An entire Connecticut village is up for sale, with a starting bid set at just $800,000. But there's one catch: the village is essentially a "ghost town" that has been abandoned for decades.
The village of Johnsonville, Conn., is located 30 minutes away from Hartford, and two hours away from New York City and Boston.
Once a thriving community, the village was built around a number of twine mills that used the nearby Moodus River as a power source. The village, constructed in the 19th century, was mainly made up of housing for the mill workers.
But its twine industry took a hit after a fire in 1924 destroyed one of the main mills.
Over the years there were multiple redevelopment efforts, including aerospace manufacturer Raymond Schmitt’s attempt to turn the area into a tourist attraction during the 1960s.
After buying the property that makes up the village, Schmitt bought vintage buildings including a Victorian-era stable and chapel, and had them moved and set up on his land, according to the blog Damned Connecticut.
Then, in 1972, one of the village's mills was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.
After Schmitt died in 1998, his family began selling off parts of his estate.
The property was bought by a hotel developer in 2008, but was never developed. Last year, the property was up for sale with a price tag just under $3 million.
Now the entire village is listed on the auction website auction.com.
According to the listing, the historic village comes with 62 acres of land and eight "structures of historic significance." The village sits on the "picturesque" Johnson Millpond, "complete with covered bridge, wooden dam and waterfall."
Interestingly, the abandoned village has become something of an unofficial tourist attraction. It has been written about in multiple travel and lifestyle blogs, and was even featured in an episode of the National Geographic TV series "Abandoned." The village was also featured in part of Billy Joel's music video "River of Dreams."
