James and Julie Pook, who own Pook & Pook, an auction and appraisal house in Downingtown, recently restored the Lyndell home of Jim Croce, the famous American folk and rock singer and songwriter, writes Dan Sullivan for Lancaster Farming. 

Croce died tragically at only 30 years old in a plane crash in 1973, at the pinnacle of stardom. 

The singer did not only live in the Lyndell residence with his wife, Ingrid. They also held court at the property for other local artists on weekends. Also, the neighbors could often hear him composing “Time in a Bottle” while his wife was pregnant with their son, Adrian James. 

A frequent guest at their home was Maury Muehleisen, a musical collaborator who died in the same plane crash at just 24 years old. 

The eight-person circular outhouse that still stands behind the apartment is on the cover of You Don’t Mess Around With Jim, with Croce peering out of a cathedral window. The album was released in 1972. 

The Pooks have now set up a Jim Croce Preservation Fund to raise the funds needed to restore all of the buildings on the historic property. 

Read more about the restored home in Lancaster Farming. 

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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on VISTA Today in June 2023.