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Friday Front Porch Feature: A Colonial Home Fit for Founders

The property sits on a hill above the center of Monterey, not far from Lake Garfield. 

MONTEREY, Mass. — Are you looking for a historic home in the hills that perhaps a local founding family used to live in? Then look no further, this is the house for you.

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are discussing a colonial house at 6 Tyringham Road.

The 4,188-square-foot home dates to 1780, with additions built over the last 250 years that include an indoor pool and two-car portico. This house was once home to the Bidwells, the founders of Monterey. William and Jessie Bidwell had operated the estate, Ledgehurst, as a summer resort and inn in the early 1900s.

The house has four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a study/bonus room, and comes with a dishwasher, refrigerator, range, washer and dryer. There's also a three-bay detached garage and two-bay garage on the 1.10 acres. It is only a short walk to the town beach on Lake Garfield or to the town center and the library, town hall and post office.

The asking price is $675,000.

We spoke to Christian Deckert and John Burns with William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty, the agents for the property.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

Deckert, Burns: There are many historic homes for sale, but this property has the significance of being the home of the Bidwell family, founders of the town of Monterey. It was a former boarding house and has been home to countless stories and traditions of yesteryear. There aren't many historic offerings with an indoor pool, multiple outbuildings and the main home offering this much size and opportunity for restoration.

Do you know any unique stories about the home or its history? 

Deckert, Burns: Former boarding house, and current owners are a racing family with a heritage of winning (I hope they did!)

How would you describe the feel or atmosphere of this home?

Deckert, Burns: The feel is like stepping back in time but still retains conveniences for modern living. Of course, a buyer would like to update some things, but the home has been adored for generations and could continue to be enjoyed without too much legwork. The atmosphere lends to wanting to gather with loved ones and friends. Kick back by the pool and entertain.

Are there any unique or custom elements?

Deckert, Burns: Plenty of unique elements! The primary bedroom balcony overlooking the pool, an indoor firepit in the pool hall, steel I-beam construction and walls of floor-to-ceiling windows to create the feeling of being outdoors.

Are there any standout design features and/or recent renovations?

Deckert, Burns: Standout design features are the way the current owners seamlessly blended the pool house addition to the historic home. 

There are also many period details in the home such as antique moldings, fireplace, stove, etc. 

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

Deckert, Burns: Discerning buyers can realize the potential without having to sacrifice living in the home for an extended period of time. The home is large enough that you can live in one portion while reimagining another. 

Imagine living in a historically significant home, offering walk to town, Lake Garfield, multiple garaged outbuildings, and brimming with period details and classic New England charm.

Buyers will love the abundance of storage and endless possibilities!

What was your first impression when you walked into this home?

Deckert, Burns: My first impression was jaw dropping! Never have I seen a home in the Berkshires showcasing what this property has to offer. A rare blend of location, history, potential to reimagine, and quality craftsmanship.

This home has been standing proud for a long time, and the right person can ensure that it will for generations to come. 

You can find out more about this house on its listing.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice or an offer to sell. If you're interested in having your property featured, please contact our sales department at sales@boxcarmedia.com.

Sheffield Craftsman Offering Workshops on Windsor Chairs

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Sunday, March 29, 2026

Andrew Jack uses hand tools in his wood working shop. 

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — A new workshop is bringing woodworking classes and handmade items.

Andrew Jack specializes in Windsor chairs and has been making them for almost 20 years.

He recently opened a workshop at 292 South Main St. as a space for people to see his work and learn how to do it.

"This is sort of the next, or latest iteration of a business that I've kind of been limping along for a little while," he said. "I make Windsor chairs from scratch, and this is an effort to have a little bit more of a public-facing space, where people can see the chairs, talk about options, talking about commissions.

"I also am using it as a space to teach workshops, which for the last 10 years or so I've been trying to do out of my own personal workshop at home."

Jack graduated in 2008 from State University of New York at Purchase, and later met woodworker Curtis Buchanan, who inspired him.

"Right after I finished there, I was feeling a little lost. I wasn't sure how to make the next steps and afford a workspace. And the machine tooling that I was used to using in school." he said, "Right after I graduated, I crossed paths with a guy named Curtis Buchanan, and he was demonstrating making really refined Windsor chairs with not much more than some some flea market tools, and I saw that as a great, low overhead way to keep working with wood."

Jack moved into his workshop last month with help from his wife. He is renting the space from the owners of Magic Flute, who he says have been wonderful to work with.

"My wife actually noticed the 'for rent' sign out by the road, and she made the initial call to just see if we get some more information," he said. "It wasn't on my radar, because it felt like kind of a big leap, and sometimes that's how it's been in my life, where I just need other people to believe in me more than I do to, you know, really pull the trigger."

Jack does commissions and while most of his work is Windsor chairs, he also builds desks and tables, and does spoon carving. 

Windsor chairs are different because of the way their backs are attached into the seat instead of being a continuous leg and back frame.

"A lot of the designs that I make are on the traditional side, but I do some contemporary stuff as well. And so usually the legs are turned on a lathe and they have sort of a fancy baluster look to them, or they could be much more simple," he said. "But the solid seat that separates the undercarriage from the backrest and the arms and stuff is sort of one of the defining characteristics of a Windsor."

He hopes to help people learn the craft and says it's rewarding to see the finished product. In the future, he also hopes to host other instructors and add more designs for the workshop.

"The prime impact for the workshops is to give close instruction to people that are interested in working wood with hand tools or developing a new skill. Or seeing what's possible with proper guidance," Jack said. "Chairs are often considered some of the more difficult or complex woodworking endeavors, and maybe less so Windsor chairs, but there is a lot that goes into them, and being able to kind of demystify that, or guide people through the process is quite rewarding."

People can sign up for classes on his website; some classes are over a couple and others a couple of weekends.

"I offer a three-day class for, a much, much more simple, like perch, kind of stool, where most of the parts are kind of pre-made, and students can focus on the joinery that goes into it and the carving of the seat, again, all with hand tools. And then students will leave with their own chair," he said.

"The longer classes run similarly, although there's quite a bit more labor that goes into those. So I provide all the turned parts, legs and stretchers and posts and things, but students will do all the joinery and all the seat carving the assembly. And they'll split and shave and shape their own spindles, and any of the bent parts that go into the chair."

His gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m to 2 p.m., and Monday and Tuesday by appointment.