What’s believed to be the oldest house in North America, a New Jersey relic from the 1600s, quietly sold in a 2023 deal — and for a shocking fraction of the original asking price, no less.
Last October, the historic Nothnagle Log Cabin, located in Gibbstown, was bought for just $135,000 – a price that barely scratches the surface at less than 10% of its original $2.9 million in 2015.
The former owner, Doris Rink, along with her late husband, Harry, had worked tirelessly to preserve this part of a century long ago – built years before the United States was a nation.
“As a piece of history, it’s worth every penny we asked for, but it’s not reasonable right now,” Rink previously told NJ.com when it was last listed.
The 1.3-acre property saw its price drop steadily 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, shockingly low price of purchase.
Property is not just a house; it’s a time capsule. It is 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 stable for centuries. .
“This cabin was built without a single nail,” Rink said.
The original part of the house includes a low ceiling and a corner fireplace, which is believed to contain fixtures forged in a Nordic country as far back as the 16th century.
The Rinks bought the property in 1968 from Harry’s relatives and transformed it into a museum piece, removing the modern alterations to reveal the white oak exterior and original logs.
The historic cabin is not the only structure in many. A two-story colonial house, added in the 1730s, expanded the living space to 1,800 square feet.
The land also features a 1930s machine shop, a shed, a four-car garage and 100-foot-tall redwood trees. “It’s huge,” Rink told the media, hinting that the land could easily accommodate horses or other animals.
But over the years, the Rink family has had control over the property. After Harry died in 2018, Doris, now 82, knew it was time for someone new to take on the responsibility of conservation.
“I want to take it into the hands of someone who is capable, loving and willing to put in as much work as my husband and I have over the years,” she said at the time.
Despite its historical importance, efforts to have the property acquired by domestic or even international organizations have previously fallen short. “My husband and I tried everything endlessly. We contacted Sweden, Finland, the USA, the county, the municipality, the area colleges,” said Rink.
The good news is that the house finally found a buyer who is a local and has lived in the city 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 dad, who built custom homes for a living. .. [I’ve] was building, buying and fixing up and remodeling these houses to sell,” Laszczyk wrote on his LinkedIn profile.
It’s unclear what Laszczyk, 63, plans to do with the property. He did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Christina Huang, the listing agent with Weichert Realtors-East Brunswick, shared her fears about the property in a virtual video tour when the home was for sale.
“This fireplace did it all: boiled hot water for cooking, for bathing, for laundry, whatever you needed,” 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’s got to be someone out there somewhere to preserve this for future generations,” Rink hoped at the time, before Laszcyk bought the historic home. “To live today, you have to know where we were.”
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