Monday, January 31, 2011

Old Home Places

One of my favorite past times is to drive by old home places.  I don't know what it is that makes them call out to me.  Do you ever just go for Sunday drives and look for old home places.  Sometimes all that is left are the remains of a chimney or old house flowers.  You know what old house flowers are, right?  They are flowers that were planted at one time by the home owner and remain behind to bloom even when the house may be torn down.  The old chimneys are just sitting there, no house, just the old bricks waiting for you stop so that they can whisper the house secrets to you.  Well, wouldn't that be something if they could tell you what happened, why they remained and the house and family didn't.

A while back while on Dawn's blog, she introduced this site to us and this is where I found these images. 


While this house may seem a little creepy to some, it just really spoke to me.  You can tell it was a huge house.  I can imagine the family that lived here probably had lots of children and the husband had to have been someone important in the town, a doctor, lawyer, who knows.  I could see the mother sitting on the front porch, baby in tow, while she watched the little ones play in the massive yard.  See the tree, can you picture children playing hide and seek while the one pretented to count and cover their eyes, all the while watching where the children were hiding.  I know I have a vivid imagination.
Now this house, while it may be boarded up, you can tell was once grand in it's day.  Just look at the peely paint color still on the house.  I love the porch on it but I loved the little glass room at the top of it the most.  I would have spent many hours here if it would have been mine.  You would have found me reading, looking out to the city below, and drinking tea.

This house is dark and mysterious, but it still is appealing to me.  Why would families leave them behind?  Do you ever notice that once families leave it seem that even the house becomes sad and goes into disrepair. 


I can imagine this house would have been in a grand city on a main street.  It would have been owned by a prominent family, someone important, just look at the detail.  Again, another wonderful porch to sit on.



What a cute cottage?  Can you image it full of rose bushes peeking through the fence by a great gardener.  Maybe it was the lady in the picture with her dog.  It seemed it would have been a happy house.


This last picture, I can see still in the middle of a town with all new construction all around.  Maybe the family won't sell and the new stores are building all around it.  I can only imagine the yard would have been just beautiful.  I would loved to have been sitting on this porch, watching the town grow while I continued to enjoy the house.

This weekend, I got out and enjoyed our city park.  There's a new log cabin that was moved to the park around November and they are slowly constructing the original cabin back.  The Sam Houston's Memorial Park, where Sam Houston's old houses have been moved for us to enjoy, is the location of where the new cabin was moved.  The cabin dates back to the 1840's and Sam Houston would go hunting near the cabin's original location.  What I liked most about the cabin were the front and back porches.  I'll be showing this cabin in a future post.

I'm also linking up with Jill for her new series that she's starting, The Porch Club.  I hope you'll also stop over and see who all is participating for her first post.

36 comments:

Julie Marie said...

Hi there, I am hopping over from Jill's Porch Club today as well...I love these wonderful old beauties you have shown... I have such a strong love and respect for all things from the past, and hate to see homes and buildings torn down... these are not scary to me at all... I love seeing them and my thoughts drift off to who once lived there and what they were like... I have a special little old abandoned place I go to often,and have blogged about... I am drawn to it... and there too the most beautiful climbing roses flourish, as if someone from long ago still cares for them from afar... I even took a little start of them home and it took root in my cottage garden... in my own little way, I am honoring whoever once inhabited my little special spot... thanks so much for sharing these most wonderful of old homes... xoxo Julie Marie

the gypsy chick said...

Hello Pretty Lady! I just love the old houses, I think that the first one is my favorite. I adore wraparound porches. Could you imagine what they must have been like in the day? gorgeous!
I hope that you have a great day my friend!
xoxxo
amy

The Cranky Queen said...

I am fascinated with the old homes that you have posted. If walls could only talk...but time has taken its tole on the once beautiful ladies! So sad. My family restored a home built in 1890 and loved it...we took an ugly duckling and turned it into a swan...
I enjoy your blog. If you would be so kind & visit my new blog thecrankyqueen.blogspot.com and be a follower and leave a comment, I would be much obliged! Thank you for sharing. Tiff

Brenda Pruitt said...

