let the light in

photograph by kristen bach

house on a hill

photograph by kristin karch

abandoned shack

i have seen many shacks that look just like this one.  somehow they never get old.  i love peeking inside and getting a glimpse of what once was and seeing how the vines have worked their way in and are making it their home.  it is part of southern beauty.

photographs and words by kristen bach

a forgotten home

we were driving through milledgeville, georgia and this home caught my eye.  this traditional southern home was by far the largest, most stately home on the street.  It made me wonder, why was it left here to rest...why was it forgotten.  

it is now in major disrepair, covered in vines...left for the squirrels but was once a home to someone.

photographs and words by kristen bach

smalltown storefront

photograph by rinne allen

little brick building

another cute little building in olar. it used to be a laundromat many years ago, but would make a great coffee shop or studio.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

olar

about 30 miles south of barn well, south carolina, is olar. a well manicured, but deserted town. one of many in the area. there used to be an antique shop in one of them 25 years ago or so, but nothing now. would make a great looking resettlement town! so many cute buildings, and probably cheap!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

patina

photograph by rebecca wood

chris autocare

couldn't resist the color schemes here. a bight blue summer sky fading everything in sight. more diebenkorn inspirations in olar, sc.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

gas station

this place is a mindblower, down in olar, sc. wonderful bones. so many diebenkorn-esque shots from here. and the bathroom is a whole other blog. . .

photographs by rebecca wood

old brick

photograph by rebecca wood

stone remains

i've passed by this building for 30 years or more. it has always looked the same, and i always wonder "why doesn't somebody do something with that?" it probably was a mill. still has some good bones to it. near the intersection in arnoldsville, where mostly everything's closed up and quiet. well, maybe someday someone will buy it and make a cool house out of it.

photographs and words by rebecca wood

lathe and plaster walls remain

photograph by rebecca wood

overcome by thorns

lots of times, when you spy an old house on the side of the road, you can't get to it to explore because it's gotten so overgrown. usually privet and thorns are the culprit. gradually, the house will get taken over, and then covered up by vegetation. probably a nice habitation for animals!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

rust fest

if you have a thing for rusty tin like i do, you'll love this! a wonderful rusty shack with so many beautiful areas of color and texture. mmmm…..

photographs and words by rebecca wood

storefront

photograph by rebecca wood

blue ceiling

i've seen this twice in old shacks; plaster walls over horsehair and lathe, and a ceiling faded to denim blue. i would love to have seen it in full glory; white plaster walls, polished heart pine floors, and a bright blue ceiling! it would look so wonderful. not sure what kind of blue pigment was used, but it's a pretty universal color for doors, trim, and ceilings.

words and photographs by rebecca wood

shed

someone told me where to find this old shed. it was under some pecan trees a little ways out of town.

it was like a miniature salt box, but so tiny. it could have been a stable, but the porcelain door knob made it seem more like a home. maybe it was a combo. anyway, i couldn't get past the briars to look in the open window in back, so i'll just have to keep wondering...

photographs by rebecca wood

old oglethorpe

a friend told me about this old house. the insurance people said they had to tear it down, but the owners don't want it destroyed. now it's looking for a new life somewhere, though there's not much life left in it. everywhere inside was evidence of trying to keep the cold out. layers and layers of whatever people had; wall paper, plastic, linoleum, tar paper, carpet, whatever. i've frozen to death in enough rustic old places to know what that's like. now it sits dark and cold, peeling all its' layers in silence.

lexington beauty

i've driven by this old place for more than 30 years, always wondering about it and why no one was fixing it up. i finally stopped to explore, and had so much fun! it is in pretty bad shape, and normally, i don't enter an old house because of safety issues, but the door was open, and i would just carefully peek inside…then i couldn't resist. the house is really old, evidenced by low ceiling and wide boards. i was dying to go upstairs, but couldn't trust the underlying structure. as usual, there's room added on on the back,and later a bathroom tacked on as well. it really may be too far gone now, but what a gem! next week i'll post about the inside!