In Search of Clarence’s House
August 5th, 2009
A few years ago when I was getting one of my old clunkers fixed at the Bearsville garage I saw a picture on the wall. I had never noticed it before. It was of a crazy house with tons of windows. I had to ask-it struck a chord in me… like discovering something special that had been lost.
I was told it was Clarence Schmidt’s house. A local artist. It had over a hundred rooms. I was in awe. I searched online and found very little.
At a local friends I noticed a burnt baby doll head in his garden and commented how it looked like it belonged in Clarence’s house. He told me that was where it came from. The place had burned down and was now gone. But hiking around he’d found lot’s of relics left to the mountainside.
Then yesterday I ran into another friend and one thing led to another and it turns out he has one of the only copies of a book about Clarence.
I got to borrow it.
Clarence Schmidt house
I lived with Clarence on Ohayo Mountain for several months during 1970 and 1971. It was after his house had burned. He was living in a Studebaker station wagon upon which he had built a 2 story “tower” with a viewing deck on top. You might enjoy seeing the pics I’ve put up
I hope I get a private tour one day.
This is definitely dream material, hard to believe it existed Thanks for posting and I”d like to see the photos that David Johnson has of the tower on the Studebaker.
wait, i think Caroline has that old book from the 70s “Woodstock Houses” or similar that profiles that house among others i think…