Dr. Shaffer amassed nearly 41 acres by the time of his death in 1928. He built his own grand country home and christened it “Beacon Hill Cottage.” The Benedict Homestead and Beacon Hill Cottage remained in the Shaffer family for two more decades.

Grandson Newton Shaffer sold the Benedict Homestead on one acre of land to sisters Mary Frances and Elizabeth Marie Regan on June 27, 1949. The granddaughters of Irish immigrants, Jeremiah and Mary Regan, the Regan sisters had lived on the Beacon Hill estate for most of their lives. Their father, John L. Regan, was the superintendent for Dr. Shaffer. Regan had married Mary Flanagan in 1908 in New York City – she having been the maid/cook for Dr. Shaffer. He managed the estate until his death in 1933 and Mary continued managing the Shaffer estate after her husband’s death.  She died on Dec. 30, 1943. Mary and Elizabeth lived in the house until their deaths – Elizabeth in 1990 and Mary in 1993, both having had long careers as teachers in the Ridgefield public schools. Their older sister, Marguerite, also lived in the cottage until her death in 1972.  Expanded and renovated in recent years, the house today still retains much of its historical charm.