Monday, March 4, 2013

Time gone by

I go by this house every day and wonder what happened? Where is the family? Will anyone try to save the house? 
It's standing empty and the front door was kicked in when I stopped to take pictures.
When I went back to photograph the front I found the doorway covered with plywood. It pretty much ruined any chance of taking good pictures. (That and having to stand in the middle of the road.) The kicked-in door, hanging from a hinge, had mystery and intrigue. A big sheet of plywood is just sad and boring. Or is it? After all, it tells a story too.


The back porch
This house is one of the last surviving historic homes built in the Applegate Valley back in the late 1800s.That's one of the reasons it kills me to see it left to rot away. There are 4 other houses still standing in their original state. They are being used and are in good condition. Another couple of the old homestead houses have been remodeled over the years but are still recognizable from old photos. Descendants of the original homesteaders still live in them.



Derelict houses have a certain beauty. I've wanted to photograph them for years and now I'm finally 'just doing it.' I'm not a "photographer" but I'm not going to let that stop me anymore.



The water tower
There are a handful of water towers still standing in the area. I've seen a couple converted into guest houses, how fun is that? Except for the 100 steps up to the bedroom, that is.





The windows in old houses pull at my heart-strings, I am completely drawn to them. Maybe it's the bleakness?


The neglect

Here's a picture from a history book, just to let you see what the front looks like. I believe this picture was taken in the 80s.


I'll keep hoping someone decides to save this house. I think it's a matter of economics - to bring back a house like this would cost a fortune. But still, I keep my fingers crossed.


Sharing with:
under the table and dreaming
nifty thrifty things
between naps on the porch
the gunny sack
pjh designs one of a kind
the dedicated house
redoux interiors

5 comments:

  1. Derelict houses always appear to have such a great story to tell. Why are they no longer occupied? (There has to be a reason, and it could be a good story.) I always wonder about the families that made these houses their home. Thanks for sharing this one with us.

    (BTW, you seriously rock!! I'm smiling from ear to ear about your latest news!)

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  2. I LOVE derelict homes - barns - stores - ( people lol ) I think most of us that restore the forgotten beaten up pieces have a special place for things like that!
    And what fabulous news - I feel a little giddy too :)
    Great great post!!!
    XXX

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  3. Your news is just wonderful! Yay!

    Love these old buildings and especially those windows, I am thinking of all the people looking out them over the years...what did they see?

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  4. I love photographing old homes. Like you I wonder where the people are and why they left to allow a home to rot and fall to the ground. Great pics and thanks for sharing the original pic from the book.

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  5. Beautiful photographs! I look at old homes like that and just want to get in there and get to work! I hate to see them decay they have so much to tell. Don't they? Thanks for sharing at Transformed Tuesday.
    Hugs,
    Peggy

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