Johnsonville Village, once a thriving mill community, then a Victorian Era tourist attraction, was an abandoned ghost town in East Haddam, Connecticut, United States. On July 7, 2017, the property was acquired by the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), an independent, nontrinitarian Christian denomination based in the Philippines. [1]
Harnessing power from the abundant water sources of the Moodus and Salmon rivers, the little hamlet became the center of twine production in Connecticut. The twine was primarily used for fishnets, and was sold on both coasts and the Great Lakes.
In 1832, the Neptune Mill was constructed beside a dam just north of the Salmon River Cove. The Card Company, as it was then known also made stocking yarn and carpet warp. New cord wrapping machines filled these mills and twine was produced on a massive scale. Over the years, the Neptune Mill expanded until it reached its 100x100 ft dimensions. Three stories tall, it was a massive edifice, architecturally resembling a church with its steeple and bell that would call workers into the factory each morning.
In 1862, Emory Johnson built the Triton Mill at the northern end of the Millpond; tenements and worker housing soon cropped up in the ensuing years, and Johnsonville was born. [2] The Neptune Mill also came into Johnson's possession in 1867. The Triton Mill was destroyed in a fire in 1924. [3]
One of the jewels of Johnsonville is the Emory Johnson homestead. Built in 1846, the four-bedroom house has three fireplaces, pillared porches, a formal garden and original Victorian-era details. [4]
In 1965, Raymond Schmitt, the controversial owner of AGC Corporation, an aerospace equipment manufacturer, bought the Neptune Mill from the Johnson family. He also purchased other vintage buildings and had them moved to Johnsonville, including a Victorian stable and chapel, which hosted weddings. [5]
Nostalgic for the bygone modes of transit of the 19th century, Schmitt brought a sternwheeler to Johnsonville in 1966. For many years, the boat was reported to be "The American" from the Freedomland U.S.A. theme park (1960-1964) in New York City. [6] This has proven to be an error. Research by Freedomland historians discovered that the boat was the twin sternwheeler from Freedomland known as "The Canadian." Connecticut newspaper articles include pictures of "The Canadian" on the millpond. Schmitt bought it at auction and had it towed up the Connecticut River and then carried by truck to Moodus, where it would sit in the Johnson Millpond for more than thirty years. In 1972, the Neptune Mill was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. [2]
In 1993, Billy Joel filmed part of his "River of Dreams" music video at the village.
In 1994, Schmitt got into a disagreement with local zoning officials and shut down the attraction, putting the property up for sale. Schmitt died in 1998, and his estate started selling off many of the antiques and other pieces of the property, including some of the buildings. Some suggest that the ghost of Schmitt roams the grounds of Johnsonville. [7]
A hotel developer, MJABC LLC, bought the 64-acre property in 2001. In 2004, MJABC filed plans for a mixed-use development on the site that included 133 upscale, single-family houses and townhouses, all built in Victorian style and with an age restriction for owners, and for keeping and restoring most of the original dozen or so buildings. That proposal fell apart, however, because the housing component was deemed too high-density. As of October 2014, MJABC LLC still owned the property and continued to pay taxes on it. [8] As of April 2013, Chozick Realty, Inc. of Hartford had listed the village for just under $3 million. [9]
The village, which has now fallen into disrepair, was featured in an episode of the National Geographic TV series Abandoned . [10] The village went up for sale at an online auction on 28 October 2014. The winning bid was US$1.9 million on October 30, 2014, but the deal fell through. [11] On July 7, 2017, the Philippine-based independent Christian Church, Iglesia ni Cristo bought the village for $1.85 million. [1]
Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. According to the 2020 census, the population was 899,498, making it the second-most populous county in Connecticut. Hartford County contains the city of Hartford, the state capital of Connecticut and the county's most populous city, with 121,054 residents at the 2020 census. Hartford County is included in the Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown metropolitan statistical area.
Middlesex County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 164,245. The county was created in May 1785 from portions of Hartford County and New London County.
East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census.
Moodus is a village in the town of East Haddam, Connecticut, United States. The village is the basis of a census-designated place (CDP) of the same name. The population of the CDP was 1,982 as of the census of 2020.
Freedomland U.S.A. was a theme park dedicated to American history in the Baychester section of the northeastern Bronx in New York City, United States. Freedomland was built on marshland owned by the Webb and Knapp company, of which William Zeckendorf Sr. was the major owner. Zeckendorf announced his plans for Freedomland in May 1959. The park, conceived and built by C. V. Wood, consisted of over 40 attractions arranged in the shape of a large map of the contiguous United States. Groundbreaking ceremonies for Freedomland occurred in late 1959, and Freedomland opened to large crowds on June 19, 1960.
