What was the deal with that house that used to be on the corner? It has since been developed into a couple of townhouses, but when I was going to LB in the 90's, there was a little dump of a house in there, with several old cars and other junk strewn about. The entire compound was fenced in, and there was a "beware of dog" sign prominently displayed. Anyone know what the deal was with the people who lived there, why they kept the place in such bad condition, and the circumstances of them leaving and that plot being developed?

Holdouts from the pre-suburban era. Not sure why they eventually sold, but everyone was happy they did.

It's funny because you can see some similar situations out in Ashburn now.

A crazy old woman lived there, and she finally died. Her kids would dump junked cars and all sorts of other crap, explaining part of the mess. Besides the dog, there were all sorts of other critters living there, including some chickens who every now and then ran loose onto Burke Lake Road.

The best sign they had in front of that house was in the late 70's early 80's:

Puppies for Sale
1 for $10
2 for $20

A girl that lived there was in my class (98) or a class below me at Braddock. She was very quiet and awkward, very large and dirty. Probably had a strange home life. My buddy bought a dog there and was told it was a Rot mix, he thought the pup was small but got her anyways...the thing turned out to be a beagle.

Hmm, there are townhouses there now? Or are you talking about the house across Burke Lake from Burke school? There are single family homes there.

The house that is now Townhouses is across from the 7/11. Knew the owner, he sold to a developer during the boom. Did well and moved out towards Front Royal.

As for why 'they kept the place in such bad condition', a lack of money is usual reason. It costs a lot to keep up a property, and even more in this area where the various companies jack their rates cause they assume everyone can afford it.

Their name was Miller and they owned a solid chunk of land on that corner for YEARS.

Yes, the Miller's. One of the boys was in my English class at Lake Braddock. He was very quiet and shy. I kinda felt sorry for him.

We should accept people as they are, and not judge them because we don't know what their life is about. And for the family on the corner they had owned the property long before Burke was built up and a couple of them were self-employed doing hauling

I never had any interaction with the family that lived there but I do remember that they had a rooster. You could hear him all over the neighborhood.