Monday, March 31, 2008

Lost and Abandoned

One of many empty old houses in the neighborhood. Not many would put up with the bugs, drafty winters or upkeep in this old structure anymore. I think that the Clarks' were the first occupants as evidenced by their graves nearby (many homesteads had family graveyards added to over the years by successive owners of the property.) The earliest stone was for William Clark put up in 1853. Then Sarah Knox, 1863; Mary Quick, daughter of Stephen and Isabel, 1878 (4 yrs Old); up to the Grahams: daughter 1876 (18 yrs old), and the father in 1892. Thats the last one. I guess the more recent belonged to churches or moved on before the question came up as to where to finally rest.
I am told that just down the road was a family who survived on 40 acres with 4 kids;
that would have been in more recent times, 30's say. Their house is also abandoned with the occupants having moved away or "passed on", as they say.





















In a back hallway leading to a pantry the walls are covered with old newspapers. Arranged to be read-- care was taken.
The right pic is dated 1904 and tells of the Japanese in some sort of to-do with the Chinese. (left-click to gain detail--- sorry about the flash-glare) Also, not pictured was a description of a new airship. This was to be the "airship of the future".
Left pic is dated 1942 and shows an interesting shot of German soldiers hiding in reeds or cornstalks or something. I wouldn't believe all I saw with this photo. Looks like a setup to me, with propaganda and all.
The house was probably built at the turn of the century. The earlier denizens of the property probably living in log-cabin type structures (some of which exist too in this area.)















The last piece of furniture left: the ubiquitous school desk. No left-handers' though I am told.

34 comments:

  1. what an interesting idea; wallpapering a wall with newspapers! I love the color of the oldest section--the rich golden amber is lovely. makes me wonder about the person who did this and why, and why those particular peices of newspaper.

    and the homestead graves, also fascinating.

    what an interesting neighborhood!

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  2. This house would make a great film set and its history insists that there must be a ghost in there somewhere.

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  3. Wouldn't it be neat to know the people who lived there, their joys, their laughter and their tears.
    It's always sad to see an old abandoned house that will never know the pitter-patter of children's footsteps, the bark of a dog in its yard, or the sound of a window opening to let in the summer breeze.

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  4. Fascinating post, and I am sure it was a evocative visit into the past.

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  5. I would love to have that house! Do it up, it's gorgeous, something I have always dreamt of living in.

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  6. Such house holds a slient stoy of those who lived it ..Been awhile ..Hope you are well

    Nasra

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  7. kind of sad, these abandoned houses... ah,what stories they would tell if they could speak...

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  8. Good evening Goatman
    A house that holds a thousand stories within it, and maybe a few things in the house that could give a little indication of previous occupants, but the full stories of life love and history will remain within the walls. wow

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  9. nice and quiet neighborhood.

    i've seen this kinda american neighborhood on TV and movies and errrrr ... mostly related to ghost stories. to be honest, i have the feeling that most are true.

    why do i have this goosebump thing visiting your blog these days?

    anyway, as said that i've seen on TV and movies ... come to think of it, it's a worthwhile feeling to have an internet direct connection with one who lives in such area.

    really ... i wish to have more connections with those of alaska, china, peru of the inca, africa ... but time is not always on my side.

    glad that i have found you :-)

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  10. the photo of the desk and chair is great

    thanks for your comments

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  11. Does it work? :-D








    not yet, anyway

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  12. Tremendously interesting stuff Goatman, I love such exploring, this is magnificent, so much to ponder.

    I wonder, where do these things go when the people pass on?

    And as with Azer, thanks for such a connection, time is the problem, you are a great contribution to our lives Goatman.

    I would take that house, quick!

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  13. Wow! So many stories behind this old house. It should be restored or be improved.

    But i hope there's no ghost roaming around by night, hehe.;0)

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  14. There is so much beauty in this structure. I would love to see it brought back to life.

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  15. Wow, nice pic! I like old houses, altho it has a bit of sadness, too...

    when I was a kid I helped my dad remove wallpaper from apts in an old building in Brooklyn--it was a "every weekend til it's done" job and I was about 11. We steamed and patiently peeled layers--and eventually we got to walls of newspaper and magazine pages--we hit the "depression era" (or just poverty) people patched their apt walls with whatever paper they could get.

    I agree with Princess Haiku -- I think there is some spirit in there yet!

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  16. Wonderful lod house and pictures. Thanks for posting them in high resolution. They filled the entire screen of my new iMac. It was fantastic. I'm really into this old Americana stuff. Can't get enough of it.

    I'll be back to your site again. And, of course, you are cordially invited to visit me.

    Happy trails.

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  17. Are You a creative left-handed Goatman? I ask only because You ended up Your post with that pondering.

    (( hug ))

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  18. Interesting post! I love to explore old and abandoned houses and outbuildings, as they have so much atmosphere and mystique to them!

    And some of them really do feel haunted or at least inhabited by the spirits of previous owners, though I don't know whether that's something we just project onto them, or if there's any truth to that feeling.

