This Maine Farmhouse Inspired Charlotte's Web, and It's for Sale

It isn’t hard to believe that this fairytale setting in Brooklin, Maine, quite literally inspired fairytales.

The 40-acre farm where chickens, pigs, and sheep once roamed is now enveloped in flora, with a circa-1795 farmhouse, barn, and shingled boathouse just steps from clam flats and saltwater.

Decades before, that boathouse was where author E.B. White would retreat to pen classics such as Charlotte’s Web, inspired by the very real animals and barn (rope swing included) that occupied the property. White, who's also known for authoring Stuart Little and co-authoring The Elements of Style, lived on the picturesque compound for nearly 50 years until his death in 1985.

Much of the marks White left on the home are still intact, having been lovingly maintained by its current owners Robert and Mary Gallant. The entire property—2,000 square feet of water frontage and all—is now on the market for $3.7 million.

The 12-room main house features six working fireplaces, three and a half bathrooms, and 19th-century stenciling on the stairway walls. A vintage ice box and wood cookstove are part of a number of relics left behind by the White family.

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In the boathouse, a simple desk and bench White built and used for writing by the sea breezes remain in place. And in the barn, the rope swing made famous by Charlotte’s Web still hangs in the doorway.

Those interested in owning this piece of literary history can contact Martha Dischinger at Downeast Properties in Blue Hill, Maine, at 207-266-5058 or by email at msd@brooksvillemaine.com.

All photos and information courtesy of Yankee Magazine