The day after Halloween, after my sister, my brother in law and I went to the flea market...we stopped for lunch and then took a walk and came upon this beautiful, stately abandoned home.
Oh, would I have loved to have lived in a home like this!
My brother in law is fearless and as we walked closer to this gracious old home he saw that the front door was wide open ...
...without hesitating...he walked up the stairs of the old wrap around porch and right in through the open door.
Now those of you who know me...know that I am a fraidy cat....
...but curiosity got the better of me...
...and I went right in the door after Steve!
The place was a mess. There were odds and ends of furniture upended...remnants of wallpaper...peeling plaster, a rusty claw foot tub...wonderful old doors and windows...although most of the windows were boarded up.
We ventured upstairs...
There were fireplaces with old mantles in every room.
Some of the floorboards were soft so we had to be careful where we stepped so we didn't fall through to the first floor.
Beautiful architectural details...
the railings along the porch and banisters on the stairs were lovely and all intact...
Steve thought that the house had once been set up as a
"haunted house" for Halloween...
...perhaps even the night before we were there!
I was thankful that the sun was shining brightly that afternoon.
I wish I knew the history behind this old home...
...who lived here and their stories.
My visit to this old southern charmer was exciting but a little bittersweet as what was once a beautiful gracious home was now in such a terrible state of disrepair.
Would you have dared to go inside?
:)
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I am linking up to White Wednesday at Kathleen's Faded Charm!
Pop on over and see all the other participants!
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74 comments:
What an adventure to say the least! I am like you, a bit fearful of intruding really. But wow! An incredible old home, and so sad to see it in that condition. Those old places usually had so many large rooms. Lots of space. I bet with today's market you could get it for a very reasonable price if you wanted. It is really a shame to see it that way. On a side note, that table looked awesome! Some pretty chippy items going to waste!
I sure would have, and naughty me , if there werent too many houses near by, would have hightailed it with one of those old tables under my arm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It breaks my heart to see old homes like this not cared for....I am sure someone with the heart and the dollars may come along one day and put it back to its former glory.....
Here in Australia our old homes are so different in style and design, but none less prized and loved..........great to see this old beauty , thank you. Suzanne.
Oh, it could be wonderful again - someone should buy it and fix it up! I would have loved to go inside but I'll admit I would have wanted a "Steve" to go in first!
I totally would have gone inside if the house was open! How fun, you can always plead "innocence" if someone caught you, right?
I'd have been in there in a NewYork Minute...
But my hubby would grab my shirt-tail and said whoa...what a beauty, thank you for sharing it with us. I am fearless when it comes to things like that, I just walk up there like I own the place...I'd never take anything but pictures.
But I'm not afraid to go look..
silly me...
There's no way I would have gone inside. I weigh too much. :) The fear of ending up in the basement would keep me outside. However, I, too, admire older homes and grieve over those left in neglect.
I thought this one resembled the one in Forest Gump. Or, am I not remembering it rightly?
beautiful....
love those architectural details.
i may have been to chicken to go in!
now, Laura you know I would have been in there in a flash!!!!!!! Boy, would I like to bring that house back to life, but a bit too hot for me in Florida.
I think this house would have been wonderful for you and your treasures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course in good repair,
hugs, Evi
No, I probably wouldn't dare go inside. But I'm glad you did! Wouldn't it be fun to restore?
Don't know if I would have gone inside or not - have to think about that. :D Sad to see an old, beautiful home like that in such disrepair. However, I also realize what it would cost to refurbish such a work of art and bring it up to code.
Thanks for sharing your day trip.
Also, thanks for stopping by.
Glenda
What an amazing home! I can see it refurbished - it would be wonderful.
I too wonder what stories this house would tell if given a voice. An architect could probably say when it was built. I wonder if it is pre-civil war? Many homes of that era had kitchens in a separate building from the house and beds were moved out to the wrap-around porches for sleeping, all due to the warm climate. Just think that it has survived a number of hurricanes and unless someone rescues it soon, the termites will finish it. If only walls could talk. If only life today was like that of yesterday.
~**~Beautiful even in its current state of disrepair~I would have been soooo tempted to grab one of those beautiful tables..wonder if they are just going to throw em away??Thanks for showing us around!! I would have definetely gone inside!! Im snoope like that! ;)Hugs, Rachel~**~*~
OMG...I would have & I would have fallen in love!!! As you said, if walls could talk, what stories would these walls tell us? Happy ones, sad ones, probably a little of both like most homes. The idea of the grandeur of this house in it's prime just sparks the imagination. I adored this post & the dream of a treaure hunt, even if the treasure is too big to bring home in a box this one comes home in your heart.
