You know, now that you mention it, I do remember llamas. Perhaps that was what stuck in my head, but I can't say for sure that it was the corner tract but it must have been. The lot across the street (on the other corner S/E) had horses too. In fact someone had cows down a bit further south on County Line road not that long ago. I bet that land was unincorporated until recently because I can't believe a municipality would allow animals like that in the village limits. I also bet the ghost house was unincorporated because vacant houses don't usually last long in local municipalities. In any case, the property with the white fence, as I stated, was occupied until at least 15 years ago.

Yes also, as I indicated above, the ghost house was set back off GCR on the east side of the ravine and could not be seen when the trees were in full bloom. It may have been noticeable in the winter and fall, but I don't remember. With going to grade school at Trinity, I was always around people who had lived in that area for decades. They are the ones that told the story of the abandoned house, and of course my friend (who lived in the subdivision north of Trinity Church) and I had to go and investigate. Of course he had gone there many more times than I did. I'll never forget that car in the garage. There was a small tool room inside the garage and the darned tools were still in it! Not anything big but wrenches and boxes of screws etc. Then there was an open door that led to the basement, and it was totally dark. I mean you could see nothing! I did not dare walk in there. This was the second time I went to the house - after it had burned. The first time I was there when the house was still up, I walked up to the bay window peeked in and could see very little, when I backed off a bit, that is when the ghost face peered around the frame of the window from inside and stared at me. I left running like I had never ran before. I didn't stop until I was halfway into the old Bridewell farm property. Surely that must have been a squatter I saw trying to scare some kids.

That fire must have been put out real fast when it burned because I recall some of the walls still being there and the toilet was still attached to the bathroom floor. I would NOT go into the basement. I went there a third time I recall after someone tried to torch it a second time and the car was undamaged by fire but the vandals got to it and busted the windshield. The driveway entrance at GCR was secured only with a chain across it. The drive was gravel.

Looking at the corner lot again in the photo above from 1988, that rectangular dark spot with the sidewalk around it just south of the driveway was a cement pond or a tennis court. I don't recall seeing a swimming pool there. I may be wrong.

Bruce

Looking at those Photobucket images, that odd shaped "outhouse" shack looks like a well house.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2010 03:04AM by Bruce.