Man who lived for decades in log cabin gets free modern home
WeirdNews
I’m wordless, I am wordless and I can’t help it
(Web Desk) - Thomas Reid, 78, said he was proud that his new home is on the same land that his family has lived on for generations.
A Virginia man who had lived for most of his life in a house with no running water or plumbing was gifted a new home on the land that his family had occupied for generations.
Officials with the Loudoun County government and Habitat for Humanity first met Thomas Reid Jr., 78, in 2018 after learning about Howardsville, a tract of land that was sold to eight Black families after the Civil War.
Reid said he was living like his ancestors by forgoing air conditioning and other amenities.
But County Chair Phyllis Randall said that after hearing about the condition of Reid's residence, she and her colleagues wanted to find a safer, more comfortable place for Reid to call home.
“It’s just unbelievable, just unbelievable. I thank everyone and everybody who had a hand in it," Reid said before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, per local outlet LoundounNow.
"I’m wordless, I am wordless and I can’t help it.” Although Reid's home had a great deal of historical value, the county found it was too old to outfit with plumbing and electricity.
Instead, Habitat for Humanity installed a modern manufactured home near the site of the Reid family's cabin.
Reid and his partner, Teresa Howard, were able to move into the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home days before Christmas.
It came complete with a pair of flower boxes, a wreath, and a basket of cleaning supplies provided by various community partners.
The home even comes equipped with a dishwater — which Reid said he will have to adjust to after years without running water.
"I probably won't ever use it, but I do know it's the house," he said, laughing.
Reid's aunt once had ownership of the property, but she passed away in 1958 without a will. Back taxes began accumulating with no clear owner to pay them off.
Reid's longtime friend, Kim Hart, helped him fight for ownership of the property, which took years to negotiate.
"This is really a very special day to see another home coming back and another family being able to live here on the land as part of their ancestors," Hart said.
Reid, locally known as Bubbles, said he feels connected to his ancestors, even while residing in his modern home.
He can even glimpse his childhood cabin from several windows inside his new residence.
“Every day, every step I take, every breath I take, everywhere I look—when I’m walking around I often think ‘I bet I’m walking in the same steps as my grandfather," he said. "It’s really something."
