Larry, my brother, had a painting business from which he retired. A property near Gettysburg, Pa. was in need of painting and Larry had been asked by a friend if he would do the job. Being the person that Larry is, he agreed. The house is quite unique and intriquing. Larry had told Tom and I about this place and said that we should come up one day to see it. Yesterday morning we arranged to meet Joanne so she could show us the way to this place. Driving into the property there is a large barn and other farm buildings with the house located at the top of a hill beyond the farm buildings. The house was built in the 1930's but outwardly looks newer than that time. It is a stone structure on one level plus the basement. Inside the house there are, I believe, 4 units each consisting of a bedroom with a fireplace and a bathroom and several, also, have a living room. The exterior walls looked to be at least a foot thick, exterior doors were 2.5-3 inches thick. In a central area was a large kitchen. In the basement there were a large walk-in freezer and refrigerator and a huge water tank probably 3o feet long and 8-10 feet in diameter. One side of the basement had garage doors that cars could be pulled into the basement. The basement windows were all bricked up. The known people that lived here when first built were a German man and wife by the name of Lovejoy. Pictures have been found of Lovejoy in German military uniform. Aerial view of the house looks very much like a swastika. The Lovejoys were said to stay to themselves not having any interactions with the neighbors. Mr. Lovejoy died of a sudden heartattack and Mrs. Lovejoy ended her days in a nursing home. The last owner was a Sterner connected to Snyder's of Hanover. The present owner/group is rehabbing the property for a business venture of some sort.
There seems to be a mystery about this property and just what it was used for. Speculations are there was some sort of spy operation from here. The structure suggests that they were prepared for a major distructive act should it occur. The prior owners had painted the rooms very bright colors that often did not contast well together. The colors that Larry is painting are various shades of browns and terra cotta reds. It will be a beautiful house once the renovations are completed. The location is beautiful- situated on a hill the views are of rolling tree cover hills, wildlife is frequently seen and this will be a haven for them.
The property is loaded with security. As soon as we drove into the driveway of the house we were followed. Larry working in the house heard reports of our driving up the driveway and knew we were on the way up. Throughout the house are security cameras and a sophisticated system of cataloging folks that come onto the property.
Cape Cod Canal
4 hours ago