I have actually never heard the term "old house flowers." And I'm a gardener! But I will remember that, because just the term oozes charm.
Brenda

V I N T A G E O L O G I E said...

I could spend a very long time here visiting with you and looking over these photos ... making up stories to go with ... imagination is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

It's a pure joy having YOU here today at Porch Club ; )

xo
Jill

Divine Theatre said...

I am sad. I know my new plastic home, built, seemingly, entirely of Legos, will not be around in 50 years, let alone 150!

Unknown said...

Great houses with such history, love seeing all of them, I hopping over from the Porch Club to say Hi and I hope you can stop by and have a cup of coffee, great post! Hugs and Blessings Marilou

Wanda @ Just Vintage said...

I agree. I love old home places. But you know what makes me the maddest? You see the old house sitting on the back of the property, neglected and falling in, and a mobile home or newer prefab house in front where the family "moved up". Why, oh why didn't they just improve the old one? Seeing old, abandoned houses also makes me want to explore inside, see if there are any cool things left, but without knowing the owners, that's trespassing and stealing and I will not do that. Although I know people who have.

Stephanie Suzanne Designs said...

Oh my gosh, I will definitely go look at this site you mentioned..I LOVE old homes and wonder, like you, what their history is. These are all magnificent beauties even in their disrepair.

I can imagine owning any of them and having a home plus a huge studio too...the old homes just really have a spirit that speaks.

I'm visiting for Porch Club Monday. I'd love to have you drop by my porch when you have a moment.

Hugs,
Stephanie ♥

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

I'm so glad you posted these wonderful, old places! It just took me away somewhere for awhile!

sweetpea said...

wow! they don't build em like they used to do they? i love every one of those porches!

hugs,

shelley

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

I think they are all just enchanting!

Bohemian said...

Thanks for mentioning me and this wonderful site... I too have always been drawn to Old Homes... and in particular those that have been abandoned. Yes, it does make me wonder how or why anywould would just walk away from such grand old Treasures? It makes me sad and though it may seem odd to some, I always pray over an old abandoned House... that someone might rescue it and bring it back to life. At times those Prayers have been answered and I couldn't be more delighted than if it had been me breathing new Life back into a once forgotten and forlorn Home!!! And yes, I also grieve and often cry over those that alas, are lost and razed and will only remain in memory or old photos. Loving the ones you shared, yes, I would be drawn in by each and every one of them... and Hopeful that one day they are resurrected and saved!

Dawn... The Bohemian

Bohemian said...

I apparently just made up a new word... anywould! *LOL* I meant anyone!!!

Dawn... The Bohemian

Gypsy Fish said...

Such vision! I love it when I run across old forlorn houses...I go into automatic fix-it-up mode and start chain thinking, then the next thing you know I'm just gone! Back in time somewhere, living in one of these long forgotten beauties. Oh and by the way my husband runs and ducks for cover when the ideas start flying.We live in one of those long forgotten beauties and it's been 16 years and we've still got a long way to go...
hugs
Beth

lvroftiques said...

I just found your blog via Andie's /Divine Theatre and I'm really enjoying all the beautiful inspiration!
Yeppers I too love to drive around and look at houses. And I dream of finding a victorian like that to restore. But not too much because I am a fan of the "mouldering" Oh and I'm your newest follower. *winks* Vanna

linnea-maria said...

How can they abandone these beautiful houses, I can't understand. We have two houses in my area that looks like this. One is a very big mansion. It is abandoned by its owner. A friend of mine has started an assosciation trying to rescue it and trying to make the community to buy it. The other house I would have bought if I had a bit more time. It is owned by a company that will give it away for free if someone moves it, it is so cute it has a little tower with windows all the way round. Old houses are often in better standard than you think because of the quality in work/Therese

Stephanie said...

The little cottage is my favorite!

Janet said...

i too love houses! surprise! i could totally live in that little cottage! but i'd have to do some serious down-sizing! a girl can dream!

lulu redstar said...

The fourth house reminds me of Norman Bates' house....I'm just sayin' T.
xo

toves sammensurium said...

