Credit: Maddie Zajac

WSPN’s Maddie Zajac explores a local historical house, 252 Old Connecticut Path. Owners Elizabeth and Ralph Bryant share a look inside their home of 40 years and tell their story of the reality of owning an aged home. “I don’t think either one of us has had the feeling that we own the house,” R. Bryant said. “It owns us.”

For those who commute to Wayland High School, whether a student, teacher or a parent dropping off a kid, some have likely seen the old red house on Old Connecticut Path.

The house at 252 Old Connecticut Path has been standing since the 17th century. Being one of the four oldest houses in Wayland, 252 Old Connecticut Path was built sometime between 1695 and 1710. It is said that the builder was Thomas Frink, who married Sarah Noyes, the granddaughter of the town founder Peter Noyes. Soon after it was built, the couple moved out and Hopestill Bent began running a tavern there, where travelers could stop and grab a drink or bite to eat. The tavern was run until about 1780, when John Whitney, who served in the American Revolution, moved in.

The Bryants bought the house in 1979 while they were in their thirties. After growing up in Framingham and temporarily living in San Francisco, the Bryants have lived at 252 Old Connecticut Path for about 45 years. The Bryants raised children in the home whilst also renovating the house on their own.

Elizabeth and Ralph Bryant have always loved the feel of an old house, so they began looking for one that they could fix up and sell again. After buying 252, the Bryants began their long process of salvaging and renovating the house. Coincidentally, there was a woman who lived up the street from the Bryants who was getting her degree in architectural preservation and offered to work on their house.

“She gave us a lot of perspective on the house: how it was built, the architectural features and that sort of thing,” E. Bryant said. “So we just started restoring it and trying to be mindful of the historic significance of it.”

However, the Bryants had no previous knowledge of how to handle a house as old as 252 Old Connecticut Path.

“It was all ‘on the job training’,’” E. Bryant said.

Since the house was in a rough condition when the Bryants first moved in, they made it their mission to restore the house. Regardless of the many years of hard work and dedication that the Bryants put into their house, the Bryants enjoyed living there. Their children attended Happy Hollow Elementary School, Wayland Middle School and Wayland High School. Living so close to the high school and Happy Hollow, their kids had the unique opportunity to be able to walk to school each morning.

“It’s been really interesting repairing and restoring an old house,” E. Bryant said. “Hopefully, it’ll go into the next [owner’s] hands and also be kept up and kept nice.”

Having lived at 252 for nearly half a century, the Bryants finally decided it was time to sell their house. After spending several years renovating and repairing their home, they are now ready to move on.

“I don’t think either one of us has had the feeling that we own the house,” R. Bryant said. “It owns us. We’re just sort of caretakers for it now.”

From replacing the windows and doors to expanding the staircase and rebuilding the living room foundation, the Bryants did all repair the work themselves.

“We love doing the work ourselves, but we’re starting to think that maybe fixing the stone wall and scraping and painting the outside of [the house] isn’t in the cards for us for many more years,” R. Bryant said. “So, we’d rather make the move.”

Since the Bryants put effort into restoring their home, they hope that the new owners will respect and cherish the historic value of the house. They hope that Wayland residents will continue to keep in mind the dedication the Bryants put into restoring this historic home and admire its aged beauty.

“We’re hoping that the next family that has it will appreciate it, take care of it and retain the historic qualities about it,” E. Bryant said. “It’s a town treasure.”