I want to see your secret places!

Papazita · #1 03-27-2009, 06:37 PM

Have you ever seen a building, or "mysterious" piece of property, and you just HAD to know what was inside? What it looked like? Who lived there?
This is a bit long, but here's the place I want to see...

My Great aunt & uncle own a house in a small private beach community on the shore of Lake Erie; between Sandusky and Vermillion, Ohio.
The house was the cheap summer vacation of choice for just about everyone in my family. As a kid, my own family would spend a week there just about every summer. It was a nice place; well, as nice as a beach on Lake Erie can be. No old shoes, medical waste, car tires, or dead bodies washing up on the shore at all! It really didn't smell all that bad, either.

And then "the neighbor" arrived.

Someone bought a large chunk of property just to the east of this little community. No one knew who it was, what they did, or what was being built. To this day, no one knows; there's nothing but rumors. Here's what they DO know...

Construction on this place began sometime in the mid to late 1980s. The community was assured by the county that the purchase did not include any beach area, and any construction on the site would not adversely affect the surrounding shoreline. Well...
The first thing done was the massive wall of earth built to totally block views of the property from the road. Just a single gate, complete with guard house and two visibly armed guards in black suits, and their dogs, at the far eastern end of the property. The thickly wooded areas between the two properties of course remained.

As expected, the construction did extend to the shore, despite assurances to the contrary. First came the barbed wire dividing "his" beach from the rest. The problem here was that "his" beach, as marked, included about 50 yards belonging to the community. They went to court over it and lost. Even after going to court, they still didn't know who "he" was; all they dealt with was a team of slick attorneys representing "the Client."
After the loss of this beach area, a stone & concrete wall was constructed from the land, across the beach, and a good distance into the lake itself. I say "wall," but it's more of a pile. A VERY large pile, which is just as effective.

Then things started getting really weird...

Multiple helicopter flights to and from the property, 24/7.

The appearance of multiple guard towers on the property, just visible over the stone "wall;" visible to boaters on the lake.

Several groups of armed guards and dogs patrolling the property; semi-automatics clearly visible, slung over their black suits.

The rumors at this point ran from "eccentric privacy-freak billionaire," to drug lord, to Mafia boss. The Mafia boss was the preferred theory when the first "official" version of who the property owner was came out; the very wealthy owner of a ceiling tile manufacturer. Ok, I guess that's feasible...but why the secrecy and heavily armed guards? Something never sat right about the "official" story.

(con't...)

Papazita · #2 03-27-2009, 06:38 PM

After a few years, the community started seeing damage done to what was left of their beach (erosion, change in water currents & tidal patterns, flooding, etc); which was attributed to the massive stone wall that had been built up into the lake; it was significantly altering the flow of water in that area. A few of the more adventurous boaters in the area took to trying to get a better look at the property from the water. This guy not only built up a stone wall, but his own personal jetty!
My uncles' boat lingered a little too long. Out came the guards in their speedboat; semi-automatic rifles out and aimed. He was told that he was trespassing on private property & had to come with them. Of course he refused; he wasn't on private property, he was on a public waterway; this guy didn't own LAKE ERIE! (Nothing scares a D-Day vet!)
Similar incidents have occurred to other boaters, as well.

On one of the last family vacations we spent there, my mom, my aunt, my cousin, and one of my cousin's friends decided to take a walk, "accidentally" venturing onto this mystery property, just to see whatever they could (and to see what would happen). They figured that if they got caught, a group of 4 women could always "play dumb."
Didn't see much that looked like a house. The private jetty/harbor area with a few speedboats. Guard towers. A helipad, for those constant flights in & out. A series of small to medium-sized buildings, connected by various open and enclosed walkways. A slightly larger building that could have been a house. Basically, what they saw was definitely NOT a mansion, as the "official" story claimed.
Most surprising was that no guards every intercepted them. They would have been clearly visible to anyone in the towers. We've always just assumed that they didn't consider chasing them away worth the effort. Let them look, it'll only add to the mystery!

In the years since, others have gotten the occasional glimpse of the property. No one believes the ceiling tile magnate story anymore. Some sort of research lab? Military? FBI? NSA? Secret Service? One of the "undisclosed, secure locations" that Dick Cheney was always camping out in?

Papazita · #3 03-27-2009, 06:40 PM

Here are the latitude/longitude coordinates for the property. You can look it up on Google Earth, but can't get a close enough zoom for any real detail.

+41° 23' 21.96", -82° 26' 58.11"

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=...-8&sa=N&tab=wl

We have a big family reunion coming up this summer, at the beach house. And damn it if I don't want to see this place for myself!

iamlowsound · #4 03-27-2009, 06:48 PM

That sounds interesting. Maybe that is where Jimmy Hoffa is hiding out.

lowsound

EagleMoon · #5 03-27-2009, 06:51 PM

Wow. Secret military instillation maybe? Sounds really bizarre. I don't blame you for wanting to get a better look.

Papazita · #6 03-27-2009, 06:56 PM

The link I put up is actually for Google Maps. Google Earth doesn't give a better view at all; at least not the free version.

EagleMoon · #7 03-27-2009, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papazita

The link I put up is actually for Google Maps. Google Earth doesn't give a better view at all; at least not the free version.

You can get a little closer in Google Earth and turn the camera around so you're looking at it from different angles. Really can't tell what it is though. Are those trees planted in line in the back?

NJL · #8 03-27-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papazita

Here are the latitude/longitude coordinates for the property. You can look it up on Google Earth, but can't get a close enough zoom for any real detail.

+41° 23' 21.96", -82° 26' 58.11"

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=...-8&sa=N&tab=wl

/papazita

Papazita · #9 03-27-2009, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJL

/papazita

...Eh?

Joe Gress · #10 03-27-2009, 07:15 PM

The only secret places that I could show are not TB safe. So no.

Papazita · #11 03-27-2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EagleMoon

You can get a little closer in Google Earth and turn the camera around so you're looking at it from different angles. Really can't tell what it is though. Are those trees planted in line in the back?

What? The dark green splotch or the darker green splotch?

I'm guessing the dark green splotches are all trees...

mike_v_s · #12 03-27-2009, 07:21 PM

A trip to the County Clerk of Court is in order. Tax rolls (assessed value of the property and who is paying) are public information. They will also lead you to the Act of Sale and who purchased the property, as well as any leases, mortgages, etc that may encumber it. You'd be surprised what you have access to when you know where to look.

Mike