Buying a house next door to historical cemetery?

[luvmagoldn]

H found this house while surfing house porn. It's older and charming but has been updated which is good. We like it, the yard is huge and there is a great climbing tree for the boys in the backyard (on their list of requirements ). There is an open house on Sunday so I did a drive by today.

Here is the problem - the two acres of woods to the left of the house is a civil war cemetery. It is believed that the founder of the town and members of his family are buried there. You can't see any headstones or anything because the area is pretty heavily wooded.

I found a piece in the town historical society newsletter from a few years back about the historical search and archeological study conducted at the cemetery.

At first I thought I could be ok with it - the founder and his wife maybe. But the article said three generations of the family are believed to the buried there (they had seven children) along with people from other families and a few soldiers.

Would that freak you out? On the one hand it's protected space that will not be developed. On the other hand - it's a cemetery!

Would you be ok with living next door to a cemetery?

ETA the link.

www.zillow.com/homedetails/10619-Oliver-St-Fairfax-VA-22030/12257477_zpid/

[sillygoosegirl]

Okay? Are you kidding? I think it's AWESOME!

[heyrebekah]

That's awesome! Big selling point in my book.

[dr.girlfriend]

That would be perfect, hopefully they'll never build on it. What are you worried about? Zombies? Ghosts?

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

Jan 10, 2013 22:13:05 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

Okay? Are you kidding? I think it's AWESOME!

Ditto! I would LOVE living next to something like this!
I would have to get divorced though, cemeteries creep DH out.

[heyrebekah]

Oh I just looked at the link. Great house!!!

[luvmagoldn]

Jan 10, 2013 22:16:52 GMT -5 Miss Phryne Fisher said:

Jan 10, 2013 22:13:05 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

Okay? Are you kidding? I think it's AWESOME!

Ditto! I would LOVE living next to something like this!
I would have to get divorced though, cemeteries creep DH out.

I'm not sure H can get past it. But I was thinking if there WERE a zombie apocalypse, maybe the "neighbors" would be on our side! ;D

[LoveTrains]

Of course I would buy it!!! I would not hesitate. Dead people make excellent neighbors. Plus the house is awesome and the land will not be developed.

[jackpackage]

I grew up across from a cemetery. It was peaceful!

I love that house and the street name! (DS' name )

[mskitkat]

There is a very famous historical cemetery right across the street from me. It's fantastic. Midnight walks through this particular cemetery are really fun.

[donnamartingraduat]

I'll be a dissenter. I couldn't do it. I would be freaked out all of the time (ghosts if you must know). My childhood home was 2 blocks down the street from a cemetery and that was too close for me.

[cinco]

There was a small cemetery next to the house behind us growing up. I don't think it is a big deal.

[pitterwoo]

this would be a big plus for me, not a detraction. I would be thrilled to know the land and view would be undisturbed.

[jennistarr1]

just don't get a dog that's a digger

[chia]

I'd buy that house in a hot minute.
Very cute. Nice location.

I didn't know you were moving closer in....(aren't you in L.Co now?) did one of you get a new job?

[luvmagoldn]

Jan 10, 2013 22:37:56 GMT -5 jennistarr1 said:

just don't get a dog that's a digger

But Toby loves to dig! The fence is a potential issue. There is a cute picket fence across the front of the property but the rest is unfenced but defined by landscaping. I imagine it would be a huge expense to fence it. But an electric fence might work.

[luvmagoldn]

Jan 10, 2013 22:41:43 GMT -5 chia said:

I'd buy that house in a hot minute.
Very cute. Nice location.

I didn't know you were moving closer in....(aren't you in L.Co now?) did one of you get a new job?

H commutes to DC and is getting pretty weary - it's been almost five years. I originally thought I wanted to move further out in LoCo for the land and privacy. But that would really complicate our lives and force us all to spend too much time in the car. So H mentioned moving further in. We used to live in a condo Old Town Fairfax so we would be "going home" in a sense. I'm open to it.

[chia]

Jan 10, 2013 22:44:39 GMT -5 luvmagoldn said:

Jan 10, 2013 22:41:43 GMT -5 chia said:

I'd buy that house in a hot minute.
Very cute. Nice location.

I didn't know you were moving closer in....(aren't you in L.Co now?) did one of you get a new job?

H commutes to DC and is getting pretty weary - it's been almost five years. I originally thought I wanted to move further out in LoCo for the land and privacy. But that would really complicate our lives and force us all to spend too much time in the car. So H mentioned moving further in. We used to live in a condo Old Town Fairfax so we would be "going home" in a sense. I'm open to it.

Oh, man! I don't blame him. That sounds like an awful commute.
At least this house has a huge yard!

[CloudBee]

In an area like that I would be thrilled to live next to land that can't be developed. As its a historic site is there a trail or path? Even though its wooded, is it maintained in any way? Or monitored?

[5thofjuly]

Jan 10, 2013 22:41:48 GMT -5 luvmagoldn said:

Jan 10, 2013 22:37:56 GMT -5 jennistarr1 said:

just don't get a dog that's a digger

But Toby loves to dig! The fence is a potential issue. There is a cute picket fence across the front of the property but the rest is unfenced but defined by landscaping. I imagine it would be a huge expense to fence it. But an electric fence might work.

I would absolutely buy it in a heartbeat! I suspect that there are graves near you now---you just don't know about them. And, if putting in a huge fence is a concern, you could always fence in a portion of the yard for the dog.

[luvmagoldn]

Jan 10, 2013 22:47:58 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

In an area like that I would be thrilled to live next to land that can't be developed. As its a historic site is there a trail or path? Even though its wooded, is it maintained in any way? Or monitored?

From what I have gathered so far, the City Council considered a renovation of sorts that might have cleared out some of the trees to reveal the graves and make it more of a typical cemetery. Evidently they decided not to do that and to maintain it as an abandoned cemetery. The property is owned by the city and is marked as such. I would need to find out more about the maintenance aspect.

[Velvetshady]

The cemetery would not bother me, I'd actually like it. And I'd love to move back to that area (I lived on the other side on Main St from that house, I love that area). If we were financially ready to move, we might even be fighting you for it:)

[steph96]

I would be too creeped out. I'm not afraid of ghosts or zombies or anything like that. I just don't like the thought of dead people.

I do love the house though! I always wanted a bedroom with a window seat.

[chessie]

Na its fine, wouldnt freak me out. In my area pretty common, theres random cemeteries everywhere. I actually grew up next to a large older one, was pretty cool as a kid.

[Norticprincess]

Won't bother me. Grew up spending the summers on property with a small old one.
DH spent grad school in a house across from a huge one-they have self guided tours to find the famous people. It is just a really pretty one to walk through.

[Deleted]

There are burial vaults from the 1800s across the street from us. 3 years in, and no hauntings yet!

That would not at all bother me.

[Deleted]

It wouldn't bother me, and I agree with others that it might be nice to know that land can't be developed. And that house is very cute.
But I find cemeteries peaceful and interesting, not scary or bothersome.

[mrshandy]

Beautiful house! I would definitely buy it.

[Deleted]

I would buy it just because it's one less neighbor. I used to live near an old family plot of about 15-20 graves from the 1800's. I love old cemetaries.

[takeonyou]

Jan 10, 2013 22:37:56 GMT -5 jennistarr1 said:

just don't get a dog that's a digger

3 houses down is a cemetary and we have civil war plots EVERYWHERE around here. Literally there are just markers on the sides of main roads. Its not a big deal. I like my quiet cemetary neighbors though.