Johnsonville Village, Connecticut facts for kids
Johnsonville Village is a unique place in East Haddam, Connecticut, USA. It used to be a busy town where mills made things, then it became a fun place for tourists. After a while, it became an abandoned ghost town. On July 7, 2017, a church called the Iglesia ni Cristo (which means "Church of Christ") bought the property. This church is based in the Philippines.
A Busy Mill Town
Johnsonville Village was once a very important place for making twine in Connecticut. Twine is a strong string, and the twine made here was mostly used for fishing nets. It was sold all over the country! The town used the power of the Moodus and Salmon rivers to run its mills.
In 1832, the Neptune Mill was built next to a dam. This mill made stocking yarn and carpet warp, which is a type of thread used in carpets. New machines helped them make a lot of twine very quickly. The Neptune Mill grew bigger over time, becoming a huge, three-story building. It even looked a bit like a church with its tall steeple and a bell that would call workers to the factory every morning.
Later, in 1862, a man named Emory Johnson built another mill called the Triton Mill. Soon, houses for workers were built nearby, and that's how Johnsonville Village really started. Emory Johnson also bought the Neptune Mill in 1867. Sadly, the Triton Mill was destroyed in a fire in 1924.
One of the most beautiful buildings in Johnsonville is the Emory Johnson homestead. This house was built in 1846. It has four bedrooms, three fireplaces, and lovely porches with pillars. It still has many of its original details from the Victorian era.
A Fun Tourist Spot
In 1965, a man named Raymond Schmitt bought the Neptune Mill from the Johnson family. He also bought other old buildings, like a Victorian stable and a chapel, and moved them to Johnsonville. The chapel was even used for weddings!
Mr. Schmitt loved old ways of travel. In 1966, he brought a special boat called a sternwheeler to Johnsonville. A sternwheeler is a boat that moves using a large paddle wheel at the back. For many years, people thought this boat was "The American" from an old theme park called Freedomland U.S.A. But later, historians found out it was actually "The Canadian," the twin boat from that same park! Mr. Schmitt bought the boat at an auction and had it brought all the way up the Connecticut River and then by truck to Johnsonville. It sat in the Johnson Millpond for over thirty years. In 1972, the Neptune Mill was hit by lightning and burned down.
In 1993, the famous musician Billy Joel even filmed part of his "River of Dreams" music video at Johnsonville Village!
Becoming a Ghost Town
In 1994, Raymond Schmitt had a disagreement with local officials. He decided to close the tourist attraction and put the property up for sale. Mr. Schmitt passed away in 1998. After he died, his family started selling off many of the old items and even some of the buildings from the village. Some people even say that Mr. Schmitt's ghost still walks around the grounds of Johnsonville!
A company bought the 64-acre property in 2001. They planned to build many new houses and townhouses there, all in the Victorian style. They also wanted to fix up the original buildings. However, this plan didn't work out because there were too many houses proposed for the area.
The village slowly fell apart over the years. It was even shown on a TV show called Abandoned on National Geographic.
The village was put up for sale again in an online auction in October 2014. Someone bid US$1.9 million, but the sale didn't go through. Finally, on July 7, 2017, the Iglesia ni Cristo church bought Johnsonville Village for $1.85 million.
