When Mister O’Dell opened up his “trading post” I suspect he did so using an old building that once had been a service (gas) station, given it’s design and location along a small highway in SW Virginia. I see that a lot around here…old gas stations having been converted to some other use…mostly short-lived…as is the case with O’Dells. I wondered exactly what it was that he “traded” and given what I saw laying about he got the worst of the deals he made. Another thing that caught my eye was the “friendly, welcoming” appearance of the place…noting the number of signs I saw. No matter, it made for a nice stop on one of my photo trips.
Category Archives: America’s Past
Reflect on That
Positioning yourself with camera in hand, such that objects are reflected off water surfaces makes for an interesting photograph…even when simple subjects are concerned. These two photos were made along a canal path near an old cotton mill in North Carolina. The canal once brought water for use in the factory. Today, it serves as the central aspect along a nice walking path. I like the one with the bridge in the background best.
Still Hanging
I found an old building that had once been a gas station and is now vacant. However, there is still evidence that it was operating not too long ago…whether at a profit or not I do not know. The building itself was nothing special in terms of photographic impact, but there were a couple of items still hanging on the brick wall that caught my eye. Two of them are documented here. I take no responsibility for advertising smoking…I just liked the guy’s rugged face on the faded sign.
The Outhouse
Here in the United States this structure may be called “the outhouse”, or “privy.” And, although I have never heard it referred to as such, an “earth closet.” In New Zealand they are known as “long drops” and that’s a pretty good description. Definitions all courtesy of Wikipedia…which is never wrong. Anyway, on my photo trips I am always on the lookout for old, deserted structures. In the case of old homes, I sometimes wander around the outside of the main building seeing what I can see. If I am lucky, I’ll find an old privy, and if I am really lucky it will be leaning a bit, with door open, surrounded by dense vegetation. I got lucky here. I could have gotten closer and made additional images from different angles, but I noted that the vegetation was home to numerous ticks which I had no desire to visit. Imagine one heading outside to the family outhouse in the middle of the night in the summer given said ticks. Thank for Lord for indoor plumbing!
Looking in…Looking Out
I am a “collector” of photographic images of old doors and windows. Wherever I travel about on photo trips I am always on the look out for anything unique in those categories. Here is one such image I made recently. Other than the colorful paint, the fact that the window shutters and frame appear to have been constructed long ago by hand, made the window stand out to me. Whenever I make such images, I wonder as I am “looking in” with my camera, whether or not a pair of eyes are “looking out” at me. Spooky in a way, and I sometimes imagine the wispy curtains moving slowly…thinking who knows what lurks behind. Whatever, I got a nice image!
American Textile Industry
I read today that only two percent of the clothing we wear in the United States today is made here. China, Vietnam and Bangladesh largely provide the rest. It’s not always been that way, and in fact as recently as the 1990s the American textile industry was vibrant and productive. Much of that industry was centered in North Carolina and Southern Virginia. For example, Dan River Mills in Danville, Virginia had the largest cotton mill in the world at one time. Today, these famous icons of American industry have been shuttered, and most of their plants either sit vacant or have been demolished. Below are two photos of Spray Cotton Mills in North Carolina which was closed in 2001 after 105 years of steady operation. What remains today may not be an asset to the community in which it is located, but to us photographers it’s a treasure just waiting for our inspection…and resultant images. As an aside, I think the vegetation growing on top of the tower in the first photo tells a story of “life after death.”
Joe’s Place
This is “Joe’s place. The sign in front reads “Joe’s Triangle” (it’s hard to make out the second word) and it’s impossible for me to determine what it once was, except for the fact it sits at a triangular intersection between two roads leading into the small town of Eden, North Carolina, a short distance from our home in SW Virginia. As I was making this photo and the ones below I was thinking about who Joe was and what he did here. Perhaps it was a bar, perhaps a small store selling who knows what, perhaps it was a barber shop, or perhaps it was just “Joes” home. One of the neatest things about photography is being able to imagine these sorts of thoughts about the scene you are photographing. This is especially true when deserted buildings are concerned, or when you see a faded-paint sign on the side of a farm building out in the middle of the country. Unfortunately, American has in many respects become too urbanized and we often fail to notice remnants from our history still standing, even if they are usually dilapidated and overgrown with wild vegetation. Joe’s is from a simpler time. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to be able to go back there and revisit places like this when they were in their prime.
Evolution of the Automobile
All one need do is to look at the millions of junked cars sitting in unsightly lots and elsewhere in the United States to realize just how much the American automobile has evolved over the years…especially in design and excess use of chrome. I suppose the same will be written 20-30 years from now pertaining to what we see today on our roads and highways. But…the best part about all of this is that we have lots of excellent photo opportunities just waiting for our cameras.






















