To furnish the house,

which has seen multiple owners, additions, and change, Timothy Northup drew on his three decades as an antiques dealer. Furnishings date from roughly 1750 to 1942, representing the hand-me-down history of ownership.

who’s restored an early 19th-century house of her own. “We met because of our old houses,” Northup smiles.

When it came to decorating his newly spruced-up place, Northup drew on his three decades as an antiques dealer. “I furnished the house to represent its history. The first owners would have brought their grandparents’ furniture with them, and so on, so I chose things that date from roughly 1750 to 1942.”

His most treasured piece is older than that: a tall-case walnut clock built by Joseph Wells of Philadelphia, ca. 1730. With an ornate brass face and simple cabinet, it has pride of place in a corner of the great room. “I wind it every 30 hours. It still runs and chimes beautifully,” Northup says. “Just think, when the Declaration of Independence was being read to the crowd in Philadelphia, this clock was already keeping time and chiming, just a street away.” He bought the clock from a Philadelphia family and believes that he is only its third owner.

Other favorite things include antique and reproduction Windsor chairs, weathervanes, early 19th-century ironwork, stoneware and yellow-ware, and his grandparents’ hanging scale. He appreciates folk art and collects both old and new, as long as pieces are hand made and representative of folk art traditions.

He and Sallie do a lot of entertaining, showing off the house. She has her own house but they live here.

“I have so many wonderful memories of this house,” Timothy Northup says. “Now it’s warm and welcoming, and we hope we’re creating memories for the next generation.”