At Over a Century Old, This Historic Home Gets a New Life

In May 2020, we found the Clementine House in Sandwich, New Hampshire. In July of 2021, to celebrate our upcoming wedding, James and I purchased the Clementine House as a wedding present to each other. We were excited to find such a historic gem with a celebrated history, so full of love that built this home.

While renovating this historic home, we learned the history of this stately home, the story of the man who built it, and all about the families that loved it through the years.

The History of the Clementine House (AKA Pine Knoll)

Our story begins in 1800s Rhode Island, where a man from a modest background began working as an apprentice for a wealthy man with a beautiful daughter. The apprentice and the daughter fell in love, and her father supported the apprentice as he studied to become a dentist.

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After graduating, Dr. Obrian (pronounced Oh-Bree-On) made a breakthrough discovery related to enamel, catapulting him to the top of his field. His discovery caught the attention of the German Tsar, who offered Dr. Obrian a position as the Royal Dentist. He accepted the position and moved his young family to Germany.

For the Obrian family, this was a time of great prosperity, and the family was a fixture in the social scene of the day. They attended many social events throughout Germany. Their growing wealth and status allowed them to hire a full-time governess named Clementine "Emma" Guenther to care for their young children. They were enjoying their wealth and position in Germany when the dashing Dr. Obrian caught the eye of the Tsar's young daughter. When he found out, the Tsar sent them packing back to America! Emma was also in love with Dr. Obrian and accompanied the young family back to Rhode Island.

A Thriving Summer Community

In the late 1800s, Sandwich, New Hampshire, was a thriving summer community. The Obrian family loved spending their summers in the area. Dr. Obrian wished to build a summer retreat there and commissioned Thomas Vittum to build a house for Emma on land belonging to Clarence Graves. The house would be called the Clementine House.

The driveway to Clementine House was shared with the cottage next door, known as Pine Crest. Currently owned by Toby Eaton, the cottage was incorporated into the house that is still there today. Emma had a hand in the design of the home and hand-picked the rocks in the rustic fireplace for their mica content, which reminded her of stone from her native Germany.

According to lore, Clementine House was a meeting place for Emma and Dr. Obrian. Back in the day, it was common for wealthy couples to have affairs. Clementine House became Emma and Dr. Obrian's "love shack" and the site of many Obrian family gatherings.

After Emma's death, the house was transferred to Dr. Obrian's daughter, Elsbeth, and her husband, Dr. Ball. The family spent many happy years in the house and had many adventures. One of which their children, in their 90s at the time, told us...

One year, some of the boys found an ancient wooden dugout canoe under the waters of Bearcamp Pond. The canoe belonged to Native Americans from the area and remained remarkably well-preserved under the cold waters of the pond for many years. They recovered the artifact, and today, It is still proudly on display at the Sandwich Historical Society.

Reclaiming A Historic Home

Years later, the home changed hands again and was purchased from then-owner Dr. Jose Silva by Heather LaRowe and her husband Major. Dr. Silva was in his 80s then, and he and his son visited Heather and Major each summer for a few years until he passed away. When they purchased the home, the field out front had 40 years of growth. Some of the sills were rotted. Heather and Major reclaimed the field by logging and reseeding, fixing the roof, replacing the rotted sills, and removing an additional door that was in the kitchen. During the remodeling, it was learned that a wall once divided the dining room from the living area and that a primitive Murphy bed hung on the wall to provide additional sleeping space.

During construction, while Major and Heather LaRowe were in charge, their builder found a piece of sill on which Thomas Vittum, the original builder, had carved his name. Thomas is buried in Vittum Hill Cemetery in Sandwich.

Another Century, Another Family Gives This Historic Home A New Life

May of 2021 started a new chapter in the history of Clementine House as we discovered and fell in love with this charming and historic home. We were planning our wedding for July 24th of that year. We decided to give ourselves this magnificent piece of history and vowed to breathe new life into its storied walls! As an early wedding present to each other, we purchased the Clementine house. We vowed to give this beautiful historic home a new life!

We plan to maintain this beautiful property as a getaway retreat, creating an experience of quiet luxury. The property will include a barn for concerts and crafting, a cutting garden, and a soaking pool for guests of the Clementine House.