Carving Out a New Parcel for The Pink House

The Pink House sits on a triangle shaped, 2.9 acre parcel, the longest edge of which runs along the Plum Island turnpike. The last owners who lived in the house owned 2 additional small parcels which were marginally adjacent, and came with the house when the US Fish and Wildlife Service purchased it in September 2011.   

Many assume all the land around The Pink House is conserved marsh land - or part of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. But the entrance to the Refuge is actually 1.3 miles down the road from The Pink House!

Interesting Fact: A quick look at any map shows that much of the land surrounding The Pink House is owned by the Colby's -- a much loved, local family of farmers who have passed the land down from father to son. There are also some individually owned parcels that have held them for generations but are not conserved, though some of land before and after the bridge is held by Greenbelt, as identified by their small trademark signs. 

If you'd like to check it out, visit the Newbury Assessors Map. It's fun!

Support The Pink House agreed with FWS to carve out a little over an acre from that 2.9 acre parcel when we first signed the second Agreement to Initiate Exchange together in December 2021. Many building codes are easier if you have at least an acre. FWS granted that, and co-signed all our applications to complete that process with the town. But the acre + size was also perfect because that contained the upland the house sits on, and the long driveway leading to the street. 

Since then, we have completed the process to survey the land and map the wetland for the purpose of creating an ANR.  We worked with the excellent Donohoe Survey, the owner of which, Paul Donohoe, has been an incredible friend and advisor to STPH, additionally donating quite a bit of their time attending meetings and giving advice through the years. 

We have been so grateful to the many professional who have done work pro bono, often putting other income producing work aside to meet deadlines with us. This not only shows us how truly wonderful people are, but reinforces the widespread understanding of how much this house means to the region. 

Written by Rochelle Joseph, President and volunteer for Support The Pink House Inc.