Thank you for sharing your wonderous adventure with us!!
Smiles,
Susie
What a beautiful old home! Yes, I would definitely have gone inside. In fact, I would try to find out who owned it and offer to buy some of the architectural salvage. You know, I have a recurring dream about going into an old abandoned Victorian home. I never get lost, but I never make it upstairs where I really want to see things, LOL. Great pictures! Hugs, Cathy
well, take away my breath. i am so thrilled that you found this place. as i was reading the blog,i was thinking did your brother-in-law peek thru the windows? and he did better, went inside. i would have also,i think,cuz iwould worry about trappassing and that would leave me speakless,altho didn't even give soft floors a thought. oh thank you laura so much for finding this place. the outside it looks as if perfect. i wish you would have located a neighbor and asked about a little history and maybe names of who had lived there. i should be satisfied with as much as you got. i will return many times to these photos and let my mind wonder. Bestest,Denise
I would have been in there in a hot second! It must have been grand in it's day. So sad that it has been left to fend for itself. It looks like it would cost a small fortune to put it back as it should be. Hopefully, someone will do so.
Annette
Thanks for showing these wonderful pictures.
Here in Holland there aren't many old buildings left, most of them are thorn apart or some company's moved in. It's to expensive to life in.
YES... We have often been enchanted by beautiful old abandoned buildings and homes... alas, some are never reclaimed and restored and we may have been the very last people to pay our respects and homage to such grand old masterpieces before they were razed and forever lost. Thanks for taking us on the grand tour of that beautiful old plantation style Southern home... it is my Hope that someone appreciate and love it enough to rescue it and restore it to the former grandeur that it obviously deserves to display to future generations. Bittersweet is definitely the feeling I always have too... If you find out the History behind it or the plans for it I'd love to hear the 2nd half of this story... or perhaps not... depending on if it will have a happy or tragic ending
?
Dawn... The Bohemian
Oh i would have dashed home and made a picnic...hurried back and sat on the front porch pretending she was mine,she is beautiful.
If my numbers come up on the lottery i will send you a cheque and you can buy this old beauty and Blog to us girls as you make her pretty again,
Love Kristina x
What an adventure! Of cource I had loved to find such a wonderful, exciting house! Is it for sale? If you have lots of monay to spend on it, it could really become a wonderful home.
But what happend with the people living there?
If only that house could talk...
How Fabulous Laura
I'm so glad you got to go inside.. particularly as we got to see it all!!! I can't believe you went upstairs!! Although I would have wanted to also... but would have worried about a rotting staircase collapsing under me...
I think the last time I was in an abandoned house would have been as a child!!... this tour of yours has been fun!!! What a beauty she must have been in her day!!! thanks.. ciao xxx Julie
And it's ABANDONDED? What a crime. It's so beautiful. Quick, search down the sides of your sofa cushions, raid the piggy bank, start a charity collection (I'll make the first donation) but for goodness sakes find a way to BUY THIS HOUSE! Perhaps it could be owned collectively by us bloggers...oh I'm on fire with ideas here!
Did you feel like the Hardy Boys investigating the old haunted house? I would have gone in, but only with other people not on my own. Oh it's a dream of a house. xx
Such a beautiful house, Laura. It's almost tragic that it's abandoned with all those amazing details and so much incredible potential. Would I have dared to walk in? I think if I was with someone like your brother-in-law, that I would have :)
Incredible! I agree with Rachel, I would have been dealing with a moral dilemma...I would hate to see things sit there and rot away! I would want to keep the door nobs, staircase spindles, you name it! There is so much great architecture there and small odds and ends and artist can appreciate. Too bad it is going to waste but it is fun to imagine what it once was and the folks that lived there. I have not been inside an abandoned house since I was a kid. This was really a great post and excellent photos. Loved seeing this old place.
Laura,
Oh my gosh girl! I would have had the moving company go straight to my house & had them pack up! I would give anything to find that somewhere around here, & of course be able to afford it. The treasures inside....unbelievable! Beautiful & haunting, thanks for being so brave! Lisa
What a beautiful old house. Well, it could be beautiful again with a little hard work. Great photos.
what a hauntingly beautiful old home. how sad that such beauty has fallen into such disrepair. i hope someday, the right person will buy it, restore it to its original grandeur and cherish it and the memories it holds within.
