That seems to have ceased as nothing larger than a small boat has been seen there for years. Thomas Kirk from Londonderry, Ireland, came to the Gatineau shortly after the Blackburns and got land on both sides of the river and at a place where the stream is flat and placid for some distance, a thing not very common on that rapid river, there established what was long known as Kirk’s Ferry. Gourlay, who in 1896 wrote the “History of the Ottawa Valley” we quote: Privacy Policy.Kirk's Ferry with Fairy Hotel in background c. Under which this service is provided to you. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018Ĭable News Network. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes.
There is a reserve price but it's unpublished. After all, the town was on the market last year for $3 million. The winning bid will likely come in a lot higher than the starting bid. At a minimum opening bid of $800,000, few bidders will be scared off by the price of this prime Connecticut real estate.Īnd Kelly counts more than a dozen "serious" buyers, who fall into three main categories: Those who want it for a private estate those who want to put in more housing and others who want to establish it as an entertainment facility to shoot movies and such. He said he doesn't buy into the supernatural, hocus-pocus although a couple of recent incidents - one that left a reporter with a twisted knee when she fell off some stairs and another when the long-time caretaker stepped on a nail - gave him pause: Were these just everyday accidents that happen when people trudge around in decaying buildings? Or is Schmitt's ghost trying to sabotage the sale? Water from the pond powered the old mills. Some buildings, like the general store, need work.
"New England winters will kill you," said Kelly. There's wear and tear, however, with peeling paint, roof damage and sagging joists. They are mostly structurally sound, said Jim Kelly, the real estate agent with RM Bradley Company in charge of showing the property. Since then, the vacant buildings have been watched over by a caretaker. A tavern hosted wedding receptions when former owner, Ray Schmitt, ran Johnsonville. But that never panned out due to a lack of infrastructure like public sewers and water service. The town buildings and land were sold to a hotel developer in 2008, which planned to create a resort and senior living facility. His heirs have sold off hundreds of artifacts that Schmitt had collected, including carriages, furniture, trolley cars, and a paddle wheel steamboat. "The rumor is he loved the place so much that he never left," said Rick Sharga, executive vice president for. Fine twine for fishing nets was spun in the town mill. Although some say Schmitt's ghost still haunts the grounds. He then abandoned the project around 1994 and died a few years later. Billy Joel used the chapel in his 1993 video "River of Dreams."Īfter getting into a dispute with town officials of nearby East Haddam over congestion and zoning issues, Schmitt never finished the restoration. More recently, a movie, "Freedom," with Cuba Gooding Jr., was filmed with the town as a backdrop.
Under Schmitt's stewardship, couples said their wedding vows in the picturesque chapel and Billy Joel shot his "River of Dreams" music video. The property now includes the Johnson's original Italianate mansion, a covered bridge, a tavern and other houses. Schmitt restored some of the buildings and shipped in others - including the stable and chapel - to recreate the look and feel of a 19th century Connecticut mill town. The old stable is topped by a fancy square cupola. In the 1960s, the mostly abandoned town was purchased by aerospace tycoon, Raymond Schmitt, who wanted to turn it into a tourist attraction.
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