By Gretchen A. Peck

Realtor Pamela Johnstone, broker-owner of PJ Residential, kicked off showings this week of her new listing at 282 Joshuatown Road in Lyme. She represents the sellers of the 1938-built Cape-style colonial on 3 acres. The asking price for the property is $825,000.

The 2,304-square-foot home was built in the late-1930s by Thomas Nason, “the Poet-Engraver of New England,” as he became known. He’d enlisted Architect Alberta Pfeiffer to design the home.

Johnstone shared some perspective on the property with Welcome Home. “To me, this is distinctive and special, because it was handpicked by American wood engraver, Thomas Nason and his wife as the ideal setting to build their home and his artist studio. Nason was known for his poetic images of rural scenes, vernacular architecture and his illustrations of Robert Frost’s poems,” she explained.

“At the time, Joshuatown Road was unpaved and less accessible to town, which appealed to them personally, and the rural setting inspired his art,” Johnstone continued. “It’s also unique and special in that in the late 1930s, he chose a female architect to design a new home in one of the most renowned artists communities in the United States. The [current] owners have the original plans for the house, as well as construction photos and interesting correspondence between the Nasons and the architect.”

The front entrance opens to a foyer that opens to the wood-paneled living room. It has one of the home’s four fireplaces, built-in bookcases and oversized windows looking out to gardens. It’s important to note that three of the four fireplaces are purely decorative. “The living room fireplace is wood-burning and in frequent use during the cooler months,” Johnstone clarified.

With a good amount of counter space and an exterior door leading out to the backyard, the kitchen is a galley configuration, with stainless appliances, including a Sub-Zero refrigerator.

“The character of this house is beautifully preserved, inside and out,” Johnstone said. “Much of the woodwork was completed by the artist himself, and we have photos of his studio, showing the still-existing cabinets and bench that the artist made with his own hands.”

Among the three bedrooms is a first-floor primary bedroom. The second level comprises the two additional bedrooms, a renovated full bath and a large cedar closet. And the lower level, which was once Nason’s art studio, affords usable living space, as well—perhaps for a home office.

The current owners have made a number of improvements to the property during their time here.

“The sellers have rebuilt and re-roofed the two-car garage [in 2022] and contracted a local craftsman to re-side most of the house with cedar clapboard,” Johnstone explained. “They have also reclaimed much of the garden by cutting back brush that had overgrown certain areas, and hired a certified arborist to complete a tree survey of the front 1.5 acres. Those trees are identified and tagged.”

The 3 acres of land allows for the main house to be complemented by several outbuildings, including a two-car garage, wood and garden sheds, a chicken coop, cottage and root cellar. There are old stone walls that run through the property, which abuts more than 100 acres of conservation to the north, Johnstone pointed out.

“The original outbuildings are still in place, including the circa-1930s cottage at the west side of the lawn, where the Nasons stayed while the house was under construction. The cottage is no longer useful for living space, but it has a gorgeous stone hearth and usable foundation that could be the basis for a future outdoor patio and grilling area,” the listing broker pondered its possibilities.

During its operating season, the Essex Steam Train’s whistle can be heard in the distance.

“Lyme is a peaceful and beautiful town, where the pace of life can be as relaxed or as active as you make it,” Johnstone said. “There are many beautiful hiking trails, access to boating on the Connecticut River, low property taxes, and an excellent school system. The Old Saybrook train station, serving Amtrak and Shore Line East, is 20 minutes away. It’s very convenient to Hartford, New Haven, Providence, New London, Groton, New York and Boston.”

Property: 282 Joshuatown Rd., Lyme

Bedrooms: 3

Baths: 2

Square Footage: 2,304

Acreage: 3.0

Asking Price: $825,000

Seller’s Agent: Pamela Johnstone, Broker-Owner, PJ Residential, PLLC; Mobile: (860) 857-6684; pamjohnstone@pjresidential.com