Trespasses
“History is a symphony of echoes heard and unheard. It is a poem with events as verses.” ~ Charles Angoff
It was built long ago
A home of yesteryear
Didn’t start out looking this way
Many lives began and ended here
It’s been a long time since anyone cared
All the children now grown and gone
No one left to carry on
The family farm
If walls could talk they’d tell you stories
She was born long ago
Had people to see, things to do,
She was in the know
Been a while since she’s done anything
Except watch the clock
Tick tock tick tock
Wants to be anywhere
But here
Wants to be anything
But old
No one left to talk to but the four walls
Piece by piece day by day
It falls apart as time decays
No one wants a home that’s falling down
Sell the land,
Build mcmansions, strip malls; a town
When you’re old
You’ve got nothing new to say
Life’s not for the dying
They just get in the way
Old houses and old people
Need love inside or fall
They’ve felt the sunshine and the rain
They’ve sheltered love and harbored pain
Old houses and old people
Are left empty shells
Walls hold echoes of the past
Memories far outlast
Old houses and old people
Growing old alone is hell.
Joining:
Debra from Common Ground’s
Vintage Inspiration Friday party.
Claudia from Dipity Road
Friday Finding Beauty party.
Kim from The Twice Remembered Cottage
Potluck Party
The Fairfield House 
Speechless. Deborah, you share my love {and sadness} for dying old houses – and what a touching comparison to human old age. Just beautiful, my dear. That house! Oh my! I love all the architectural detail…and that gorgeous staircase! Is this house near where you live?
Kim,
It’s on my street, not far from my home. I am going to research it’s history and share my findings.
I would LOVE to live in and save that beautiful, old home.
It’s AMAZING, and you just made my night. 🙂
Layla
Call me crazy ~ but I’d buy that ol’ girl in a heartbeat if I had the money to bring her back to her former beauty. She is really beautiful ~ we have home that looks similar to her in my town (which by the way is chock full of McMansions) I am taking a walk thru with my realtor on Saturday and hoping her interior isn’t too far gone ~ wish us luck. Lovely thought provoking post.
When I see old homes like this I wish I were independently wealthy. I’d so give the lady a grand makeover. It’s so sad to see old homes – and buildings – left in ruins.
I really can see the beauty through all the decay. So looking forward to hearing about this house and its story. Especially why it has been allowed to be in this condition.
blessings,
jilly
I would imagine that if we sat back we could come up with some very fun stories about this fantastic house. Ohhh the stories the walls could tell.
As usual, my friend, you have given beauty to the old and unnoticed.
You help me look deeper and be a better person…
Thank you.
Claudia
LOL, just had to tell you this. Mr. Wonderful saw the photos and asked me, “your not thinking of us moving into that are you?”
blessings,
jilly
I would have loved to be able to renovate and live in this house. I just had to open that front door and see that staircase and I would have been won over. ‘D’s Daydreams. 😉
Did you write this post for me??
“Life’s not for the dying
They just get in the way”
I needed to hear that. Some how you always know just the thing to say.
This whole post is such a beautiful tribute. Even if no one buys that home, it was at least loved by you!
What a lovely farm home. It reminds me of the old house in Fried Green Tomatoes where they grew up. Especially the stair case. Maybe Mr.Major and I will move in and we can be neighbors. 🙂
Oh I wish I had $300,000 just laying around to fix and polish up that jewel, where is she?
this was a wonderful post….made me wish I wasn’t getting old.
Please tell me you are buying that house, Deborah!!! I will come back and help !!
This was really beautiful and how old houses and old people are so similar and left empty shells,
Sad but true. What beautiful pictures, I can just picture what it was in it’s day and what went on in it!
Have a great weekend!
Megan
That was just beautiful, Deborah. Lovely poem, and lovely house. Why do people let such beautiful old places just sit and rot away like that? So many people today want the new and latest thing, and forget about the old and let it waste away. So sad. I wish we had the money to buy an old home to fix up, but alas, we do not. We live in a new house, but I dream of owning an old home with history that was built with love, not just to make a buck. But we will continue to live in our new home, and give her character and love and not let it get sad and decrepit.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Beth.
Be still my heart, what a beautiful tragic post. Thank you for sharing this lovely old home!
Lovely House, Lovely Words.
Thank you for sharing.
What a beautiful old house. I would love to know the history, to hear the laughter of the family that lived here. The many stories their lives could tell. You have done a marvelous job in preserving it in pictures for future memories.
Molly
Thanks you for visiting my blog and leaving such a nice comment Deborah!
This house is beautiful…how sad it has been abandoned and left to the elements. I hope someone will see it one day, fall in love and rescue it!
