The old American foursquare looks ghostly backlit by the sunrise.
The huge oak trees which once protected the house from the onslaught of weather from the west, have been sawn into logs and chipped into mulch. The family has long since moved away, most likely the last inhabitants were renters. And now the house stands alone to face the elements. Not for long though, the heavy equipment has moved in to assault the cornfields, forging rough trails that will soon be followed by armies of carpenters and plumbers.
They'll make quick work of the home and barns, either with large bulldozers or as practice for the local fire department.
8 comments:
It hurts to think that this beautiful old house will be destroyed. It's probably finer than anything that will be built in its place.
Major OUCH.
How sad. It's a beautiful home! I wish more were getting moved and relocated to appreciate their history and their craftsmanship.
I feel like I'm witnessing "Sherman's march" across the south during the Civil War or one of those Sci Fi movies where an advancing army of black giant killer ants is all that can be seen to the horizon, marching over the land. Is there no hope for farmland?
What a roomy looking house. Such a shame to see it go. Here's hoping that materials are being salvaged.
The most shocking event was when they destroyed the old oak trees. They were huge, and when the green framing and protective element of the trees were gone the house looked shockingly lonely.
Some buildings are moved, such as an old country store slated for destruction. The cost is quite prohibitive and not for the faint of heart. The people that bought the country store paid a dollar, then the moving fees and restored the building entirely with their sweat equity.
I had forgotten how midwest developers will move in and bulldoze everything under. I will say that where I live now, developers are giving *some* thought to aesthetics. They are leaving as many old growth trees as they can. If those oaks were here they'd still be standing, perhaps lining the entrance drive to the development.
If farmers (or the kids of retired farmers who move away and forget where they came from) weren't so eager to take the developers' money there would be more farms and fewer subdivisions. But it's tough to resist become a instant millionaire when farming is so hard and the kids have lost all connection to the land and their heritage. We live about 12 miles directly north of this area and the only good thing about the housing crash is that it has pretty much put a stop to any new subdivisions. That gives us a little more time before we have to sell our house and move farther west to be out in the country again, which is why we moved here in the first place almost 20 years ago.
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