Real Estate
Cue millennial nostalgia. The real creek is actually called Hewlett’s Creek, and it’s nowhere near Cape Cod.
An iconic piece of Massachusetts television history has hit the market, but it doesn’t even exist in the Bay State. In a tragic hit to elder millennial nostalgia everywhere, the “Dawson’s Creek” house, which served as home base for the Cape Cod-set TV series, is now on the market for $3.25 million. Its real-life setting is Wilmington, North Carolina.
6424 Head Road served as the home of the lead character, Dawson Leery, played by beloved actor James Van Der Beek, in the WB teen drama, which ran from 1998 to 2003. Set in the sleepy (and nonexistent) Cape Cod town of Capeside, the home played a significant role throughout the show’s run.
Many important scenes were filmed on-site, ranging from Katie Holmes climbing through the window in the pilot to chats between the characters on the wooden dock as the water glistened in the distance. And with the rise of Netflix and the recent “Dawson’s Creek” reunion charity event, interest in the show is higher than ever.
Built in 1880 by ancestors of the home’s current owners, the four-bed, three-and-a-half bath home, which measures 2,274 square feet, is tucked at the end of a private road. It sits on a 1.7-acre lot on a creek — Hewlett’s Creek — and boasts 134 feet of waterfront space, as well as unobstructed views of the creek and the stunning wildlife, including herons and egrets, that inhabit it.
“Certainly, for our area, waterfront property definitely commands a premium,” said Jill Sabourin of the Sabourin Homes Team at Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage, who has the listing.
An expansive screened porch, a mainstay of the series, spans the home’s width. Inside, you’ll find a spacious living room with a fireplace and a wall of built-in bookshelves, a large eat-in kitchen, and a formal dining room.
Don’t forget to head upstairs to see if you can figure out which bedroom was Dawson Leery’s. Of course, some of the home’s most memorable spaces are outdoors, like its lengthy dock and pathway to the water.
Since the house has been in the same family since its construction, the owners are hoping the next buyer will be someone looking to maintain its historic integrity.
“Our family has cherished this home for generations, and while it’s hard to say goodbye, we’re hopeful the next owner will love it as much as we have,” a family representative, speaking on behalf of the sellers, said in a statement. “This isn’t just walls and windows to us — it’s a chapter of Wilmington’s story.”
“Dawson’s” fans have shown up at the secluded property over the years in an attempt to get a look at the house, but nothing prepared Sabourin for the outpouring of interest she’s received since the coastal dreamhouse hit the market.
“I didn’t have any preconceived notion of what it was going to be, but it has definitely taken a life of its own,” she noted.
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