1803 Farmhouse Opens Like a Hand-Painted Fairytale—With a New Miracle for Every Chance
Tucked away on a quiet road in northern Connecticut is an 1803 Eyebrow Colonial farmhouse turned storybook residence that is as much a living work of art as it is a beautiful family home.
A historic Sherman, CT property known as the Black Dog Ranch hit the market recently, priced at $3.9 million—offering a rare combination of impeccably preserved Americana, fine craftsmanship, and pastoral distinction.
Set on 4.6 acres and surrounded by the Appalachian Trail, this place feels like a period capsule, right down to its Eyebrow Colonial design, which takes its name from the small windows peeking out below the roofline, which look more like glowing eyes under a stern brow.
Due to its proximity to the Appalachian Trail, the future owner is guaranteed to be able to enjoy the tranquil beauty of nature for many years to come, with strict laws in place protecting the area and preventing any development.
“The Appalachian Trail assures the new property owner that this private pastoral setting will not change,” said the owner and artist. Elaine Voghelwho spent decades restoring the home with meticulous attention to detail.
History runs deep here. The house was first built in 1803 Giddings family before Stapleton Dairy Farm.
Voghel still has the original milk tags from the farm—hand-delivered years ago by the original owner’s son.
“He left New Jersey to visit his childhood home,” he recalls. “I found him standing by a stone wall on Hoyt Road. He was an elderly gentleman, with many stories to tell about his youth growing up here.”
The country itself has played a role in American history. In 2008, the Sherman Historical Society conducted a simulation of the George Washington‘s 1780 ride through the district, and a group of soldiers meet in the courtyard of the building.
“A small troop of cavalry with riders in proper period dress forms a line from the tobacco barn down the road leading to the entrance,” says Voghel.
Inside, the three-bedroom farmhouse feels less like a restored antique and more like something out of a living fairy tale. The Voghel has retained the original hand-hewn beams, concrete walls, and a rare Dutch door with antique bronze hardware.
He says: “I researched the history of this home, and that history is reflected in all the hand-painted paintings and drawings throughout.”
The interior has an almost Dutch, Old World sensibility—quiet in sound and completely unique.
The architectural details of the home, the sash windows on the second floor, have been reimagined.
Voghel explains: “In their place were modern, hand-made mahogany windows with mouth-blown revival glass, creating a perfect fusion of 20th-century functionality combined with 18th-century charm.”
His most prized development, however, is the restaurant window.
He says: “This artwork is hand carved from mahogany and looks directly into the backyard star garden.
Outside, Voghel paid for the old English gardens. Since 1998, he has designed covered dry stone walls using Pennsylvania lichen moss stone, covered with a rare lilac stone.
“In keeping with English garden tradition,” he noted, “this area has hundreds of well-trimmed rows of English suffruticosa boxwood.”
Fenced courtyards, Versailles-style planters, mature perennials, and rows of Chinese peonies bring vibrant color throughout the seasons.
Modern development was handled with the same logic. The master bath was remodeled in 2018 with heated marble floors and a spa-ready shower, while the 2021 kitchen renovation introduced leather marble counters, a Shaws fireclay farmhouse sink, Perrin & Rowe fixtures, and hand-finished French vanilla cabinetry with mustard pinstriping.
Completing this property is the renovated Cottage Barn at Black Dog Farm, which is considered a flexible living space that could be a guest house, studio, office, or pool house. Just over an hour from New York City, this northern Fairfield County property stands as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that is impossible to duplicate.
