“An ageless hermit runs a secret way station for alien visitors in the Wisconsin woods”
That’s the opening line of the description on the back of Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak. I’m not sure if I read it before I started the book, I may have just skimmed the back: “never seem to age” and “last surviving veteran of the American Civil War” jump out at me.
I was perhaps a third of the way through the book when I thought to check the publication date. The alien technology used at the way station conflicts with the modern technology of the era, so the protagonist, Enoch Wallace, receives updates about the world through the mail, in the form of newspapers and magazines. That convenient conflict makes the book ageless to a point – it clearly pre-dates mobile phones and portable technology becoming mainstream (because of what other characters have access to), but could easily be any time in the latter half of last century because Enoch isn’t interacting with human technology.
1963, as it turns out. And I find that striking, that Simak wrote the story in such a fluid way that it could have been set anytime within a forty year span. I suppose that partially explains why it won a Hugo award. (According to the Wikipedia page, it is alternately known as Here Gather the Stars.)
It is a delightful book, enjoyable for all ages. Check your local library or bookstore, or borrow my copy, if you want a good read.