Eduardo Villanueva Manalo also known as Ka Eduardo is the current Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC). He is the third generation of the Manalo family to lead the church following his father, the late Eraño G. Manalo, and his grandfather, Felix Y. Manalo.
Scenic is an unincorporated community in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located within Scenic Township, which had a 2010 census population of 58 inhabitants. The community is located adjacent to the Badlands National Park, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Rapid City, or about one hour by car, along Highway 44.
Franklin Academy is a co-ed special education boarding school in East Haddam, Connecticut, serving students in grades 8-12 as well as post-graduate students. The school's primary mission is to provide education to adolescents and young adults with nonverbal learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders.
Felix Y. Manalo , also known as Ka Felix, was the first Executive Minister of Iglesia ni Cristo. Members of Iglesia Ni Cristo believe that Felix Manalo is the last messenger of God. He is the father of Eraño G. Manalo, who succeeded him as Executive Minister of the INC, and the grandfather of Eduardo V. Manalo, the current Executive Minister of Iglesia ni Cristo.
Gay City State Park is a public recreation area on the Blackledge River in the towns of Hebron and Bolton, Connecticut. The state park occupies 1,569 acres (635 ha) bordering Meshomasic State Forest and is accessible from State Route 85. In addition to its deep forest, millpond, and marshland, the park bears trace remnants of the mill town that occupied the site for most of the 19th century. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The Salmon River is formed at the confluence of the Blackledge and Jeremy rivers about one mile west of North Westchester, Connecticut. It drains 96,000 acres and courses for 10.4 miles (16.7 km) to Salmon Cove near Moodus where it flows into the Connecticut River. The Salmon River is probably the largest stream and watershed whose sources and mouth are entirely within the limits of Connecticut.
The Valley Railroad, operating under the name Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, is a heritage railroad based in Connecticut on tracks of the Connecticut Valley Railroad, which was founded in 1868. The company began operations in 1971 between Deep River and Essex, and has since reopened additional parts of the former Connecticut Valley Railroad line. It operates the Essex Steam Train and the Essex Clipper Dinner Train.
Johnsonville is a town in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Princes Highway 18.9 km east from the city of Bairnsdale and 18.3 km west from the tourist resort and fishing port of Lakes Entrance. The town encompasses an area of approximately 5,617 hectares, 56 square kilometres or 13,879 acres.
Machimoodus State Park is a public recreation area located on the Salmon River near the village of Moodus in the town of East Haddam, Connecticut. The state park is bordered by Sunrise State Park to the north and by the Salmon River and Salmon Cove to the west and south. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden is a historic house museum at 9 Main Street North in Bethlehem, Connecticut. The main house was built between about 1754 and 1767 by the Rev. Joseph Bellamy, a prominent Congregationalist minister who played an influential role in the First Great Awakening. The property, the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The house and surrounding gardens are owned and operated by Connecticut Landmarks; admission is charged. Another 81 acres of forest and fields adjacent to the museum property are maintained as Bellamy Preserve, the town of Bethlehem's "Central Park," by the Bethlehem Land Trust.
The Philippine Arena is the world's largest indoor arena. It is a multipurpose indoor arena with a maximum seating capacity of 55,000 at Ciudad de Victoria, a 140-hectare tourism enterprise zone in Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines about 30 kilometers north of Manila. It is one of the centerpieces of the many centennial projects of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) for their centennial celebration on July 27, 2014. The legal owner of the arena is the INC's educational institution, New Era University. The arena is officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest mixed-use indoor theater in the world on July 27, 2014.
Sunrise State Park is a public recreation area occupying the site of the former Sunrise Resort in the town of East Haddam, Connecticut. The state park encompasses 143 acres (58 ha) on the east shore of Salmon River and shares an entrance with Machimoodus State Park to the south. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The 2015 Iglesia ni Cristo leadership controversy is a dispute between senior members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) in the Philippines. In July 2015, it was reported that the INC had expelled some of its ministers, along with high-profile members Felix Nathaniel "Angel" Manalo and Cristina "Tenny" Villanueva Manalo, the brother and mother of current INC Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo, respectively.
Middle Haddam School is a historic school building at 12 Schoolhouse Lane in East Hampton, Connecticut. Built in 1930 in the Colonial Revival architectural style, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
