Cape Cod Times, August 30, 2019
ORLEANS — From its humble façade facing Beach Road, you couldn’t begin to fathom the many layers of this 1810 sea captain’s home. Capt. Elkanah Snow lived here in the early 1800s, and the home has been expanded a few times over the centuries, with evidence that renovators took care to retain the home’s antique qualities. The current owner is no exception, and not only was the perfect balance achieved of antique and modern, but the modern elements actually bring out the antique features, making them pop.
Photo Gallery: Orleans sea captain’s house
Light, seafoam-colored walls combined with recessed lighting in the upstairs bedroom, for example, complement the original refurbished wide floorboards and exposed wood ceiling beams. A first-floor master suite was created in which wide floorboards live side by side with art deco-inspired elements in the bathroom; details such as the design on the tile floor, the oversize glass stand-up shower and unique fixtures were well thought out. The suite is closed off from the living room by a sliding barn door. Exposed ceiling and support beams carry into the ultra-modern kitchen, which boasts a unique island with built-ins, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances and a farm sink. Light from a deep skylight creates a pleasant ambiance, but the backsplash is what makes us go “wow.”
Even the outside is awesome, with a new shell driveway and a garden patio. The barn out back is all original: doors, floors and beams.
According to town records, the home was built circa 1810. An 1831 map of Orleans does not show a house in what is the general location of 74 Beach Road, however, so historians believe the house was moved there. The barn also was subsequently moved to the property. Records show that Capt. Elkanah Snow went to sea at age 15, and in addition to being a captain, he was an entrepreneur. He operated a dry goods and fish store out of the barn, and spent a number of years in the lobster business. We think he’d be pleased by the TLC that’s been put into this home.