    Long Island has a lot of old estates, but the public isn't privy to most of them.

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  19. Any ghosts haunting it? Do the kids go there on Hallowee'en night just to get scared and check it out? I couldn't resist! You could write a fabulous kids' book about this! Reminds me of the one called, "The Ghost Eye Tree" by Bill Martin I used to read to kids.

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  20. cool photos you have there.

    I got to walk through the old houses and communal home of an old commune where my family lived when they came from Russia. They were going to tear it down because it had been abandoned.

    I watched as they burned it and it broke my heart. Homes carry so much energy.

    and thanks for visiting my place too.
    xx
    pinks

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  21. AHA! I found you, Goatman! Neato.

    It's the old school chair what got me. I used to have one of those when I was a kid. My Mom bought a few and stripped & refinished them for us kids to use. I loved mine and would sit in it staring off into space.. thinking of the next thing to write about I'm sure. That photo just brought back a warm memory of my childhood. Thank you!

    The rest of your post is interesting, too. I thought my family was the only oddball clan to put newspaper up on the walls. LOL. Only we used tacks. And it was usually the comic page up on the wall in the bathroom..:)

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  22. Those soldiers look funny with reeds tied around their waists.

    Thank you for this post and especially for sharing the pictures!

    There not much for rural kids to do in the summer time, we used to checkout or handout in old abandoned houses when I was a teen. It was dangerous, exciting and really got my mind going with stories.

    We stopped doing it when we came acrossed one that wasn't vacant after all. Marijuana growers were squatting there and one was sleeping on the couch when we walked in the back door. They were shooting at us as we ran over the fence and acrossed the neighbors freshly tilled fields which was like a nightmare where the ground crumbles under your foot and you can't run fast enough.

    -P

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  23. Wallpapering with Newspaper used to be common, according to an older friend. They would use it for added insulation as well as decoration.

    That desk and chair...what an evocative photo! I looked at it for a long time...fascinating.

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  24. I was trying to read the news article on the lost explorer-- Turns out he was the guy who brought back a black man from Africa and gave him to the Bronx Zoo for display!

    well, first at a museum, then at the zoo.

    The African Pygmy: Exhibited Each Afternoon Sometimes the man was allowed to wander the grounds, but he was returned nightly to his cage among the primates.
    Massive crowds came to see him and laugh at him and he grew suicdal. He begged to be returned to his family in Africa.

    Many Blacks protested the treatment of the man and after awhile finally got him released.

    After his release he was penniless and lived for many years in various situations where he was a charity case.
    He killed himself (he was only 34)


    I never would have known about this story if you hadn't wandered into that old house.

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  25. I saw something about "Cannibals may have eaten him." I could only read the headline, though.

    There's something haunting about the old lone school desk.

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  26. This is great stuff Goatman, most interesting and enjoyable, and educative.

    I hope you do go get some more pics of the walls, even the surroundings.

    I also hope you are weathering well, it has been bad here.

    Take care, see you later.

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  27. Thanks for stopping to visit and the sympathy. You were right that it was a sinus thing and hopefully will clear up soon.

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  28. Wow what an interesting piece of history to share with us.

    In answer to your question on my blog. I don't think you should alter your pictures in anyway, though, how could they tell if you did. Mine are straight from the camera.

    Thank you for dropping by.
    best wishes
    Annie

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  29. oh my what a lovely post to stumble across, I LOVE old houses and social history of the people that lived in them....

    Your first photo makes me just wanna buy the little house and do it up so it can be preserved forever.... but then Im daft like that....its like when I find old family photo albums in junk shops, it makes me sad to think they no longer belong to those that once loved them, a little like the little house......

    I came over from ake's blob, I hope you dont mind.... Im going to scroll back and have a butchers at your other posts......

    x

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  30. Love old houses this one appears to have three fireplaces. Newspapers were used as insulation; although this possibly represents some family interest. Sad to see houses fall into disrepair when so many families could benefit from ownership.I'll have to post my abandoned home photo soon, the garage still held tokens of a life enjoyed.

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  31. Sorry I didn't realize your caption "Lost and Abandoned" and I chose Abandoned Dreams. I posted the house I had mentioned to you.

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  32. Thank you for taking us inside and document what remains.

    Old houses are haunted in the trust sense. The painfully slow decay of a frozen world.

    We own an abandoned house that some day must be taken down. I'm haunted by the life scattered there.

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  33. And here you've captured my heart....
    if the walls could only talk,
    the dusty floors shine from tiny footsteps again....
    It seems that even the oldest, lonliest homes dance again
    when life comes to them again....

    I'm perched on an old oak school desk now....hauled it home from an abandoned motorcycle shop about 25 years ago....and who knows where they lugged it in from...

    the carvings are worn thin, and the finish has dulled to a light patina.... but I can still read... one child's name....Lisa....

    very, very cool post....

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  34. Goatman, Are you still checking your comments? You have been taken advantage of by blog spammers. Did you know that there is a seeing you can change that will stop them from doing that to you?

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