For our first home, my wife and I bought an old farmhouse built in 1867. It had a massive stone foundation with 3-wide brick walls atop that, and true 2x12 beams in the basement. It had brick interior firewalls for structural loading. Back then, they didn't have concrete, so all the mortar was a lime/sand mixture. I did a lot of tuckpointing and rehabbing to that house, but in the end it was a fortress. Unfortunately, my work took me to a different city, and we sold the place. The new owners were a young couple with whom we kept in contact for a few years. They talked about the desire to grow old in that house.

They definitely don't make them like that anymore!