Abandoned

The old place looked like it had been hit by a hurricane: timbers collapsing, siding falling off, junk strewn everywhere. As it turns out, the house wasn’t the victim of devastating winds – just years of neglect and abandonment.

I spotted it while driving through a rural part of South Carolina. On a stretch of road with nicely-kept homes and small businesses, my eye was drawn to this corner lot with scattershot piles of junk around a decaying empty house.

Wandering around the yard, I saw cast-aside tires, appliances, rusted machinery, tables, chairs, books, cooking pots, paint cans and a heap of empty boxes suggesting a less-than-ideal diet: corn dogs, frozen pizzas, Hostess Twinkies and soft drinks.

Amid the rubble, I saw a Carter-Mondale presidential election sticker on the side of a large upright filing cabinet. How long had that been there?

All of this triggered even more questions: Who lived here? Why did they abandon the property? Why did they leave so much behind? Have squatters been using the empty place?

It's interesting to note that I felt no urge to photograph any of the nice homes I passed on that rural stretch of road – but when I saw this abandoned old place, I resolved to come back with my camera to take pictures.

What’s the appeal? Why would I want to photograph a building that’s falling apart when there were perfectly charming homes just down the road?

For me, old things are interesting in a way that new, pristine things aren’t. Abandoned buildings in a state of decay – like old people who have faces lined with wrinkles and topped with grey hair – have a lifetime of stories to tell. While some might see only the deterioration, I see the natural progression of time. I see character, soul, and yes, beauty.

The author Henry Miller said, "I have always looked upon decay as being just as wonderful and rich an expression of life as growth." I agree with Miller. This old home had so much to express.

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