It’s me again…lol…when I first looked at the title I thought it said TREASURES !! which is what this house is!
Oh! It’s gorgeous … and so sad. I hope someone loves her soon. It’s a crime that she’s not in a relationship with someone who treasures and cherishes her. If I had a million dollars …
This almost me cry…….I did inside, and everytime I see an old house like this it breaks my heart…….Linda
Hi Deborah!
I see I ‘m not the only one wishing for big bucks in the bank to rescue this old gal and give her the Elizabeth-Arden-behind-the-Red-Door treatment.
She’s gorgeous. She has wonderful bones, and as we all know — good bones age well.
I love the poem you have running through the pictures — so evocative and moving. Your words broke my heart!
Don’t you need to own her, too? If she’s on your street, you’d have a nice guest house. I’d come. I’d even bring a marble cake and an armful of flowers.
Cass
When I saw the first picture I thought…”what potential”. Although after seeing the inside…wowza. But the staircase was beautiful….yet left neglected, so worn and weary. Wonderful post!
You touched a soft place in my heart with this beautifully haunting poem.
There is so much sad truth in your words.
We embrace things that are old and vintage for our houses, while we dismiss our elderly population. How sad is this?
There is so much to learn from them. My Ma Galloway used to tell the best stories and most of them were about her life with Pa in the early days of their marriage in the late 1800’s.
The photographs of the house are breathtaking!! I can tell she was once a grand old gal.
That curving staircase is gorgeous.
Blessings,
Rhonda
Oh, Deborah, I want to move into that house and give it the love it deserves. Your poem is beautiful. Just beautiful – like your friendship!
Best,
Maureen
Deborah,
Please tell me you went inside?!?!? I would love to see pictures! They are re-doing a great big house around the corner from me and it has a beautiful staircase in the front, sometimes they leave the door open and oh-boy it’s hard for me to resist taking a peek! Matt said I was crazy, we can’t keep up with the one we have in the other one is in much worse shape.
Keep us posted, please!
Kathy
Every picture tells a story ~ you sure told a wonderful one today!
Oh, Deborah, what an old beauty she is! Wish someone would fix her up, she deserves it. i love, love old houses & have never lived in one. Don’t think I have the stamina to do it now, but I admire those who do.
This house reminds me SO much of the one I blogged about earlier this year, here in Wilsonville, AL:
http://southernhospitalityblog.com/an-1800s-house-in-alabama/
Beautiful, the poem and the pictures. Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful weekend.
Beautiful. The house, the words. everything……thank you.
Isn’t that a beautiful old house. Look at the details in the architecture. It makes me sad to see a piece of history left to fall down.
Absolutely amazing. You are so very talented Deborah. Wonderfully written my friend. xoxo C
That is truely a beautiful house. I love all the details, my real dream home. I remember being on a trip with my mom and two of her friends, I was about 16, we went to visit my sister at Keuka college. On a drive we happened upon an abandoned mansion, it was huge, there were holes in the sides and windows broken in. We peaked in the windows but did not dare go in, I will always wish I had the guts to go inside to see it all, it was an amazing building, an old home.
In answer to your question, all of my cloches have come from either TJMax or Marshalls, I don’t think I have paid more than 24.00 even for my large one. I just check every once in a while. Thank you for the comment. Then next ones will be decorated for Halloween.
I would love to see your arbor too. I love them in the winter with a fresh fallen snow. Those southerners and westerners don’t know what they are missing if they have never seen a beautiful snowfall, almost like never seeing a sunrise or sunset on the water. Have a great weekend.
Oh my this is beautiful…I hope someone rescues her, she deserves to “live” again!
Kat 🙂
I’m mesmerized by your words and your images, magical and moving. This house is just amazing, I can just see it renovated and reborn. Thank you for linking up today with VIF, this is a very special post, and so nice to meet you!
xo,
Debra
Oh my….this breaks my heart.
What a beautiful, grand old lady.
And I share your distaste for McMansions, ugh.
A true beauty, thank you for sharing.
Hi Deborah. This old house is so lovely, I pray someone saves it from destruction. It just breaks my heart to think of old home like this one perishing from lack of love. 😦
So glad you like my fall decor, it was so fun putting it together. 🙂 I enjoy fall SO much, the richness of the colors, the crispness in the air and all those wonderful apple recipes! I like to get my fall decorating finished early, because I start decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving! 🙂
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Love ya much
Missy
My eyes are all misty. Here’s hoping someone loves her as much as I do and wants to rescue her.
I am hoping that she is yours.
