The photos in this article have one thing in common. Their subjects are gone. They are a memory, possibly with these photos being the only record of their existence for some of them. They are geotagged on my Flickr site, so that they could be relocated easily by others. These structures have given way to decay, newer houses and mobile homes, and vandalism.
I had made trips to go back and take additional shots of most of these, with better light or different angles. But, they weren’t to be found. Sometimes, it worthwhile to snap a couple of shots to record what is there, even if the light isn’t right, or you can’t get the shot you want. While these photos may not win any awards, you will be contributing to preserving the history of the community, especially if you make the pictures available online, or to a local historical society.
Old home sites, barns and other rural structures are becoming harder and harder to find, as progress makes way for the future, clearing old building sites for new. In rural western Kentucky, where I’m from, old barns and abandoned homes used to dot the landscape. Now, more likely than not, you’ll find a mobile home, or possibly a newer home at these locations. I work in rural West Virginia, where there’s still an abundance of these old buildings left. However, time is taking it’s toll, and many will be gone in a short while.
A few years ago, while working in Illinois, I was driving along the Illinois River, through Kampsville, when I spied what looked like an old showboat docked beside a cornfield. I pulled into the drive and stepped out. There were no tresspassing signs, so I didn’t venture closer. I took out a camera and snapped a few images and left. A deeply faded sign on the sign of the boat identified it as the “Goldernrod Showboat.” With a little online research, I found that it was the last of the great showboats to travel up and down the Mississippi River. Some of history’s great entertainers performed on the boat, including Red Skelton, Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway and Bob Hope. A group of concerned individuals tried to raise money to save the boat. However, vandals burned the boat down to its hull in late 2017, making for a total loss.
