The Pittmans rented the house from another congregation member and eventually purchased the small, two-bedroom house. In the 1970s, the church sold all of its property to the town but left the parcel under the Pittmans' house out of the transaction, though no transfer to the Pittmans was ever recorded. The Pittmans had paid $10 per year to lease the land, first to the church and then to the town.