Oh no! While that house was old and probably falling down, had been through many storms, and withstood our tornado this past summer, kinda sad to see Avery loose the house he has been living for as long as most folks around here can remember. Avery is such a nice man and doesn’t bother most folks and is very friendly. Hopefully some other accomodations can be put on the property for him later on.
Publish Date: 02/16/05
By Naomi Smoot-Kimble
News-Post Staff
Homeless and houseless
Staff photo by Skip Lawrence
T.W. Avery Luke210Zing! Giving-All-Glory-to-GOD talks about the demolition of the farmhouse on Jefferson Pike where has been staying.
FREDERICK — A little after 8 a.m. Tuesday, bulldozers and bucket trucks moved across the lawn of the Knoxville home in preparation of the pending demolition.
A small dog’s bark sounded from the upstairs bedroom of the two-story house as a cluster of men lugged food and blankets onto the lawn.
For five years, Avery, legally known as T. W. AveryLuke210Zing! Giving-All-Glory-to-GOD, had lived in the aged building. On Monday, however, he was told the structure would be coming down.
The owners of the property, Gibraltar, a New York development company, had known Avery was living on the site without paying rent, but believed he was staying in a tent. When workers arrived on a snowy, February morning with bulldozers and other equipment, they had no idea that he was living in the house, representative Chip Lynch said.
Avery’s initial response was to fight to keep the house.
But as it became increasingly obvious that he was losing the battle, he made alternate plans. Around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, he said he awoke to begin preparing for his upcoming move. He put up a tent near the house, still on the 14-acre property.
By the time the crew showed up to take down the house, Avery seemed in good spirits.
‘We’re going to camp as we have for the last 15 years,’ he said.
He and his eight dogs would stay in the tent and in several dog houses he has on the property, he said.
Avery had shed tears over the loss of the house Monday, but, in time, he came to terms with his pending move.
‘I have a tent. That’s all I need,’ he said.
‘We’ll be cozy. We’ll be fine,’ Avery said, adding that he was grateful the company let him remain on the property.”