They Called Her a Teardown. This Retired Couple Saw a Second Chance.
In the heart of York, Pennsylvania, an 1887 Victorian home sat in silence—abandoned, boarded up, and slowly surrendering to time. Locals passed it daily, shaking their heads at the collapsing rooflines and weather-warped trim. The Hench House, once a symbol of elegance, had become a condemned relic.
Until 2016, when Jim and Jean Leaman walked by.
Newly retired and simply out for a stroll, they had no plans for a project—let alone a full-blown restoration. But something about the home’s forgotten beauty stopped them. Most saw decay. The Leamans saw potential. They saw a story that deserved another chapter.
Buying the house wasn’t logical—it was a leap of faith. They had no background in large-scale restoration, no film crew, no renovation budget from a network. Just heart, vision, and a shared sense of purpose. They named the home “Lady Linden” after the street it stood on, and together, they began what would become a five-year labor of love.
Piece by piece, they brought her back to life.
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