Friday, September 17, 2010

Yesteryears
Another photo contest theme for this month.

While visiting my in-laws in Rutherfordton, NC last weekend, I took a walk down the road to Amy's Great Aunt Stella's old place.  To me, this old homestead to me really fits the "Yesteryears" theme.

Aunt Stella's old house

We refer to it as Aunt Stella's house since she was the last to live there.  However, before her, several generations of Amy's relatives have called this place home for the past century. 

Side view of Aunt Stella's old home

Aunt Stella passed away back in 2005 at the age of 86 and since then the house has remained vacant and left to the weather. 


Weathered Gable

The house is in rough shape, but if someone is willing to put the time, effort, and money into it, it could be a viable restoration project.  Rumor has it, that someone is looking to purchase and restore the old house to it's former glory.  I do hope that happens as it would be a shame to watch this old home become worm food!  For now, I went for some photos of the house it it's current condition


With bright sunshine and the house half in the shade and half in the sun, photo conditions were not good.  I feel conditions like this work better in Black and White, especially considering the subject matter

The paint is peeled leaving the bare wood exposed to the elements



The Eves are rotting


In addition to the house, there are several other structures on the property that make interesting "Yesteryears" photo subjects
The Old Woodshed/Workshop at Aunt Stella's place
This was my favorite shot of the old woodshed

A winters worth of wood was stored here every year

Countless hours were spent relaxing on the screened-in porch!
It has definitely seen better days!


The mailbox still stands out by the road

5 comments:

Kim Fuoco said...

Really nice photos Jack.. I think that house has a lot of style. I Hope some one buys it and takes care of it.. I love the shed picture that is your favorite also. I love the angle and the things sitting against the front of the building. But I also like the the first photo of the woodshed I love tall golden grass. great shots..

Jack Thyen said...

Thanks Kim! I might post a followup sometime soon by scanning some old photos taken at the same house!

Eeyore said...

It's a shame to see the grand old houses decay away. There are several in the little town of Columbiana, and some are already gone. But a few are being restored, although I sometimes think that is more expensive that razing it and reconstructing from the ground up.

James Robert Smith said...

Strangely, the shed looks to be in better shape than the house! It's good to hear that someone may be purchasing it and fixing it up. What a shame to see something like that rotting away. Very sad!

Anonymous said...

Now this kind of decay I can find all around my country roads. Not sure if thats a good thing or not but this is always interesting to photograph and to see in others shots. Nice work on showing so much detail.

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