During the 1964 Newport Folk Festival , co-founder George Wein needed to house several blues performers . Enter Restmere . Wein rented the home ( then vacant ) for a week to artists like Mississippi John Hurt , Willie Doss and Fred McDowell , who jammed there with fellow festival headliners Bob Dylan , Johnny Cash and Peter , Paul and Mary .
The resulting album , Traditional Music at Newport 1964 , Part 1 , features a photo of the artists gathered on Restmere ’ s porch .
Now that the main project is complete — “ It was a blast ,” says Grosvenor — they ’ ve turned their attention to landscaping . In crafting the exterior look , they pored over the home ’ s original landscape plans and tried to recreate its former majesty by adding paths , walls and several plantings .
River birches and sugar maples dot the lawn , with dozens of rose bushes planted in memory of Hackett ’ s mother , Roseann , who loved the showy , fragrant blooms .
Their efforts paid off : The home is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places , and in 2019 won both the Doris Duke Historic Preservation Award and the Rhody Award for Historic Preservation .
But Grosvenor and Hackett aren ’ t yet done . They ’ re already working on their next project , renovating a historic home in Jaffrey , New Hampshire , at the base of Mount Monadnock . They hope to make it as inviting and warm as their home in Middletown , where they love to host their blended family , including five children and three grandchildren , as much as they can .
“ Everyone says it ’ s a happy home ,” Hackett says . “ That ’ s the best compliment .” �
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