The Village of Johnsonville in East Haddam, CT is a beautiful, tranquil little town. So why did everyone leave 22 years ago and never came back?

According to damnedct.com, Once a thriving mill town in East Haddam, the Village of Johnsonville became the center of twine production in the mid 1800s until 1924, when the Triton Mill was destroyed by fire. A new mill was eventually built named the Neptune Mill, which was in operation until it was also destroyed by fire in 1972.

Abandoned Buildings in Johnsonville - I-95 Photo
Abandoned Buildings in Johnsonville - I-95 Photo
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In 1960, an eccentric owner of an aerospace equipment manufacturer named Raymond Schmitt, actually purchased Johnsonville. Not only did he buy the 64 acre property, he purchased a Victorian stable and a chapel from Massachusetts, and had them transported to his new little made up town. He also purchased quite a collection of horse drawn carriages for the property.

Johnsonville - I-95 Photos
Johnsonville - I-95 Photos
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Curbed.com says that over the years, the story has been told that Schmitt's intention was to turn Johnsonville into a tourist attraction, but that dream really never came to fruition. Schmitt allowed tourists to tour his unique town and opened up his beautiful personal village buildings to charity events and weddings. In 1994, Schmitt got into a verbal scuffle with the town of East Haddam, which caused him to shut down his village and put it up for sale. In 1998, Schmitt passed away and his estate began selling off all the antiques he had accumulated over the years.

To this day, the buildings remain intact, but the deterioration has taken its toll. Skeletal remains of animals who have fallen through rotted floors stand out with overgrown vines clinging to the sides of, what once were beautiful buildings.

Johnsonville - I-95 Photo
Johnsonville - I-95 Photo
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Village of Johnsonville - I-95 Photo
Village of Johnsonville - I-95 Photo
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Currently, the hotel conglomerate, Meyer Jabara owns Johnsonville, but they really have no desire to develop the property, so Jabara put it up for auction in 2014. He found a buyer who offered $1.9 million, but was unable to complete the deal and then VANISHED. The Village of Johnsonville continues to rot away and there are now "No Trespassing" signs posted around the property. If you do decide to chance it, the remains of Johnsonville are located on Johnsonville Road in East Haddam just off Route 149 near the Moodus end of town. Go ahead, I dare ya!

Johnsonville - I-95 Photo
Johnsonville - I-95 Photo
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