The Death of a Farmhouse

The death of this old farmhouse is not a pleasant thing to see.  I have been photographing it for at least 15 years, because I am fascinated by architecture, and also by its ruin.  Over the years I have gradually seen more about this house as I keep looking and photographing it.  I hope that I can somehow find out more about it, and how wonderful would it be if some historical society had a photograph of it when it was inhabited.  Each time I see it, I see more architectural details.  This house was really well built, and I keep finding quality architectural details that surprise me.  It had a front porch, now gone, and a side porch that is now a pile of rotting lumber.

I think the main house was built, and then other parts were added on the back.  Houses and barns were done that way all over the northeast, with new sections added on later and connected together.  This back section was probably the last room added on.  I looked inside and it appears to have been a storage room.  I walked up to the large window to the left in the corner, and this is what I saw:

In this photograph you can see how far gone this structure is.  The second floor and roof have collapsed, and you can see the sky as a result.  It has snowed and covered all the wood with snowflakes.

What is amazing is that with all the structure collapsed in the back, this view through the window into the downstairs left front room, everything is still intact.  The ceiling is still intact, showing the lathe and plaster, and there is original wallpaper on one of the walls.  I wonder if this room is still whole because it was in the original house and that perhaps it was more solidly built.  So many mysteries here.