Flames destroyed a historic home in a tight-knit Montgomery County community early Tuesday morning.
Residents in the town of Washington Grove gathered in the front yard of the home in the 200 block of 2nd Avenue, saddened by the sight of the burned out home. The homeowner was not home at the time of the fire and it OK.
'It's devastating and we hope she, the owner, will rebuild. It's just traumatic.It's just unimaginable that such a horrible thing can happen," said neighbor Joli McCathran.
The residence, which dates back to 1875, was among the oldest homes in the neighborhood.
Washington Grove began as a Methodist summer camp. At first, there were tents then came permanent structures, with pitched gables and gingerbread woodwork. The neighborhood still has a unique style so to lose one of the original homes is quite a blow.
Resident Charlie Challstrom added, "There's been other fires, certainly, in town. We remember two others nearby here; one was just about 10 years ago. But they do get rebuilt. You save as much as you can, you save the character of the home if you can and mostly you make sure folks can stay in the neighborhood"
Because of the proximity of the homes, the house next door did suffer some damage.
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The cause of this morning's fire is not known, and with such extensive damage, investigators may never pinpoint the cause.
