Picking up on efforts that began more than 40 years ago, Edgartown voters will decide next week whether to more than double the size of their historic district, which includes about 250 homes in the heart of the village.
Around the Island, where some towns showcase three centuries of architectural history, historic preservation is a topic for discussion and debate.
A historic house thought to have been a British headquarters during Grey’s Raid in 1778 may soon be torn down.
Aquinnah is not the place to go looking for interesting houses without trespassing. Interesting stories, yes, but the houses visible from the road are few and far between. The exception of course is the Vanderhoop homestead.
The yellow house at the head of Camp street at William street is not for sale, has not been neglected and is not in need of restoration. It is that rare object: a house that has been cared for all of its long, long life.
One of the more interesting houses up-Island is 231 State Road in Chilmark. It is an unusual house for Chilmark: a Queen Anne style Victorian, painted yellow, with a turret.
I don’t know of any other such houses in Chilmark, whose charm lies in its serene and lovely rolling hills, hidden houses and beaches. It is a very common type of house elsewhere in the United States, the reflection of the prosperity of the late 19th century. Prosperity that had passed Chilmark by and which it was not to achieve until well past the midpoint of the 20th century.
