Tuesday, April 4, 2023

The Farmhouse Fading, Now and Then


We are now in Rochester, and on the way up today I had to stop and photograph my favorite farmhouse.  It has been over a year since we have been up here and I was not even sure what I would find.  The last time I came by, the entire roof had collapsed and it was looking pretty sad. I wondered if it was even still standing.  I was shocked at how dramatically different it looked this time, and then I realized that someone had stripped the clapboards off the front of the house!


This is a view through a window of the inside of part of the house and of course you can see the sky from within the rooms now.


I really love this photograph, of the tilted door and screen door.  Not sure why, but it is subtle.  I photographed this the last time, but it was illuminated by the harsh light of the direct sun.  This is more beautiful because of the soft light.  Apparently there was a side porch, in the foreground, but it has collapsed as well.  I would love to be able to see what this house looked like when it was newer and still occupied.


Here is a view I have photographed many times in the past.  Someone even cut down one of the trees in front, and I wonder why they did that.


And to put things in perspective, here is a similar photograph of the farmhouse in 2009, 14 years ago.  It was the oldest photograph I have on this computer, but there may be older photographs in the desktop computer at home.





 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Besides nature doing its damage, it looks as if humans have done damage also. Very sad, indeed! betsey

Anonymous said...

So sad to this once great farmhouse deteriorate over such a long period of time. I want to know the history of this home and wonder why it has never been sold or revived. The crooked doors are a great photo. Enjoy your visit.
Joan

Anonymous said...

The photos of this house have been interesting to observe over time. It makes me wonder what happened to the people who lived here and why did they abandon the place? It is amazing how time and weathering have broken down this house. Nice photos. Trace

Ken Spencer said...

Thank you all for your wonderful comments, and your curiosity. Kathy would wait in the car every time I stopped to photograph this old farmhouse, and when I got back in the car after this latest shoot, she started wondering about the story of the family. I was hoping that perhaps a historical society might know about the history, and then the other thing that occurred to me was that there is a big dairy farm just up the road a hundred yards. Perhaps I should stop there and inquire - maybe they know some of the story. If I end up with any information, I will be sure and let everyone know.