A Broad Overview of Hearthstone

With all of the progress and construction photos that I have been posting on the blog, I wanted to highlight some other gorgeous structures and features of the property.  I've received some awesome emails and had excellent questions regarding the other structures.  Here are some descriptions and pictures to better illustrate the many areas that I often refer to in the blog updates.  So here it goes...

When you pull into the stone driveway, the scenic waterfall (dam, really, but waterfall sounds so much better!) is on your right.  You can climb down the bank and stand right on the edge.  There are tons of rocks to climb over in the creek--perfect for creek stomping!  As you continue over the bridge you can see the original mill race.  In the past, the mill race powered the mill.  

When you pull into the driveway...

The stone bridge by the waterfall.

Another view of the wall.

This is the stone wall that follows all the way up the driveway.

The creek flowing from the waterfall.

The waterfall!!  

(Although right now, it is not as free-flowing due to the lack of rain)

The mill race, to the right of the waterfall.  

This flows under the bridge all the way to the mill.

As you follow the stone wall and continue up the driveway, the main house and ice house (the structure currently without its roof) is on the right.  On the left, is the Old Pond.  The pond is extremely shallow.  It is perfect for ice skating!  I've heard so many stories from folks in the community who have fond memories of ice skating and ice hockey on the frozen pond.  The pond is home to bullfrogs, birds, blue herons, and a family of ducks.  Recently, a small flock of geese have been hanging out on the waterfall in the evenings...I'm not the biggest fan of geese!  The brush has overgrown and invaded most of the pond's edge.  Clearing that area out is on our ever-expanding list!

This photo was taken from the front steps by the main house.  

It shows where the pond is in relation to the driveway and house.

The pond.

The ducks!

Continuing up the driveway, on the left is the carriage house/old garage.  It's a cozy little residence complete with a full kitchen, bathroom, and amenities.  Neighboring the carriage house is a tiny little spring house.  It's still fully functioning with water underground!!

 Front, the carriage house.

The spring house is next to it.

In the distance, the barn.

Another view of the carriage house from the front steps.

The carriage house (the larger structure).

The spring house (the smaller structure).

The steeple on the spring house is a smaller version of the one that used to be on the ice house.

The ice house (to the right of the main house, in front yard).  

The roof has completely fallen in.

Next to the spring house and on the curve of the driveway stands the historic (and enormous) barn.  The front of the barn is in better shape than the back.  We can store the backhoe in one portion of it, yet the back can't handle any traffic at all.  The barn needs some significant structural work to stabilize it.  This will be the next thing we do on the property.  It has 2 floors.  On the bottom, there are the most amazing old horse stalls.  The posts have been whittled down as a result of years of horse-nose-rubbing.  In the back barn courtyard there is another stone wall (matches the one on the driveway) that separates the barn yard from the Old Pond.  Nana had planted little ferns in the cracks of the wall and they are now a beautiful accent.  The barn used to have a hen house that extended from the second floor.  That portion has long since collapsed and left the old supporting stone walls standing and open. It's really so very charming standing back there.  I can totally envision lots of parties and BBQ get-togethers in this space.

The barn is to the right of the carriage and spring houses.

This photo was taken from further up the driveway.

One of the many beams we will have to replace to stabilize the barn.

A picture inside the upstairs, front of the barn.

One of the many old horse stalls.

Behind the barn in the barnyard.  

The stone wall on the right is the wall that separates the Old Pond from the barn.

A picture of the back of the barn.  

I got a board sample to help match paint when the time comes to restore the original color.

This wall (behind the crazy walnut) was where the old chicken coups were on top of the barn.  

This is what fell in and is left.  I can't wait to clear this area out!

As you can see, these pictures were taken at different times and in different seasons.  I compiled them according to features.  Hopefully, this helps answer questions and allows you to get an overall feel for the property.  More updates later today--I had better get to work! :)