A converted 19th-century blacksmith shop 75 minutes from New York City is up for sale for $650,000.
Situated in the Orange County town of Chester, the property known as “The Craigville Forge” has a particular look of old-school Americana, with a brick exterior, vaulted ceilings and floors made of slate and wide-plank wood. Nicknamed for its address at 828 Craigville Road, the 2,100-square-foot home has two bedrooms, three bathrooms and 2.2 acres of land.
But this historic character comes partially from its non-residential history. From the time it was built around 1800 until the 1930s, it was used exclusively as a blacksmith shop. A blacksmith would come in every day and pound objects of steel or iron over a blazing hearth.
This trade had already started to die out in the 1930s, and at that point, the property had become primarily residential. Numerous renovations over the years have made it fit for modern living. Along with a dining room and working kitchen, current features include an in-ground pool, a loft and office space with a wet bar, and a guest space with a full bathroom.
“Tax records show the blacksmith shop was built approximately 1800,” listing agent Jacob Matthews of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty in Nyack told Inman. “There was a blacksmith working there until the 1930s at which point it became primarily residential.”
In a nod to the home’s roots, the forge room with the wood-burning fireplace has been kept in its space on the second floor. Stone walls and 14-foot vaulted ceilings also give it a historic feel while the outside has a large patio and garden that the same local gardener has maintained for over 30 years. Matthews said that he has already scheduled multiple showings from buyers who are interested in turning it into a country retreat from New York City.
“The home is in a former hamlet/mill town called Craigville, one of the country’s most important 18th and 19th century industrial sites, home to textile and paper mills, and more famously the original H-O Oats (breakfast oats) processing facility in the early 19th century,” Matthews said. “This small, picturesque mill town has origins back to the American Revolution.”
