Author: Michael Morgan

At a Crossroad

America's Past, Architecture, Landscape, Photo Stories

Once there was a small, but thriving community of Axton, Virginia. Today, only a few empty buildings and a rusty water tower remain where two rural roads intersect. It’s a great place for photographers however, and that’s why I was there a few days ago.

The gray building I believe was once a small bank.
The faded sign on the front tells us this was once the Axton Furniture Store.
The old house is vacant and in sad shape, but the barn is still being used by a small adjacent farmstead. When I visit locations like this I like to envision what it would have been like to live there when the community was more than just the intersection 0f two roads.

One Big Antique

America's Past, Landscape

This restored Shell Gas station in Fieldale, Virginia is a favorite location of mine, given the owners desire to fill the building’s interior with a variety of antiques. Not only that, but he’s now displaying a partially restored 1950s era Studebaker Hawk automobile. In some ways, the Studebaker company was ahead of its time design wise and while popular, couldn’t compete for sales with major U.S companies such as General Motors and Ford. And then along came Toyota. Farewell Studebaker. Thus ends my brief look at a small part of U.S. auto history. Whatever, the car looks perfect in front of the Shell station.