We first saw this house from the back and were delighted by the darling treehouse painted pink and blue, to match the house and garage. When we rounded the corner, the entire Arlington, Mass., home was just as charming.

Back in the day, it belonged to Ralph N. Smith. After working as an assistant bookkeeper and school teacher at Middlesex County House of Correction in East Cambridge, Mass., Smith (1871-1935) married Dorothy T. Adams and moved to Arlington in 1900.

This beauty, built in 1902, was their home.

Smith was appointed Middlesex Clerk of Courts in 1921, and reelected to that position until his death in 1935.

One cool thing we found while trying to research this house, was a collection of photos shot by Smith. The Cambridge Historical Commission, which received the collection of 76 glass negatives, explains: “The photographs includes scenes from summer vacationing in the Brant Rock area of Marshfield, MA; views of Middlesex County courthouse and prison buildings; and views of the 1896 Cambridge semi-centenary parade as it passed through East Cambridge,” says the website, where you can also view the old photos.

Awesome touchstone to the past, and to the family that called this place home.