I loooove old houses like this,but they also sadden me.I wonder how the lifes were in them.....and how they would look if someone took care of them.....
Truly beautiful!!! :))
tove,Norway:)

One Shabby Old House said...

You have a wonderful imagination! Those are grand old houses. Oh what we would do if we could get our hands on them!

Kim @ Touch of Nostalgia said...

I would love to explore all those homes. I bet they were wonderful in their hayday.

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Richard Cottrell said...

Wouldn't it be fun to explore the inside, and think about how it might have looked along time ago. I would get arrested, if I saw these along the road I would have to break in and go inside and look around, maybe even become a homeless person and spend a few days there, I am sure someone would speak to me sooner or latter. Great post. Richard at My Old Historic House

casa decorada said...

Hello, I love coming here on her blog for inspiration! Congratulations on the good taste! When you want to come visit my virtual home!
Hug from Brazil
Valeria

Hello Vintage said...

Wow, these places are amazing. We don't have anything like this over in Australia. Thanks for sharing with us. I wonder how many stories they could tell...

Chelle HM said...

I've enjoyed looking at these grand homes. Would love to know where they are, out of curiosity.

Thanks for sharing!
Michelle

Discarded Forlorn said...

I'm not sure of origin of these places, but if you click on the link above you'll be directed to where I found these.

A said...

I believe #3 and #4 are from Disneyland Paris. I love #1 and #2!

Pam said...

I as a Southerner can speak to this from personal experience. My Mamaw and Papaw's house built in 1917 is crumbling down now. In the South they are called "old homeplaces." You see, families could not bear to tear them down. To a Southerner these old standing houses are not discarded, a disgrace, or even forlorn, but rather a testament to love and security that just can't be seen to go away unless it is to the dust...

Atomic_Scout said...

The house in the third and fourth photos is actually images of Phantom Manor (haunted mansion) at Disneyland Paris.

Anonymous said...

I will admit that I have been a little lazy in that I have skipped over much of the comments left here thus far. I was wondering if you know the locations of the photos you have posted in your blog. I am researching some old homes in my neck of the woods and I got to thinking that it might be possible that some of the pictures of houses on the internet may be just around the bend from where I am.
Thank you.

Unknown said...

I dream daily of being able to live in an old fashioned farmhouse or really any old era home and people just abandon them! I don't understand why they are not cherished and taken care of, as they truly are treasures of history.

Louise Pinkerton said...

Just LOVE theses wonderful pictures..
Thank you so much,.. a friend from Laval Quebec Canada.

Anonymous said...

The fate of the Webster Wagner house is not as glamours as you can imagine. Until the mid 80's it was owned by my Great Grandfather and Great Aunt. They sold it when it became to much for them to keep up they were elderly. At that time it was sold to a man named Barry ? can't remember his last name. He was going to turn it into a bed and breakfast but, as is the case in many small towns....there are lots of small minds and visions. The mayor and village officials fought him every step of the way. Needless to say he stopped paying taxes, stopped keeping the property up and allowed it to deteriorate beyond repair. It finally went for back taxes a couple of years ago. By that time it was to far gone to save. The man who bought it (around 2012 can't specifically remember when Pierre purchased it)was able to salvage items from the ruins and he uncovered some hidden treasures. For example, the murals (fresco) that were painted on the walls of Mrs. Wagner's room and sealed over for years. I've seen the pictures and they were beautiful. He was also able to save some of the fireplaces, mirrors and some other antiques. But the narrow minded village idiots sued him saying that he was taking historical artifacts from the home that he legally purchased and after they tied him up in court proceedings with injunction after injunction he finally gave up and told the village they could have the house and the property back. I haven't been past the house in a while because frankly it breaks my heart to see what has become of it and it makes me angry. The last I heard the village was selling the property again. There was talk of putting up retail store there because that would benefit the whole village. Small town minds with no vision or thought of preserving the past. (Hmmm...kinda reminds me of the recent thought process of tearing down statues cause you don't like....never mind.) The only thing they can see is dollars. When I was a child there was another mansion next door that was owned by Teddy Roosevelt's sister. That was town down to build a Rite Aid.

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