Believed to be North America’s oldest home, a 17th-century relic in New Jersey, was quietly sold in a deal in 2023 – and for a shocking fraction of the original asking price.
Last October, the historic Nothnagle Log Cabin in Gibbstown was auctioned for a mere $135,000 – a price that is barely 10% of its original selling price of $2.9 million in 2015.
The former owner, Doris Rink, along with her late husband Harry, had worked tirelessly to preserve this piece of a bygone century – built years before the United States was even a nation.
“As a piece of history, it’s worth every penny we asked for it, but that’s just not appropriate now,” Rink told NJ.com when it was last listed.
The price of the 1.3-acre property fell steadily over the years – from $1.75 million in 2017 to $875,000 in 2020 and then to $750,000 in 2021 before reaching its final and shockingly low purchase price.
The property is not just a house, it is a time capsule. It is also closely interwoven with the fabric of the area that was once part of the short-lived colony of New Sweden.
Built by Finnish settlers in the mid-17th century, the cabin is an impressive example of “full dovetail” construction, a technique that allowed the original 4.88 x 6.77 meter log cabin to stand upright for centuries.
“This cabin was built without a single nail,” Rink said.
The original part of the house has a low ceiling and a corner fireplace, which probably contains fittings that were forged in a Nordic country as early as the 16th century.
The Rinks bought the property from Harry’s relatives in 1968 and transformed it into a museum piece, removing modern alterations to reveal the white oak exterior and original tree trunks.
The historic cabin isn’t the only building on the property. A two-story colonial house added in the 1730s expanded the living space to 1,800 square feet.
The property also includes a 1930s machine shop, a shed, a four-car garage and 100-foot-tall redwoods. “It’s big,” Rink told the outlet, suggesting the property could easily accommodate horses or other animals.
But over the years, the Rink family has increasingly held the property in their hands. After Harry’s death in 2018, Doris, now 82, realized it was time for someone new to take responsibility for maintaining the property.
“I want to put it in the hands of someone who is capable and loving and willing to put as much work 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 so far failed. “My husband and I have tried everything endlessly. We have contacted Sweden, Finland, the USA, the county, the municipality, the local universities,” Rink said.
The good news is that the home has finally found a buyer who is a local and has lived in town for decades, The Post has learned. The new owner, Stephen Laszczyk, a local real estate investor, owns 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) built these homes, bought them, and completely gutted and remodeled them to sell,” Laszczyk wrote on his LinkedIn profile.
It is unclear what 63-year-old Laszczyk plans to do with the property. He did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Christina Huang, agent with Weichert Realtors-East Brunswick, shared her excitement about the property in a virtual video tour when the home went up for sale.
“This fireplace did everything: it heated water for cooking, bathing, washing and everything else,” she said, describing how it “kept the family warm in the winter and helped them survive.”
Huang also did not respond to a request for comment.
“There must be someone out there who will preserve this for future generations,” Rink hoped before Laszcyk bought the historic house. “To live today, you have to know where we were.”
