share photos of old, abandoned, uninhabited structures in your part of the world!

I always had this interest in taking photos of abandoned houses, churches and barns...outbuildings, schools...I thought it would be interesting to chronical their 'melting' into their surroundings.
Of course I didn't do that but still like to take pictures of old farmsteads when I can, especially on our frequent hikes in the Buffalo River National Park.
It's interesting to imagine where the fields and gardens were even though the Forest has reclaimed them.

So, here's a few to begin...please share more from where ever you live😊

I will try to get some pics up.  I love finding isolated plantings of flowers, some gravel, a pot, and maybe a toy or two in the woods.  The remains of a homestead.  As I explore, I am also careful to watch out for wells.  One surprise can ruin your day.

John F Dean wrote:I will try to get some pics up.  I love finding isolated plantings of flowers, some gravel, a pot, and maybe a toy or two in the woods.  The remains of a homestead.  As I explore, I am also careful to watch out for wells.  One surprise can ruin your day.

Yes! all of those small artifacts, those and plants tell a more personal story!
We do see wells and some are uncapped...have not knowingly 'found' an old ground level one🫤

Looking forward to photos!

a school house along Calf Creek...

...a home in the spring

It's interesting that the plants that survive the longest are almost always jonquils, vinca, creeping charlie, wisteria...rarely any food crops but occasionally garlic...not the wild ones but cloves that I've later replanted and eventually reach nice size.

We see Iris and daylilies sometimes in more open spots where the forest has not encroached as much.

Great photos, yet some look like places I have actually rented in bygone risky days.  I have a couple to share...

And two homes I was renting for 50 per month, while helping to repair.  That tree really helped to ventilate, we had maximum breathability I guess you could say.

Those are great examples Rick!
I especially love the church.

and I know what you mean about living in falling down houses though😊
I've 'camped' in a few years ago.

A lot of the small cabins here had no insulation and the lumber was usually sawn at a local or home owned mill...I like seeing the repairs made over the decades to keep them standing.

The old sheds here are mostly made of stone, so they crumble more gently.

Our shed is actually the original house, and whilst it's still in reasonable condition and not abandoned I thought you might like to see it.

Here it is gleaming in the sunlight early one morning. Rock for scale, because he likes posing by things for me.



Originally the roof would have been thatch, which would be replaced every twenty years or so. Gradually the thatch roofs have been replaced with tiles, slate, or in this case corrugated iron.

There are grape vines growing near the door.



With some very nice grapes...



Outside there was a bench, which we need to rescue. The seat was made from a rescued drain cover from the railway which runs just the other side of the track.



The very flat faced stone to the left of the door has a date carved into it. I think it says 'anno 1858'.



Close up of the door handle and latch. The handle broke in half and Austin has just fixed it by wrapping wire round and round it. Seems to work...



The far wall is bulging rather concerningly near the base and will likely have to be rebuilt in the relatively near future.



The main beam supporting the roof comes right through the wall and has a protective bit of steel nailed over it. And a red cross painted on, though I have no idea of the significance of that.



The shed is mostly used for storage, but it also houses the humanure loo, which is due to be replaced by a willow feeder in the very near future. The local stone houses all have these wonderful alcoves in, originally for standing lamps in where they are relatively safe from being knocked over. This one has a couple of lamps shoved in there too, not for use but because they seem relatively safe there.



I hope some of you found it interesting!

This isn't a home or barn, but an industrial building or shop that we found on a hike summer before last. But the third picture does show an outbuilding. So much graffiti!

Burra, what a lovely set of photos!
a building with history and a bit of mystery and character...mends and bulges and all.


Christopher, I love those! both the buildings and the graffiti!
I'll see if I can edit the title to include more structures in general.


My main interest was that they be old enough that more natural materials were used and to see how they weathered and aged and were treated over decades....wood, stone, adobe, metal, concrete (others?) bamboo?

Plus, I really enjoy seeing 'mends' whether it's structures or cloth.

Adobe

I just remembered I had these two photos of the door to an abandoned pub in the next town.

Rock wasn't with us so I persuaded my son to do the for scale thing...

Here are some photos I took in 2019 of an abandoned building a few miles away.

Clay tiles, wattle and daub, stone walls and lintels, and one of those little alcoves for standing a lamp.

I should try to get an update photo sometime as I think it's collapsed a bit more now.

I love these pictures but at the same time,  they break my heart,  especially the old wooden buildings that are sagging under the weight of their age. They seem so sad,  like the love they held at one time is gone and all they have are memories.  Am I being ridiculous?

My own house is over a hundred years old with such a unique story but there's no point in pictures because from the outside,  it just looks like any other house.  The garage is pretty neat though,  the inside is built in so many stages and you can see where the original structure is and what they added.  It had a Concord grape growing up the back side of it when we moved in.  I didn't know what it was and kept cutting it back to the ground so it wouldn't lift the shingles.  When I discovered it was a grape vine,  I was horrified and let it grow.  It's forgiven me because I get gobs of grapes every year now!

Gina, I know what you mean....sad but still useful as examples of simple living and construction.

I love the adobe Nathaniel posted...almost an art piece and will leave no trace at the end of it's life.

and Burra's detail of a door latch and buildings, so much beautiful stone.

I think as John mentions they tell a story even as they decompose and unlike so many modern buildings not much is left in the end...although the tin on most of those I posted will out last a lot of materials.

Here's a cabin in the National Park here that is preserved with minimum repair....it is such a lovely design and the fence is a favorite of mine.

Your grape vine is such a lucky find...and living in a home with such a long history!

Judith, that fence is lethal looking!  We found a fence exactly like it at the back property line when we went to clear it to build goat fences. It was easily 500 feet behind the house with nothing else around (like maybe there had been another house way back there?) It was overgrown with blackberries and almost entirely disintegrated but you could still tell it was a picket fence.  If only they could talk...

Hi Gina,

It always bothers me when I see a classic old barn collapsing.   There is a gentleman who lives about a mile from me. He is well into his 80s.  He has such a barn in his property 25 years ago. He paid to have the roof replaced. Then board by board he re-sided it. It took him over 10 years to complete the work … a few hours a week, but it currently stands in excellent condition.