Historic CT Ghost Town Purchased By Church

EAST HADDAM, CT — After sitting idle for years, the historic Connecticut ghost town Johnsonville has been purchased. Tucked away in the Moodus section of East Haddam, the village has been the star of songs, movies and numerous auctions over the years.

Nearly two decades after being abandoned, Johnsonville has been taken off the market after being purchased by a Los Angeles buyer representing the Iglesia Ni Cristo Church (Church of Christ). The deal closed on Friday, July 7, approximately 15 days after the church made their offer.

The purchase was handled by realtor Sherrie Milkie, who said finding the right buyer for Johnsonville was no easy task. (To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities click here.)

"It was very challenging," Milkie said. "I had it listed for 13 months, and it was listed for four years prior to my having the listing."

Milkie said the church plans to use the 62-acre property as a sports and recreation entertainment facility for the congregation and the brothers.

See also: Historic Connecticut Ghost Town Seeking Buyers

• Ghost Town Back on the Market

The development will have a vary low-impact on the environment and town, as the church plans to rehabilitate all the town's buildings currently in place. Some will be used as meeting houses for the congregation, while others will be used for other purposes.

Iglesia ni Cristo is an international Christian church that originated in the Philippines. According to the their website, the church's primary purpose is to "serve and worship the Almighty God based on His teachings" found in the Bible.

"The Church Of Christ is a church for every one who will heed the call of God and embrace its faith," the website says, "regardless of one's nationality, cultural background, social standing, economic status and educational attainment."

The church has three Connecticut locales (Bristol, Stamford and Windham), with other locations spanning across all 50 states.

The new owners told NBC Connecticut the Johnsonville Village name will likely stay, and their first priority is to clean and restore the existing buildings.

The village of Johnsonville includes more than a half a dozen buildings, with some dating back to the 1830's when it was a thriving mill town.

“The nearby Neptune Mill supplied twine for fishing nets to the Connecticut coast, and workers here built a village that prospered all the way until the 1960s,” according to National Geographic footage from "Abandoned," a television show about forgotten places. “But when the demand for twine disappeared, so did the villagers.”

A man named Raymond Schmitt purchased Johnsonville in the early 1960s, according to the Damned CT website. The new landowner wanted the space to be a tourist attraction, purchasing vintage buildings and having them moved to the town.

Johnsonville was previously listed on realtor.com in June for $1.9 million. The Hartford Courant reported the church paid $1.85 million for the property.

Below are some other interesting facts about Johnsonville:

• Johnsonville had a starring role in the 1993 video for Billy Joel’s “The River of Dreams”
• The movie “Freedom,” starring Cuba Gooding Jr. (originally billed as “Something Whispered”) was partially filmed in Johnsonville
• Some say Schmitt's ghost still roams through Johnsonville

For more information on Iglesia Ni Cristo, visit the church website.

Get Patch's previous coverage here.

Images via realtor.com