Last listing price: $378,000

When a home that was built in 1780 has been so lovingly preserved, it's easy to get lost in the feeling of being enveloped by that history as well as drawn in by the endless parade of small details that speak to a past where things were made by hand, made to last, and carefully tended to.

The light streaming through the original wavy glass in almost all of the windows (complete with both custom storm windows and custom screens designed to preserve the look from outside and from within), has a special organic character that takes literally decades - or even centuries - years to emerge.

The same is true for the wide-plank hardwood floors that are soft and warm to the touch, preserved to retain their true patina. At the same time, this home has higher ceilings and a layout that suits modern living, as well as modern improvements such as a Nest thermostat and a new washer/dryer/dishwasher.

The roof was replaced, there's new insulation, and the entire home was stripped down to the original clapboard beams and repainted. In addition to the ground-floor bedroom suite, there are two bedrooms and one full bathroom upstairs, as well as a lofted attic room that's also being used as a bedroom.

The kitchen is generously sized and opens to a breakfast area with a pellet stove (where every bit of paint has been painstakingly removed from the beadboard) as well as to the dining room with its corner built-ins and large opening to the living room with a propane stove.

The true cottage garden has carefully placed perennials, evergreen shrubs, and raised beds for vegetables - as well as a large shed with a concrete slab floor and electric that has been used as an artist studio and as a garage at various points in time.

In addition to the home itself, the village of Athens is a historical charmer in its own right, with new amenities such as the Stewart House and Food Studio (coming soon to Athens!), easily accessible to hiking and skiing or visiting small towns on either side - a