Stuck in Vermont: A Tour of Historic Brookside in Orwell With Owners Adam Townley-Wren and Amber Naramore

Married couple Amber Naramore and Adam Townley-Wren were living in Hawaii when they first encountered a website with historic house listings and saw images of their future home, Historic Brookside in Orwell. In what is also known as the Wilcox-Cutts House, the farmhouse section dates back to 1789, and the front-facing Greek Revival portion was added in 1843. Route 22A runs nearby, and it is hard to miss the majestic Greek temple façade with massive Ionic columns. The mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its former owners were breeders of Merino sheep and Morgan horses.

The couple put an offer on the house without seeing inside it in person. When they purchased it in June 2021, it was filled with junk. The pair moved into the mansion in October and are slowly renovating it themselves. They rent out a suite of rooms via Airbnb and also give tours.

Amber is an opera singer and a teacher, and Adam is an airline pilot. Amber founded a cat rescue in Hawaii called the Good Cat Network, and Adam flies kittens from the island to Seattle. They have rescued 400 cats, and eight of them are residing in their current abode. Eva paid a visit on a sunny spring day and got a tour of the unique home.

Filming date: 4/27/23

Music: Quincas Moreira, “Siestita”