Cleanup and Demolish the House

Our mother passed away on May 18th. Her passing allows us to close a chapter in our lives that should have been closed a long time ago. In 1976 we moved into a farm house that our great-grand mother owned. Over the course of the next five decades, this house that was built in the 1860’s, was slowly destroyed. The majority of the damage occurred after the youngest son moved out in the 90’s. The lack of regular cleaning and maintenance slowly eroded the condition of this house. Now it is a stark reminder of how some people could not be helped.

Those of us that lived there want this house gone. However, since our mother left no will, this task will not be easy. The condition of the house, the amount of trash, garbage, waste and items in and around it make cleanup difficult and expensive. The presence of waste, human and animal, make the site a bio-hazard. Asbestos shingles were used for the siding of the house pushes the costs of cleanup and demolition up further.

My goal with this campaign has changed. I was able to travel out Pennsylvania to asses the situation and contribute to the cleanup as best as I could. But, without a will, we cannot begin the cleanup process for about 90 days. Now I have a better understanding of what it will take to finally put this behind us. A childhood home should serve as a source of cherished memories, not a grim reminder of how someone chose to spend their final years. My family does not have the resources to complete this task on our own. I am asking anyone that can to please contribute to this fund so that this house can be properly demolished and we can get closure on a difficult chapter of our family’s past.