If you are in the market to buy a village, this will be right up your alley. This 62 acre historic village went up for auction and guess what? Nobody wanted it! Nope, not a one. It has in fact had three different owners. So right about now you may be asking yourself… what is wrong with it? I asked the same thing.
Looking through the pictures nothing seems out-of-order.
It does have some chipped paint and a little wear and tear.
Considering its rich history, it looks quite good.
Here is the one room meeting-house.
This town was once booming.
In 1862, Emory Johnson built the Triton Mill at the northern end of the village.
Then in 1965, a gentlemen by the name of Raymond Schmitt, the owner of an aerospace equipment manufacturer, bought the Neptune Mill from the Johnson family. He put a lot into the town. He even purchased vintage buildings from other places and had them moved to Johnsonville.
They hosted weddings and other events here.
Are you still wondering why nobody wants this town?!
The homes are beautiful. Not what you’d expect to see abandoned.
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In 1994, Schmitt had a disagreement with local zoning officials and decided to ignore the place. He put the property up for sale.
In 1998, Schmitt passed away.
The estate sold off antiques and pieces of the property to pay debtors.
Some say that Schmitt haunts the village.
A hotel developer ended up purchasing the village in 2001. They had plans to use it for an upscale mixed-use development that had single family homes and townhouses. The plans however never came to fruition.
The price to buy this 62 acre town is sitting at a cool $1.9 million USD. How it’s not turned into an awesome tourist spot or a retirement village is beyond me. If i had the cash, I’d throw a little elbow grease into it and enjoy a cool town with all my friends!