Salem — In a close vote at a town meeting Wednesday night, residents rejected a motion that would have put the historical Whittlesey property into the hands of the town.

The motion was defeated 21-19, with the vote conducted by secret ballot. The Salem Historical Society, which currently owns the property, plans to meet soon to discuss its future.

The Whittlesey house, at 184 Hartford Road, was built around 1700 and is the oldest house in the town of Salem. Orramel Whittlesey, founder of Music Vale Seminary, was raised in the house, and the Salem Historical Society purchased the property in 2014 with the intent of turning it into a museum to honor him.

Due to lack of funding, the museum project was abandoned.

Members of the society attended a special Board of Selectmen meeting on June 28 to discuss their proposal to sell the property to the town for preservation. Elbert M. "Elby" Burr, current president of the society, said the plan was to sell the property for $50,000, split up over 10 years to give the society a stable source of funding.

The town would maintain the property to be wind- and water-tight. Once back on the tax rolls, the house could bring $4,000 to $5,000 in taxes per year. At the end of the 10 years, if no one approached the town to restore the house, the town could then sell the property or take down the house.

The plan would have given the house "some legs and life," buying time for a buyer to come forward and restore the property, Burr said. At the town meeting Wednesday, he said a full restoration of the house would cost a prospective buyer about $100,000.

Residents spoke in favor and against the proposed sale, with concerns ranging from the need to preserve the historical house to the cost for the town to do so. Many opponents of the sale identified the lack of a state budget as a major influence in their decision. The budgetary uncertainty led the Board of Finance to seek cuts from several boards and departments this fiscal year to make up for a potential loss of state funding.

The Whittlesey property vote was one of three sent to the Wednesday town meeting and the only one that failed. Residents unanimously approved a motion to sell a foreclosed one-bedroom condominium unit on Horse Pond Road to Selectman Ed Chmielewski and his wife, Susan, for $29,007.

Chmielewski recused himself from all discussions on the sale, and he said he offered $5,000 over the list price in order to avoid any perception that he was being favored in the sale. He plans to clean up the unit as a post-retirement project and possibly give it to his children or another family member.

Residents also unanimously approved an amendment to a town ordinance regarding awards for emergency responders designed to help retain older members. The current ordinance grants up to a $1,000 annual tax abatement for members who respond to a certain number of calls or meetings. The newly approved amendment would allow members over the age of 59 with 25 years of service to the town to continue receiving the tax abatement, even if they don't maintain the required number of calls.

a.hutchinson@theday.com