Friday, March 23, 2007

Photo Hunters: Empty



Empty Buildings in Orleans County, Vermont
(clicking on photo will open a new page)

House on Rt. 16


Collapsed Barn on Rt. 16


Empty Canadian Pacific shed on Rt. 105 in Coventry


Abandoned house at the corner of Chamberlin and Spilling Roads

Since there are no zoning laws, and because your tax bill goes down if the dwelling or barn has collapsed, and because it is too expensive to rebuild or tear down, the buildings continue to stand. Occasionally they are burned down by the fire departments, but usually only when the owner intends to rebuild on the same site.

Thank you for visiting! I can't wait to see what other concepts of empty are out there this week!

_/\_/\_

63 comments:

  1. I wonder if there is a procedure for "reclaiming" the wood from these places? We are doing a "green" building and would love to get the wood from places like these to re-use.

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  2. They are so sad, and beautiful a the same time. We have tons of zoning here in NY, and they would have big orange "CONDEMNED" signs on them here.

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  3. They make me feel quite sad, I am sure they were happy family homes once, its a pity nothing is done to save them.

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  4. Wonder what it would be like to go back in time and watch the activity?
    Good 'Empty' photos!

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  5. Very nice photographs? Were these taken this week? Well, I hate to brag...but it's in the 80s this weekend in GA!

    Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  6. Oh, after Florida wildlife, abandoned buildings are my most favorite 'subject' to photograph. I haven't posted any on my new blog...thanks for the inspiration ;)

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  7. That is one of my favourite types of empty. I've always admired abandoned houses.. they're left with so much character and mystery. Beautiful pictures! Especially with the snow :)

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  8. Does that mean that many residents are moving away? To the city perhaps?

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  9. So sad... And to think of how beautiful some of those buildings have once been! I bet the one who built them would be more than sad to see them now :(

    And I think the law is lousy, if it encourages people to have rotten, run-down buildings!

    Thanks for stopping by :)

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  10. Gorgeous pictures. I've only been to Vermont once, years ago and your photos bring back some fond memories.

    Mine is up too.

    Cheers!

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  11. It's sad to see these houses go, and you wonder what happened to the people that used to live there. But they make awesome photo ops at the same time.

    I shot a pic of a falling down barn in VT last August: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/45/208503969_d7a326e2f2.jpg

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  12. It always makes me a bit sad to see old buildings all run down. I'm sure they were lovely in their "glory days". Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting!

    Amy

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  13. Hey, those are my summer homes!!! :-)

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  14. cool photos! before i came to this country, whenever i see those, it seems pretty scary for me, i think abt ghosts, u know! too much horror movies that i've seen but now being here...i see history & stories behind those bldgs. no more ghosts,lol! happy hunting!

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  15. I almost used empty buildings. I love taking pictures of them! Thanks for stopping by!

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  16. Beautiful pictures. I loved driving through VT visiting our friends, there was so much to see, everything had character.

    That last house looked like it could have been real beautiful before it was let go. To bad no one is willing to rebuild!

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  17. I love these pictures and I love taking pictures like these. Very cool. Thanks for coming by My Photo Blog.

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  18. They all have a strange beauty to them.
    Especially the first - so weather beaten.
    scully is right the wood should be reclaimed for other projects.
    Thanks for sharing & visiting,
    Frances

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  19. Very interesting houses - I always wonder the story behind them when I see them.

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  20. It's interesting. I wonder what stories they can tell.

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  21. wow..fancy seeing abandone houses like this...we don't get much here since most live in flats/apartment

    Pearl

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  22. So good theses places are EMPTY!! Would be a tad bit cold right now!! You live in a state that I have always wanted to visit!! We live in Savannah Ga and Spring has really Sprung here now!! Beautiful today!!
    Thanks for visiting!!
    Sandy

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  23. Those are very beautiful photos, but just a little scary too. Especially the last one, it is like a haunted house!

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  24. How awesome those houses must have been in their glory days. Now they almost look hunted. Love the pictures.

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  25. I'm sure they used to be very lovely homes. It's sad to see such houses deteriorate like that. But they make great entries for this week. Thanks for sharing and visiting me earlier. Take care!

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  26. Oh Wow, I hate to see old buildings falling apart. Excellent choice for "empty".

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  27. Oh Wow, I hate to see old buildings falling apart. Excellent choice for "empty".

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  28. I loved Vermont for this very reason, all the old structures and buildings. What great photos for this weeks theme.

    How far are you from Burlington?

    Thanks for stopping by!

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  29. I see such beauty in those old buildings... Great photos for sure..

    Thanks for stopping by.

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  30. Wow great photos and great choice for "empty." Makes you just wonder the families that lived her and the memories that these empty buildings hold. Nice job on The Hunt.

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  31. There is such a haunting beauty to old abandoned buildings. What I ponder mostly when I see these is what sort of history they hold---what people once inhabited or strolled through the rooms. Thank you for sharing these photos!! Wonderful and creatively inspiring for this week's theme.

    I played too,

    Lea

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  32. See it. Can not help for it: It makes me sad....

