had greatly expanded the main house as well as the barn during their ownership:  new kitchen, hew mudrooms, and had enclosed and winterized the front porch.  The Paulsens added an enclosed washer and dryer to the double mud room. 

A very large kitchen (12 x 20) was incorporated around 1957.  When the Paulsens bought the house in 2000, they refaced the cabinets and brought 1980's decor with the table and almond appliances.  Upstairs, they installed an upstairs master bathroom.

It became the McIlrath farm in 2019, and we immediately launched upon some mid-level renovations inside the house and a total rebuilding of the barn.  It still has four stalls up, but only two down, with space for equipment (down) and two cars (up) along with a dividing door separating stalls from garage.  The barn is deceptively large - some 4400 sq feet across four floors.

The table the Paulsens left behind found a new home when we transformed the front porch - called a "bonus room" and not much more than outdoor carpet and folding chairs - into our retro sun room.  If you look closely, a proper drinks cart sits just behind the settee.   What you can't see are 200 amps of electrical service, all new appliances, and a "smart" house fully connected via TP-Link and Google Mesh.