“They never tear anything down in our county. They just let things crumble away.”
That was a statement made by my old friend, Viola, a local girl who loved to drive around the county to explore this part of the Shenandoah Valley. And she would point out crumbling barns, rusting gas stations and collapsing homes.
And sure enough, she was right. This area is just a treasure trove of disintegrating buildings. They are in various states of disrepair and every time I see another I imagine people there and I weave stories.
But here is this square little building I see almost every day and still have no idea what it might have been. Perhaps it was a store before because it is not as welcoming as a home, or maybe it was a gas station, or a bank. In the early stages of decay, it still seems so strong and sturdy, but each time I look, something else is crumbling away.
I feel sad about crumbling buildings. They are like people giving up on life, just waiting to be rescued before the end.
Note: Rumor around here is this building was a “weigh station.” There was a quarry nearby and truckswith their loads of rock were driven onto a scale to determine prices. The quarry expanded across the highway and a new weigh station was built. What does this building look like to you?
It looks sturdy and could be cute if fixed up. I wonder what’s inside??? Go peek in the windows and tell us??? Enquiring minds want to know……Bring an accomplice and don’t tell the police I told you to do this. I’m in enough trouble already with these birds……..
O.k. Cindhy – caution to the winds!
Well, I prefer to think of this building as a diner, where folks would look out the window while eating their pie and talk about who’s passing by.
Thanks Barb. It would make a really cute diner for sure.
I also feel that way when I see abandoned buildings, I wonder how many precious memories are just forgotten and then I wonder about the people who lived and worked there in years gone by…
We are the same on this – wondering about those old abandoned buildings.
It makes me sad too. They just look like they are crying out to be loved again!
I find crumbling old buildings charming. And they always make me wonder what their “life” was once like….. But don’t get me started on JUNK that people have in their yards: inoperable vehicles, etc. I wish they’d enact a TAX on those, and I bet folks would be cleaning up!
I agree!
A Donut Shop. Which I guess has ties to a weigh station.
Are you as funny in person as in your blog and in your comments? No fair if you are already a stand up comedienne! A Donut Shop indeed… tied into a weigh station! Love it. LOL!
How about a farm stand with fresh veggies? (Can you tell I am sick of winter??)
Ooooooh! The farm stand and spring are great ideas! At least we can think about it!
Maybe it was a Mom & Pop style little grocery store, the kind that used to be in every little town and village before the mega stores moved in. Crumbling old buildings/houses also make me wonder what their stories were from days gone by.
That’s a sweet thought mama – the little Mom and Pop grocery store. Nothing much like it around today unless you look very hard. I wish someone would get the idea and turn this little building into something like that.
The roof is not house-ish. The windows are not diner-ish–you would have a lot more of them, I think. So a business is more apt. Maybe it was a weigh station as you suggested.
Your analytics are probabaly acccurate. I suspect it really was a “scale house” (as the local say it here), but it looks too fancy for that to me. So, I am still guessing.
Maybe the scale tech was a lady.
Ha! Good one Lilly. She added a touch of glamour and paned windows to blah structures, like Lady Bird Johnson did by adding flowers to the freeways.
I don’t know about a weigh station as it seems a bit more than is needed. Perhaps it was some government building. For the future I see a tea room or pastry shop.
A pastry shop! What a grand idea. I will suggest that to whomever will listen. Thanks coastalcrone!
This might sound odd, but I have mixed feeling about crumbing buildings. It’s sad that they aren’t kept in good repair, but it’s also nice that they are still there so that people can remember them–and the stories of the people who once lived and worked in them.
Yes, I see you point Sheryl. I would sorely miss seeing the old buildings, and occasionally some are restored to former glory and given new lives.
Was the road it’s on once a busy road? When new roads are built, sometimes business dries up on the old ones and they have to close. I like the look of that old building with it’s metal roof and big windows. I think it should become a tea room.
That fading building is actually in a commercial area across from a Taco Bell. A tea room is a great idea – with donuts maybe?