Johnsonville is a village in East Haddam, Connecticut. It used to be a small milltown until the 1970s, when a fire gutted the local economy. The owner, Raymond Schmitt, was an eccentric businessman in the aerospace industry. After the fire, he announced his intention to turn it into a tourist attraction. Schmitt moved quaint, turn-of-the-century buildings from elsewhere in New England to Johnsonville. He envisioned it as a place where visitors could step back in time.
The tourist town was never a financial success and, in 1994, after a dispute with the local government, Schmitt closed it. He died 4 years later. Now the current owners are selling off Johnsonville.
Would you like to own a ghost town? It's 52 acres of land and a 15-acre pond. There are a dozen buildings and a private waterfall. The opening bid is $800,000.
If you watched MTV during the 90s, you may have already seen Johnsonville. Billy Joel filmed part of the music video for his song "River of Dreams" there.
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