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  33. We have some houses like that near where I grew up. It's nice to see a piece of history but fairly dangerous. I hope no curious person gets hurt lurking around inside!

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  34. You always wonder at the history behind an old empty building. Great shot for today!

    Thanks for stopping by!

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  35. There's a kind of beauty in old decaying buildings. (Thank you for your visit, by the way.)

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  36. Love the picture of the barn! Thanks for stopping by

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  37. We were thinking along the same lines for this one.

    Nice shots, thanks for the visit.

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  38. I posted a link to show the picture of the fish, and it is actually a Skate, not skeet. My bad.

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  39. I love to look at old buildings. I wonder what it looked like long ago. And I love the wood! Fantastic idea for "empty"
    Thanks for stopping by my site too :)

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  40. My cousin in southern Illinois goes around to places like this and will salvage the wood. He then makes gorgeous pieces of furniture and frames out of them. At least they don't go to waste. Some of the wood in these old places is quite valuable.

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  41. Such wonderful pictures!! When I see abandoned buildings like that, I always wonder who lived in them and what happened to make them leave! Mine is up too:-)

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  42. Fabulous fabulous pictures! I love old houses-dilapidated or not- they all hold stories and have such character in their architecture.

    Empty .. and yet? The mystery of an old house :) Love the way you caught that in photos.

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  43. I too can't help but think of all the memories those places held. Beautiful photos, yet sad at the same time. Thank you for heading over to visit me earlier, have a fantastic week!

    :-)

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  44. Great photos! Sad that buildings fall into disrepair. Thanks for visiting me as well!

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  45. Beautiful "empty" photos. I always notice those abandoned buildings when we're out driving. I wonder how they looked when they were new. Wonderful take on the theme and lovely pictures, as always.

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  46. Awesome!!! They have a spooky feel!

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  47. Thank you so much for visiting me today! I love your photos! I always want to go with a metal detector and look through old buildings like these! awesome take on the theme

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  48. I actually think the buildings are beautiful. I guess it's sad to see them falling down, but they look so peaceful in the snow...

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  49. @scully: I'm sure if you stopped at the town clerk, you could find the owner and ask. They may be willing to part with some wood!

    @sarah and whirlwind: No, nothing can be done to save them. However, a person from "downcountry" did buy one a dwelling and barn much like these and totally rennovated it. It is gorgeous now! But the whole house and barn had to be gutted and everything replaced. What an expense!

    @lulu: Two photos were taken in December and two this week. But there is more snow now than then. Gratefully it is now warmer than December so it'll be gone soon enough!

    @bernard: No, they aren't moving away. They may have moved to another part of their land, or into the village or another town. Or perhaps they have died and their children live somewhere else. Unfortunately land prices have gone up so fast and so high (since 9/11) that nobody can afford to move!

    @eija: Well, Vermont believes that each person should be free to pursue their own life. So they do. The buildings are few and far between. But if my own barn collapses, I probably won't fix it because of the prohibitive cost! It's a different life here. Thank you for visiting!

    @janet: I saw your pic! What a magnificent barn! The colors are still vivid! Thank you for telling me!

    @sj: I am 2 and 1/2 hours east of Burlington. But we have to go there once in awhile for shopping, unfortunately. It's a beautiful city but its a long haul!

    Thank you all for visiting! It's been so great seeing your photos!

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  50. What happen to the family?
    I guess it is no easy decision to move away

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  51. Cool shots. 50 comments! You are one popular gal.

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  52. Strange laws but and the houses look like being part of ghost town (shiver) but I like it it's some kind of romantic.

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  53. Beautiful photos. Reminds you of the old old days.
    Thanks for the visit.

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  54. Your photos made them all look beautiful, but I am sure in real life they are a bit less so. We spent today driving through little towns around us and I saw abandoned buildings I hadn't noticed before. One or two did look beautiful in spite of their condition.

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  55. what great pictures..I bet there was treasures in there at one time. Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend.

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  56. lovely old buildings, id love to live in an old antique house :) thanks for visiting us & have a great weekend.

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  57. What moving photos you have!
    What a shame that such beautiful buildings such as those are left to ruin!
    Thanks for dropping by.
    Happy Weekend
    L

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  58. Wow - what great photos. And these all must have been beautiful structures in their time.

    Thanks for the visit and thanks for your very kind words. It meant a lot to me.

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  59. Those are beautiful pictures. It seems a shame that buildings like these are allowed to become ruins and yet at least some of their beauty is in the way that they have weathered.

    Thanks for visiting earlier :)

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  60. so sad to see them left empty. The house on Rt.16, looks pretty ok. so sad to see it left empty.

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  61. Wow! Those houses must have been beautiful in their prime.

    You got some beautiful pictures!

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  62. Empty buildings always make me sad. I wonder what lives have passed through those walls, what secrets are held within them. Great photos for this week's theme. Mine is up, if you want to stop by!

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  63. Imagine the stories these buildings could tell!

    Mine's up too :)

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Thank you for visiting and for your comments!