Il «Vecchio Posto», La Fattoria Langille

The ’old place’, the Langille homestead, built sometime in the 1860’s, with the oldest surviving boathouse in Oakland, once took its livelihood equally from land and sea. What remains of this early, self-sustaining farm still casts a wistful eye across the waters of Mahone Bay to the southwest and the Atlantic. This spacious ”Carpenter Gothic” has much of its original historic character intact. A rare, decorated ceiling in the former dining-room has been noted by archivists and reveals the pride of ownership of its original builders. The house is more than 2,500 square feet with a classic central hall beneath its gothic gable. There is a vestibule at the front of the house and board-and-batten clad mudroom at the rear. The main floor houses: a front parlour, a generous dining-room, rear ante room, large kitchen, full bath and a guest-wing consisting of a family room with wood burner, bedroom with ensuite, and a kitchenette. The second floor offers three additional bedrooms including a shared bath. A staircase rises from the 2nd floor hall to the attic lending the possibility for further development. The house sits on top of a knoll with a gentle rise looking out to sea. A field at the rear of the property slopes to the ”beaver pond’ which hosts a waterside sauna. The oceanfront across a quiet, wandering country road, adjacent the Nova Scotia Nature Trust lands, has approximately 200 ft of salt-water frontage, its own, completely private sand-beach, slipway, storage shed and an extraordinary boathouse. Its former owner, a retired naval officer and diplomat in the foreign service well known and respected in the community, upon his retirement poured his love into crafting small boats which he launched from these shores. The building today could propose a summer getaway, or a hobbyist’s dream workshop. This quality of family retreat tends to stay within families for multiple generations and this may be an opportunity for your own family to create its legacy.