Off-Campus Houses, Part 3: Cider and Burnt

Photo by Ellie Spaulding

The Burnt House residents goof off in the downstairs living room. From left: Karl Yoder, Peris Ruiru, Jordan Tew, Ed Lunney, Emily Hatch, a friend holding Chi-chi, Rita McCrae and Kevin Linn.

In this final installment of the series profiling the houses that EMU students inhabit off-campus, the Weather Vane features Cider House and Burnt House.

Cider House

A block from EMU's campus stands Cider House, at 1190 Parkway Drive. Four senior girls call Cider House home this year, Karie Smucker, Alexis Sauder, Kristin Lapp, and Denae Eshleman.

Cider House has been in and out of EMU students' hands over the past few years because the owners, Steve and Betsy Dintaman, are currently missionaries in Lithuania. Their daughter Anna, a 2005 EMU graduate, and her friends lived in the house for the two years prior to the current group of girls. However, the house has not always been called Cider House. The current residents decided they needed to come up with a name for their house. They thought it would be fun to have a tradition of serving cider at every one of their gatherings. Hence, Cider House was born. Smucker added "We also thought it would be fun to think of 'The Cider House Rules,'" a nod to the movie featuring Tobey Maguire and Charlize Theron.

The house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, sufficient living space for four women. A basement and porch, as well as an enormous backyard complete with fire pit make for an excellent place to relax in summer or winter. The house comes fully furnished, and at $1080 per month including utilities, is an absolute bargain. "But the downside," Smucker stated, "is that because the furnishings aren't ours, we have to be extra careful." The house is already taken for next year, but let's hope the new tenants carry on with tradition.

Burnt House

Just up the hill from EMU sits the legend known as Burnt House. Seven students - four women and three men - reside in the two apartments that make up Burnt House. The men, in the lower apartment, are EMU seniors Ed Lunney and Karl Yoder, and JMU student Kevin Linn. Above the men are EMU seniors Jordan Tew, Rita McCrae, and Peris Ruiru, as well as JMU junior Emily Hatch. Chi-chi, the house dog, also graces the house quite often.

A student-inhabited house for over 10 years, Burnt House sits at 1321 Mt. Clinton Pike. It burned down five years ago and was rebuilt shortly thereafter, earning its well-known name. But along with a name, the house gained a new tale as well. Lunney recounted the story, which they mysteriously found in a letter labeled "The Legend of The Burnt House" when they moved in. "Everyone that lived here got out safe, except they had a dog in a cage upstairs because they weren't allowed to have pets. The dog died in the fire and on cold, crisp winter nights, like the night 1321 burned down, you can hear a dog barking and wailing," Lunney said. "Poor little pooch..."

But the myth hasn't deterred the eight tenants from enjoying Burnt House. Each apartment has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, plenty of room for four college students. And at $900 a month, plus utilities, these apartments are well priced. Hatch, who lives in the second story apartment, spoke of the closeness that the men and women feel. "Even though we're separate apartments, we always hang out together. We're like a family... just the eight of us. Upstairs is downstairs and downstairs is upstairs." Burnt House is already spoken for for the upcoming year.