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Location: Bena, Va.
Price: $4,950,000
The Skinny: Set on a peninsula jutting into a branch of Chesapeake Bay, this 1716 brick colonial went more than 200 years without a paint job. In 1930, the planners of Colonial Williamsburg came calling to copy the interior paint colors. Finally, in 1939, a careful renovation was conducted and over the past 80 years the owners have managed to preserve the original details while adding outbuildings, a pool, and landscaping to the 58-acre property. That spirit of preservation doesn't mean this place sat dusty and unused for hundreds of years; quite the contrary, in fact. At the close of the Revolutionary War, the house was used as a lookout during the Battle of Yorktown. During the War of 1812, the structure was repurposed as a hospital, and during the Civil War a garrison watched over the property. It might not have the granite counters, stainless appliances, and master suite that high-budget buyers usually demand these days, but $5M isn't too steep for all that history and a prime piece of Chesapeake real estate.
· Little England [Frank Hardy]