Mrs. Morgan

A whole blog could probably be dedicated to Anna Morgan. She lived a very long life, and was an interesting woman, to say the least. Many loved her dearly, and some remember not liking her. Her story, including her independent life in her house at 30 Orchard Road until a very advanced age and what happened when she could no longer live there, all contribute to a fascinating tale. This story includes relatives of Morgan's, the pressing need to pay her bills especially after moving to Chestelm convalescent home and a network of movers & shakers in town including real estate agents, builders and developers.

Neighbors that knew Anna Morgan remember a feisty woman. She lived in her home until some 99 years of age, until her progressing infirmities forced her into a convalescent home. From there here health deteriorated quickly. She spent a number of years in the home, although her capacity was greatly diminished. She did not recognize friends and relatives during most of this time. She died after reaching an age of 102. She was well know for her collections of stuff, including wonderful antiques, all sorts of newspaper and magazine articles, and other eccentricities. Her son, Leland, predeceased her, and was also well-known throughout the community, in particular for his newspaper, The Trumpeter.

Anna's property ultimately sold to Alan Hanks and Jeff Becker for the sum of $365,000. This included her house, which was in a state of disrepair, and the 27 acres of undeveloped land. However, prior to this transaction, there was quite a bit of activity.

The adjacent neighbor, the Harris', contacted Edgar (Bubby) Williams, Anna Williams nephew acting as Power of Attorney, about the property around the time Anna was moved to the convalescent home. Williams offered the couple a 'right of first refusal'. Together with local builder Jim Discola, an offer of over $500,000 was made. This offer was declined in lieu of another offer by local builder, United Builders. The offer amount was some $700k. Real estate agent Bill Nelson is reported to have said at the time that the offer was for cash and had no contingencies. However, shortly thereafter, United Builders pulled out of the deal. It is presumed that they determined the property could not be developed in accordance with their business purposes.

The property was re-listed, reportedly briefly showing a description that included the phrase 'not subdividable' or 'not developable'. However, a search of the real estate listing service today is unable to retrieve a record of this description.

Within several weeks, the property was sold to Hanks and Becker. for the much lower sum of $365,000, according to real estate records.