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July 29, 2022 LUXURY REAL ESTATE

Private island for sale in Branford

PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Prudden Island in the Thimble Islands chain in Branford.
By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich

Ever imagine what it’d be like to own your very own private island?

Prudden Island, part of the Thimble Islands chain in the Stony Creek section of Branford, is on the market for $2.5 million.

Listed by William Raveis Real Estate, the island’s eight-room ranch features six bedrooms and two full baths and is close to the mainland of Stony Creek.

Realtor Vicky Welch is the listing agent for Prudden Island, and said the enchantment of island living — where you can watch the sunset on one side of the home and see the moon rising on the other — is waiting for the right owner.

“This home is a muse that would appeal to the best authors and artists of the world,” Welch said. “In fact, Liberace once played there. The outdoor spaces are ideal for entertaining. This home would appeal to a spectrum of buyers.”

Built in 1930, the single-family home offers 360-degree views of the sunrise and sunset. It features 1,415 square feet of interior living space, multiple sliding glass doors, white shiplap walls and large windows for enjoying views of Long Island Sound.

The kitchen features exposed wooden beams, vaulted ceilings and granite countertops, with all appliances included. The main level dining and living areas also feature exposed wood beams, vaulted ceilings and wood floors, offering both casual and formal entertaining space. Wood floors abound in the bedrooms, which have white shiplap walls and their own balconies and windows for the homeowner to enjoy water vistas.

Set on 0.21 acres, the exterior of the home features outdoor living and entertaining space, including a 360-degree deck surrounding the ranch that can be used for everything from dining alfresco and enjoying your morning coffee or tea to simply enjoying the sea breeze. There’s a dock to park a boat, and a water taxi that runs every two hours to the mainland on the weekdays and every hour on the weekends.

The home, which is currently owned by Nancy Myers, trustee, with an address in New York, also comes completely furnished, and includes its own separate clamming island. The town of Branford’s most recent appraisal valued the property at $862,800.

On the market for about 30 days, Welch said she has shown the home a few times to interested buyers. As of late July, the property was still on the market.

Prudden Island is just one island in the Thimble archipelago of small islands in Long Island Sound, located in and around the harbor of Stony Creek in the southeast corner of Branford. Wheeler Island, known as the Queen of the Thimble Islands, sold in February for nearly $3 million.

In May 2021, Belden Island, a four-bedroom cottage built in 1912, sold for $1.25 million, and Potato Island, a 3,781-square foot island in the chain, sold for $4.2 million in September 2020.

According to Connecticuthistory.org, the Thimble Islands are a chain of 365 islands. Legends say the islands were named for thimbleberries, a relative of the state’s native black raspberries.

Dutch explorer Adrian Block was the first European to discover the islands in 1614, although the Mattabesek Indians knew them and referred to them as Kuttomquosh, “the beautiful sea rocks.”

These days the Thimble Islands remain a quiet summer community, although recently they have witnessed a resurgence in tourism. Of the over 365 islands, only 23 are inhabited, and only six islands have electrical power brought through underwater cables. The properties are included on the National Register of Historic Places. Famous Americans have also called the Thimble Islands home at some point or another, including General Tom Thumb, of P. T. Barnum fame, President William Taft and cartoonist Gary Trudeau.

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