Hopefully someone will buy this charming old home and restore it. It would have been hard for me to walk through it and not be heart broken that it is such a mess. I would have been sorely tempted to take a few items, but know it would haunt me if I did so. Too bad! Great pics! Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful house. I take photos of old abandoned house down back roads. I want to see inside so bad. I would be right behind u going in that great old house. Thanks for the tour! judy
YES! I would have gone in and photographed it like you. I often wonder about homes like that, who lived in them...what happened, weren't there any other family members who would have loved to live in it. It looks as though it has so much potential. Beautiful details:) Thanks for sharing.
~Debra
Capers of the vintage vixens
Can you hear me crying out from Oregon City?! It's heartbreaking and alluring all at once. The beauty and disrepair mixed together. It makes you wonder who lived there. What were their lives like. How did it get this way? Who owns it now etc...
This is amazzzing!!!! My mind is spinning with the tales of the lives that had lived there. I am a Civil War reenactor and would love to walk among the rooms and grounds in one of my day dresses or ball gown, you are very talented with taking pictures,sure made it come alive for me,
Celeste, The Victorian Tailor
I'm Moving!
Where's it at?
Tisha
Oh, yes, I would have gone inside too! Lovely and so sad. You would think that pieces would at least be salvaged now, huh? The land around is so beautiful too!
Oh my goodness, what an amazing home this must have been at one time! I hope someone takes the time to bring it back to life. You were a pretty brave girl to venture inside! ... Just discovered your blog. Not sure how I've missed it, but nice to meet you! I'm going to follow along and get to know you better!
What a treat!! If I had gone inside there, it would have been hard to leave without making an offer on it! Work and all!
Hugs, Diane
What a treasure. And what a magnificent visual tour. You are so talented with the camera, Laura. I am amazed it is a digital. I would have been scared! If my brother (my oldest...I have four!) had been with me, I would have gone in!!!
See you tomorrow!
Suz
What a scary but exciting adventure! Like you I would have been scared to go inside but would have done it because of curiosity... It is fascinating to see all these photos, like you I would like to know the story of the house. While you were inside I'm sure you imagined the house at the time of its grandeur.
I love your post.
Geneviève
I'm afraid my antique stuff/old house/historical curiosity bone would have gotten the better of my fraidy cat bone and I would have gone right in (on someone else's heels, that is). It is so beautiful. What a doll it would be if someone could fix it up.
Take care,
Judy
That house is so beautiful! Such a shame to see it decomposing -- It would make an excellent antique shop!
I totally would! Unfortunately life hasn't been generous, on this matter with me! I would love to bump into an open abandoned house!!!
My heart goes pitter patter when I see a grand home like this. And just as quickly my heart is heavy when I see it rotting and falling down. Someone worked hard to build this lovely home. She has so many stories to tell--it's a shame to see her in such disrepair.
Is it just me or does this just scream "The Notebook?"
I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Where in Florida is this located? It might not be that far from me...
I would have gone in, knowing it was abandoned, because I'm so nosy about things like this-the house must have been gorgeous in it's day--so sad that it's falling apart. I hope someone comes and rescues it!
This is the stuff that books and movies are made of. It fills the imagination with what may have been and what may be. How grand of a gesture it would be to throw money and time at that ole place and see it spring with all its glory. I can't help by wonder what spirits may lurk!
Hi sweetest Laura!
Oh I would go in for sure, it´s a great house! Sad though to see it fall apart...hopefully someone like to bring it back to its old glory!
Ahh I see those lovely enamel canisters in your side bar, absolutely gorgeous!!! Love them =)
Have a great day!
Mia
I live in South Louisiana and also adore 'formerly loved' old homes - I hate to refer to them as abandoned, they already seem so sad and haunting -still beautiful, but as if they are waiting for someone to come along and love them back into a 'home' once again. I wish I had a ton of money just to buy them and bring them back to all of their former glory.
Oh Laura...what a post..so much beauty yet so unloved and forgotten....I think bittersweet does sum it up.I am so sorry I have not been here much,I so enjoy all your posts! Hope this finds you well and happy my sweet friend! x0x0
I really LOVE that house!
What a beauty. How do places like this become that way?
Wonder if it's been used in any Hollywood horror films?! I LOVE tromping through places like this! Lucky you!
Yep, I would and I have gone in places like that.
So lovely, I hope someone saves her.
Oh I am SO JEALOUS that I wasn't there with you and my camera!! I am just GROANING over here with just me and my laptop!!! Oh - how I would have been in there in a heart beat, snapping away and hauling away everything I thought I could legally take. I LOVE that house!!! I am a very curious one and would be asking a million questions, and driving everyone around me crazy - as if they would have the answers...never mind they just found the house like I did.
