A while back I posted pics of a vacant “town” here in CT, just across the river. Click HERE for that post. Long story short – an eccentric millionaire bought the place and in the 1960’s began transforming what was an old mill and homestead into a village that he planned to have open to the public for events, etc. Some old buildings – 1800’s.. from all around New England were moved to the property.. a church, a school, a livery stable, a General Store, etc… and his vision for a village, called Johnsonville, began to take life. For a while there were activities.. like weddings and Christmas displays, a restaurant briefly, antiques store, etc. But as his health declined, so did the village vision. Once he passed, the property went on the market – reasons for the family not continuing with his vision vary, and some family members insist they wanted to move forward with his plan. Alas, it never came to be. Nor did the sale. Currently, the 62 acre property and all it’s buildings are going to auction… with the possibility that the whole thing will sell for as little as $800,000. – wow.
Mike and I took one last stroll through the grounds yesterday before the probable event that it will all be taken down. We hope not, but the truth of it is, there is so much work that would need to be done to restore each of the buildings, so much updating… i.e. asbestos removal, very expensive for each dwelling, etc… that the odds are not in favor of restoration of the village.
I should tell you that if you are local and considering browsing the property… heed the no trespassing signs. Even though it looks abandoned, it is not. There are still family members living in one of the houses on the property and they don’t take kindly to us shutterbugs invading their space. Understandable, and I’m sure there are hard feelings among them about the state of the property.
For an article on the property and auction, click on link below.
http://www.ctpost.com/realestate/article/How-much-would-you-pay-for-a-Connecticut-ghost-5827070.php
The original Johnson Homestead –
In the above picture you can see the red restaurant building lower on the hill… and below is the church.. just across the street….
A School House moved to the site in the 60’s….
The post office building… just across the road from the homestead, where a there was once a productive working mill. Moodus itself was a Mill town back in the day.
There are several homes along the road, one or two still occupied …. they most likely date to the late 1800’s , early 1900’s. All would need much work.
The Restaurant… I read in a forum for a while it was named the Red Door. There was a Victorian Gift Shoppe below it, and perhaps an antiques shop as well.
The General Store….
The handle on the front door is so unique.. there are touches like this throughout the buildings. I hope someone salvages them.
