PRIME SEASON
Knocking on history’s door 498 Old County Road, Westport, dated 1960
When shopping for a house, some look for brand new construction with polished untouched surfaces and Deborah contemporary design. Others A llard Dion search for history – pretty or tarnished – and prefer to live within the walls of a home formerly occupied by a Revolutionary War captain, an at-home funeral business, or a retired president. Luckily, the South Coast boasts a treasure trove of historical homesteads. A look at Westport, known for its stone walls, beaches, and farmland, revealed several houses for sale that offer a colorful history at very modern price points. Captain John Gifford might be surprised to know that his house, built circa 1775, at 498 Old County Road, is now for sale for $475,000. Gifford is known for smuggling goods to the patriots during the Revolutionary War and evading the British Navy. He was described as a “coastal
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trader under duress” according to historical records. Gifford’s sprawling 10-room Georgian with six fireplaces (and an outhouse that seats three) once operated as an inn. For buyers searching for a little of the macabre, a coffin shop and funeral business ran out of the barn for many years, according to the Westport Historical Society. Next to Gifford’s house are other historical homes and buildings, including the old Bell School, making this a great neighborhood for walking and taking a tour with materials found online
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
N ov ember /D ecember 2020
from the Society, located at the old school house at 25 Drift Road. Around Gifford’s property on Old County was once a tavern, ammunition storehouse, country store, physician office, shipbuilding facility, attorney’s office, ice cream shop, and post office – which washed into the middle of the street during the Hurricane of 1938. First inhabited by Native Americans, the Head of Westport, once known as Westport Village, has a rich
history that exists in historical documents and within homes like Gifford’s. European settler Richard Sisson came to the Head in 1671. His Drift Road home, located at roughly 42 Drift Road today, burned during King Philip’s War in 1675-76. A “new” house was erected at the site by Captain Howland in 1793.
Home in history A tale of axe murder occurred at the Head in July of 1909 in the area where Sisson resided.
The Captain John Gifford Home