Oh, how I would LOVE LOVE LOVE for some investor to come along and pay me to do it all up Elizabeth House Style and let me just do what I want to it and don't ask questions, and then let me take tons of photos, write a design book about it, then the investor could sell it when I am done with my fun.
Oh man, why did I have to click on your blog so friggin late, right before bed - I will be thinking up all sorts of things now....thanks for sharing...this was just about the best adventure I have been on in a long time - you found my true love - old homes that need a new heart - mine!
Love
Elizabeth
hi there
last night a read this post and i almost dreamed of this house. it really breaks my hart to see in what kind of state it is. here in holland we dont have houses like this (i think) and i believe that it is almost everyones dream to own one of these. i really hope that it can be saved and someone will love and houner it again. i think if i was there with you, you had really trow me out of the house to get me away from it hahahh.
lots of love
hannie
I would've loved to have gone inside, although my fear of spiders would have gone in there with me. I loved the photos. We just don't have buildings like that here in So. Cal.
Blessings,
Marcia
Oh my. This post is amazing and so exciting. Thanks for the pictures, I had batterflies in my stomack just like when I do these kinda things myself. I'm just like you: I always wish I knew the history behind the old houses. So bittersweet. Awwww
Love your blog. Speak soon.
That house is just gorgeous! It needs a lot of TLC, but could be a wonderful project for some young enthusiastic couple! Thanks for all of the inspiring pictures, this was a great post!
You are brave! But I have to say, I would do the same thing in a heart beat. They don't make houses like they used to.The wood work alone! Aww,thanks for sharing the fun. Hugs, Liz
What a gorgeous old house...wonder what tales it could tell? And yes, I would have gone in... thanks for sharing it with us!
Wild horses couldn't have kept me out of that old abandoned house! My mind would have been racing with made up stories about who lived there and if they were still "hanging" around!!!
Don't you wish you had some of those old things?
Rhonda
Yes, I would have definitely went inside... your photos of the old house are just gorgeous, I can just picture how beautiful it must have been!!! Happy White Wednesday.... blessings~~~ Daphne
beautiful and sad...
Oh wow!!! It's so beautiful, and I'm so glad you saw enough beauty in it to snap some photos and blog it. I totally would have gone inside, and then written down the address, and then looked it up online....and found a realtor.... Lol. Then again, the Boyfriend and I are looking for an Old House with Soul... We want to buy our first house, and we ain't afraid of the spooky (or just flat our scary) things inside. From the Rusty Nails, to the Trash, to the Overgrown Vines, that place is haunted with beautiful history.
Can you imagine....I can visualize so much...not that I would take on a project like this at this stage!! Wow!
Come and enter my New Giveaway from Empress of the Eye. You will love it!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
OH what a beautiful old home! I definitely would have ventured inside!! I am not scared of doing that and would love to do it more, but hubby is the fraidy cat here. LOL
Maybe you can get ahold of the owner and get some of that beautiful trim etc. Worth a shot.
Blessings~
Oh, what a charmer! This place is fantastic. I can't believe it is deserted like that! I'd just want to buy it and fix it up-all the lovely things arranged in their sweetness!
Thanks for sharing!
Sherry
What a beautiful old home that must have been in its day. So sad that it has been left to fall apart in its old age. A real beauty. Thanks for sharing. Pam
No way I would have gone inside. I would just stay outside admiring the old beautiful home. Charmaine
You couldn't have stopped me from going inside!
That house is pure delight....all that gingerbread! It would be like living in the past to inhabit that place!!WOW! I love love
it! Wish it was sitting on my lot right now.
I do live in the deep south...Pics are great.
Thanks for sharing.
Smiles and Blessings,
Nancy
What an adventure! lucky you
I would definitely have gone inside if I had the opportunity. I have done this before.
:-)
wish my house # was two numbers - or three
Instead I have a five digit #.
I love your '52'.
From one of the photos, it looks to be in a public area. I see a stop sign so it must be on a corner. I'm surprised that so much vandalism has occurred if it is that exposed. I might have been more hesitant to go in and "get caught" under those circumstances. I am on the fence about taking anything since, in my ramblings, I seldom found anything as neat as that upturned table. You do know how to find at least some of the story? Take the address to the Register of Deeds office in the county where it is located and ask about ownership. Loved sharing the experience.
Sami @ Pontifical.s Porch
i came across your blog via a pinterest link and enjoyed seeing this posting. the house looked familiar so i asked a friend of mine about it and she said it's been restored and is now a wedding venue. here's their facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saxon-Manor-Weddings-Events/343789582327907
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