Beautiful writing & photos, Deborah. I love history, old houses & older people. Hey – I’m not too far from being considered old myself. 🙂
My dad tells the most amazing stories from the late 1920s and on – I feel so fortunate to hear them firsthand.
Hugs,
Zuzu
That just broke my heart… our home is two hundred years old and to think if it was not loved that is what would happen. Someone needs to swoop in and give that diamond a shine.
Beautiful! That old place sure has some gorgeous architecture too.
That is why I never want to leave my 102 year old house. I am afraid it would be left to die alone. If I was independently wealthy I would buy it and fix it up. That house could be amazing…….The details, oh the details.
Beautiful post.
Very lovely! When I rented my first apt., it was in an old mansion that had been broken up into separate units. In spite of that, it was a great old house to live in. Most of the charm was still intact in the different apartments. Then I moved away and heard that the church next door bought the house, tore it down and expanded their parking lot. That made my heart ache a little for sure!
Oh another lover of old homes. I drive my husband crazy when I see an abandoned old house and tell him – oh she could be so beautiful. He sees the wheels spinning and gets scared but he says when we are done with the work – he is happy that we fixed it.
Where is this house? I hope someone saves her- yes she needs work but that just makes her more treasured once you are done with it.
tammy
Looks like Blossom is incognito .
Don’t you just want to go get that architectual stuff and run away with it? How I would love to do that but could not. I would end up bringing it back and nailing it into place.
I don’t think I could handle driving by that all the time, know it was not being loved.
We need to know more so get on it!
Wonderful words to go with the achingly beautiful portraits of this grand old lady. Why is that we in North America abandon our old buildings? I’ve never seen a ghost town in Europe, or an old house with broken windows and falling down walls. Your photo of the front foyer was so sad – such entries and exits that the doorway must have seen.
I look forward to reading about what you learn in your research on this lovely old place.
It breaks my heart clean in two to see a house like that living unloved. Imagine all the chicken dinners that have been served there. Imagine all the tears, heartaches, joys and love that house has known. I hope someone will love it back to life very soon –
Those pictures, those words…..need to be published….all over the place!
Very touching.
I’ve lived in a couple older homes, and one new home.
I hope I never live in a new home again. I love the character, warmth and history of older homes.
Thanks for sharing this with us!
I’ll echo the hopes of all the others, that someone who can afford to take it on finds it before it’s too late! It’s so sad when people let such great architecture waste away. Does it seem to you that all houses are “ladies”? Maybe it’s because we always hear about the “painted ladies” victorians in SF out here.
Hugs,
Dawn
Lovely tribute to a fine old lady. I kind of just want to give her a hug (and a paint job…and some roof supports…and a termite inspection…and a new porch…and…). I couldn’t agree with you more…”pave paradise, put up a parking lot.” I’d hate to see her go the way of the strip mall or McMansion. Ugh.
I(FINALLY!) took a photo this weekend of the park at the end of my block that’s on the postcard you sent. Amazing how little things have changed, all things considered. Can’t wait to show you…if I could only find the camera cord (I am a mess lately, honestly. 🙂 Hope you had a terrific summer! And HOW can it be fall this week…
Laura xo
I can’t wait to see what you did up. What I could do to that house!
Love this post! It brought tears to my eyes. Loving that gorgeous house too. It is too bad that it is in such disarray. I would love to find a home like that and bring it back to it’s splendor. Oh the possibilities. My husband would probably think I have totally gone off the deep end though!
the images and the words touched my heart, what a wonderful tribute to the old, the broken. Can’t wait to look over all your posts…
What an insightful and thought-provoking post! Thank you for sharing this! Hopped over from Treasures and Trinkets!
Deb, I thought I commented on this the first day it was posted…I obviously didn’t! This is so beautiful, and sad…sigh. That house is amazing and I love picturing it’s history; if I wasn’t trying to restore an old house now, I’d come down and swoop that one up; give it some love myself!
you have a way with words, deborah and a heart for overlooked things…
I can just imagine her in all of her glory…little kids running around, chickens in the yard. Where is she?
smiles!
oooooo, I just read this post and it’s great! I LOVE the old house, I will take it!!! So full of charm and beauty!! Just like the senior citizens I take care of! Love it!
Huggs, Margo
Oh I’m so glad you stopped by to tell me of your poem! What an amazing old house with so many stories to tell & your poem was gorgeous. Comparing getting old whether houses or humans…a perfect analogy. And really…that house, LOVE it. The staircase itself leaves me dreaming of ‘what was’.
Thank you friend, I loved my visit!
Hugs,
Susie
Everytime I see a house like this, I think what you so eloquently put into words. It breaks my heart to see this, but it is also bittersweet to think about the joy and happiness it brought at one time…I look forward to learning more.