New Jersey home believed to be the oldest in North America has sold for $135K — but will its history remain?
What’s believed to be the oldest home in North America, a New Jersey relic from the 1600s, quietly sold in a 2023 deal — and for a shocking fraction of its original asking price, no less.
Last October, the historic Nothnagle Log Cabin, located in Gibbstown, was scooped up for a mere $135,000 — a price that barely scratches the surface at less than 10% of its initial $2.9 million in 2015.
The now-former owner, Doris Rink, along with her late husband Harry, had tirelessly worked to preserve this slice of a long-ago century — built years before the United States was even a nation.
“As a piece of history, it is worth every penny that we asked for it, but that’s just not reasonable now,” Rink previously told NJ.com when it last listed.
The 1.3-acre property saw its price steadily tumble over the years — from $1.75 million in 2017, to $875,000 in 2020 and then to $750,000 in 2021 before landing at its final, and shockingly low, purchase price.
The property isn’t just a house; it’s a time capsule. It’s also deeply intertwined with the fabric of the local area, which was once part of the short-lived colony of New Sweden.
Built by Finnish settlers in the mid-17th century, the cabin is a stunning example of “full dovetail” construction, a technique that has kept the original 16-by-22-foot log structure standing tall for centuries.
“This cabin was built without a single nail,” said Rink.
The original portion of the house includes a low ceiling and a corner fireplace, which is speculated to contain hardware forged in a Nordic country as far back as the 16th century.
The Rinks purchased the property in 1968 from Harry’s relatives and transformed it into a museum piece, stripping away modern alterations to reveal its white oak exterior and original logs.
The historic cabin isn’t the only structure on the lot. A two-story Colonial home, added in the 1730s, expanded the living space to 1,800 square feet.
The land also features a machine shop from the 1930s, a shed, a four-car garage, and towering 100-foot redwood trees. “It’s sizable,” Rink told the outlet, hinting that the land could easily accommodate horses or other animals.
But as the years have rolled on, so has the Rink family’s grip on the property. After Harry passed away in 2018, Doris, now 82, realized it was time for someone new to take up the responsibility of preservation.
“I want to get it into the hands of someone who is capable and loving and willing enough to put as much works into it as my husband and I have over the years,” she said at the time.
Despite its historical significance, efforts to have the property acquired by local or even international organizations have previously fallen flat. “My husband and I endlessly tried everything. We contacted Sweden, Finland, the US, the county, the township, the area colleges,” said Rink.
Good news is that the home finally did land a buyer who is a local and has lived in the town for decades, The Post has learned. The new owner, Stephen Laszczyk, a local real estate investor, has at least nine other properties in the Gibbstown area, records show.
“I grew up working with my father, who built custom homes for a living. .. [I’ve] been building, buying and totally gutting and remodeling these homes to sell,” Laszczyk wrote on his LinkedIn profile.
It is unclear what Laszczyk, 63, plans to do with the property. He didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Christina Huang, the listing agent from Weichert Realtors-East Brunswick, shared her awe of the property in a virtual video tour when the home was on sale.
“This fireplace did it all: boiled the hot water for cooking, for baths, laundry, whatever it took,” she said, describing how it “kept the family warm in winter and helped them survive.”
Huang also did not respond to a request seeking comment.
“There’s got to be someone out there somewhere to save this for the next generations,” Rink hoped at the time, before Laszcyk purchased the historic home.
“To live today, you’ve got to know where we were.”
