Features
The Barstow House (1785)
BY
J. Dennis Robinson

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What makes a house historic? Must there be a brass plaque by the front door identifying the famous folks who lived within its hallowed walls? Do we rate houses on antiquity, or architecture, or based on their proximity to big events in history books?

One thing is certain—to qualify as historic, an old house must remain standing. The nine-room home of Jonathan and Charles Barstow was on its last legs when Exeter carpenter Peter Johnson bought it last year. He could not bear to see the ancient structure disappear from the corner at Powder
Mill Road.

“A lot of people would love to have a 200-year old house,” Johnson said as we walked its wide oak and pine floors, “but wouldn’t love to do the work.”  

This is not a museum. Indian shutters, wainscoting, old banisters, and a worn “secret” stairway still echo its post-Revolutionary origin. The room design is largely unchanged. But Johnson has re-imagined the structure for 21st century occupants. Like new pre-washed blue jeans, the house feels fresh, yet lived-in.

There were farmers here once. There was a blacksmith shop. The original Barstow brothers manufactured 2,500 guns for the War of 1812. Their forge and mill was located at nearby King’s Falls powered by a tributary of the
Exeter River.

“People stop their cars and just look at this place,” Johnson says. “They are drawn to it like I was, and I just didn’t want the stories surrounding it to die.”

See This House: The Barstow home at 3 Powder Mill Road in Exeter will be open to the public on May 10 during the Exeter Kitchen Tour, a self-guided tour of area kitchens  from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Purchase tickets in advance for $15 or on the day of the tour for $20 at the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce, 120 Water Street, Exeter, N.H.