CFD conduct training on home prior to demolition

    The Caledonia Fire Department conducted training exercises at a vacant Main Street home slated for demolition just days later. The Livingston County Sheriffs Department Tactical Unit also conducted a training exercise at the property.

   The Village of Caledonia had taken action in the recent months to have the abandoned structure, known as the Wyatt house, condemned due its deteriorated condition. Caledonia resident and landlord Michael Murphy purchased the property located adjacent to the First Church of God and also owns the rental property to the immediate west, referred to as the Joe Joy property, which Murphy has extensively renovated, maintaining its architectural integrity. Both homes date back to the early 1800’s and are of historic value. Murphy and his father, Jim Murphy, worked together at the Wyatt house and upon closer inspection, they discovered extensive water damage had produced significant mold and mildew, making it unsuitable for renovation.

   "It was not an option fiscally to renovate the property. The benefit of this (demolishing the structure) is now you can appreciate Joe Joy's better," Murphy commented.

   While the deteriorated structure detracted from the value and aesthetics of neighboring properties and the village street as a whole, the property does border Spring Creek and is home to a lush natural habitat and several species of wildlife. Murphy and his father uncovered a lot of history buried on the property including an original millstone and several bottles presumed to be around 200 years old.

   The historic significance of the house will live on as the original floorboards were removed prior to the demolition process and went to a LeRoy resident who is building a barn on his York Road property entirely out of donated wood. He plans to use the floorboards to build a second floor in the barn for country dancing. He will use the lower level of the barn to store the antique trucks that he is restoring.

 

Caledonia FD volunteers engage in a training exercise at the Wyatt house on Main Street in Caledonia, just prior to its demolition. Murphy also owns the house adjacent to it and is in the process of historically renovating it.

 

Property owner Michael Murphy watches as heavy equipment demolishes the vacant house on Main Street that he recently purchased. The property had deteriorated beyond repair. Several historical artifacts were discovered on the property including a 200-year old millstone and several glass bottles, presumably medicine bottles and a whiskey bottle.

 

Several bottles presumed to be around 200 years old and an original millstone were uncovered at the site

 

Photos courtesy of Stan MacWilliams