WATCH: Family Moves 255-Year-Old Mansion 50 Miles to New Home by Boat

Even with its crumbling façade, there’s no hiding the fact that the Galloway mansion was once a grand residence. Situated on 200 acres near the Chesapeake Bay in Easton, Maryland, this Georgian-style home has been around since 1764.

But time proved unkind to the historic house, and by the 21st century, it was in serious danger. Years of unoccupied neglect and suburban sprawl took their toll on the 255-year-old beauty. It was clear to Christian Neeley, the home’s new owner, that there was only one thing to do: the Galloway needed to be moved.

With help from his parents, Neeley embarked on moving the 800,000-pound mansion 50 miles up the Chesapeake Bay to Queenstown. It was a weekslong mission involving numerous forms of transportation and the cooperation of countless people, utility companies, government organizations, etc. It was a herculean effort—one that caught the eye of people all over the world. Thousands tuned in on social media (video below) to watch the giant brick house make its way up the Chesapeake.

According to The Baltimore Sun, the whole endeavor cost just shy of $1 million, and by last week, the Galloway was safely in her new home in Queenstown.

“In order to keep this amazing piece of American history and architecture from succumbing to these forces, we decided to do the seemingly unthinkable—pick the whole house up, brick chimneys and all, drive it six miles through the town of Easton, load it on a barge, and then float it 50 miles through the Chesapeake Bay to its new home in Queenstown, Maryland,” the Neely family’s website, which was built to document the move, explains.

Neeley, who works in cyber security, told The Baltimore Sun that he plans to add two additions to the house in the new location. His goal is to turn it into a family estate once again, this time for himself, his parents, his sister, her children and more.