Sadly neglected and in disrepair, the remains of a once loved and vibrant homestead.
Running errands earlier today, I drove past the old house, but didn't realise I had done so, until I was several miles further up the road. How could I possibly have missed it, I thought ?
On the return trip, I made sure to be on the look-out, and plain enough, they have torn the old girl down ......
My heart is heavy, I shall miss her.
Whenever I walk to Suffern along the Erie track
I go by a poor old farmhouse with its shingles broken and black.
I suppose I've passed it a hundred times, but I always stop for a minute
And look at the house, the tragic house, the house with nobody in it.
I go by a poor old farmhouse with its shingles broken and black.
I suppose I've passed it a hundred times, but I always stop for a minute
And look at the house, the tragic house, the house with nobody in it.
I never have seen a haunted house, but I hear there are such things;
That they hold the talk of spirits, their mirth and sorrowings.
I know this house isn't haunted, and I wish it were, I do;
For it wouldn't be so lonely if it had a ghost or two.
That they hold the talk of spirits, their mirth and sorrowings.
I know this house isn't haunted, and I wish it were, I do;
For it wouldn't be so lonely if it had a ghost or two.
This house on the road to Suffern needs a dozen panes of glass,
And somebody ought to weed the walk and take a scythe to the grass.
It needs new paint and shingles, and the vines should be trimmed and tied;
But what it needs the most of all is some people living inside.
And somebody ought to weed the walk and take a scythe to the grass.
It needs new paint and shingles, and the vines should be trimmed and tied;
But what it needs the most of all is some people living inside.
If I had a lot of money and all my debts were paid
I'd put a gang of men to work with brush and saw and spade.
I'd buy that place and fix it up the way it used to be
And I'd find some people who wanted a home and give it to them free.
Now, a new house standing empty, with staring window and door,
Looks idle, perhaps, and foolish, like a hat on its block in the store.
But there's nothing mournful about it; it cannot be sad and lone
For the lack of something within it that it has never known.
Looks idle, perhaps, and foolish, like a hat on its block in the store.
But there's nothing mournful about it; it cannot be sad and lone
For the lack of something within it that it has never known.
But a house that has done what a house should do, a house that has sheltered life,
That has put its loving wooden arms around a man and his wife,
A house that has echoed a baby's laugh and held up his stumbling feet,
Is the saddest sight, when it's left alone, that ever your eyes could meet.
That has put its loving wooden arms around a man and his wife,
A house that has echoed a baby's laugh and held up his stumbling feet,
Is the saddest sight, when it's left alone, that ever your eyes could meet.
So whenever I go to Suffern along the Erie track
I never go by the empty house without stopping and looking back,
Yet it hurts me to look at the crumbling roof and the shutters fallen apart,
For I can't help thinking the poor old house is a house with a broken heart.
I never go by the empty house without stopping and looking back,
Yet it hurts me to look at the crumbling roof and the shutters fallen apart,
For I can't help thinking the poor old house is a house with a broken heart.
~ The House with Nobody In It : Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)
24 comments:
Whenever I see a house that is old and empty I have that same dream...if I only had the money to buy it and fix it up!
I think it is one of the saddest sights I will ever see.
Tina xo
I love old abandoned houses.... just think of the stories they could tell... imagine little children who once lived there running in and out the doors, playing their games....mom making dinner for the family and the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. I take pictures of old abandoned houses whenever I get the chance.
Hello Jo!
That's too bad about the old house being torn down...I would feel the same as you do. When we go to the little Amish town we pass an abandoned farm. It's a bit off the road but one day I'd like to walk over and take some pictures. It's so grown up in summer that I'll have to do it this fall when the leaves are gone. It's so sad when you see these old homes come down..it's like erasing a part of history. I'm glad you were able to get a picture before it came down. I hope you're having a good week. Take care.
Maura :)
I have gone into some old houses and they have layer upon layers of old wallpaper. Most have been stripped of fixtures and furniture long ago, but a few still have stoves. There are usually old bottles and things like that around.
If walls could talk......
I too love old homes. It is such a shame to see them torn down.. Badly needed funding for historic preservation is drying up... very sad indeed.
Old houses....I always wonder who lived there, who may have died there, and what sad, happy, and in-between experiences are stored inside... usually never to be told.
Nice post....
Jo, you may not believe it (or maybe you will) but I remember that post because I was so taken by what you had said. Also because I look at houses like that and think and feel the same things you do. Even though this house is gone, hopefully somewhere the memories of whoever lived there live on and someone remembers them...
I feel the same way , to have it torn down is a shame, all that history with in the old houses. I would love to beable to buy and restore old houses that have no one to call them home anymore and bring them back to life ! Wonderful post !
I love the house and the Joyce Kilmer poem. It reflects my feelings about old, abandoned houses.
my dream ttat will never be filled to take and old house just like this and fix it up and livv in it. i much rather have and old house than a new. i have neither. ours is 45 years old, not new and not old enough
Oh no....these old houses and old barns are leaving our landscapes.
What a great tibutary to an old house.
Patsy
Your site brings joy to my day. When I was a boy there was a house us kids would sometimes visit a mile or two outside of our little village. The house sat back a piece from the country dirt road. In the spring the front was crowed with daffodils planted ages ago. The house was unsafe and Dad warned us to stay away, but I was always strangely drawn to it. This was in the 1950's, it was so quiet and peaceful. I too used to think what a perfect little house and farm it could be. Many years later I learned that sad old place was once the home of my great-great grandparents. The old place is gone now and so are the daffodils. But, I can still picture it. On the rare occassion I'm in that area, I drive by and often stop to daydream about what once was. Thanks for bringing the memory back to me today.
So sad, there is life in these old houses. Like the old stray dog that has lost the wag in its tail, they just need a little love to bring the life out in them.
There's something so haunting and romantic about abandoned houses, isn't there? I'm a fiction writer, and something about them really grip my imagination.
oh my goodness, you have SUCH gorgeous pictures on your blog. Following you! :)
I remember your post about this house and the poem that tugs at your heartstrings.
I'll miss knowing this house is there.
Hugs!
That is a great picture of the old house..sad to know she is gone forever...great post..
A beautiful and fitting passage. Nice post!!
Anne
It is a wonderful expression about abandoned homes. I hate to see any homes torn down.
That old house certainly had a lot of character and if it could have talked, it would have had many fascinating tales to relate.
it s a realy great blog !!! I love it ! big hugh Kathrin
Such a different approach. As you know, over here in England we expect the houses to last for at least a hundred years! Like you, I would have felt that was such a shame. Poor old house.
Blessings, Star
What a wonderful old house; it was once a safe haven, a home with a family. So sad to see these old homes torn down. My favorite old barn in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee blew down this past winter. It was over a 100 years old; so glad I have photos of it.
I adore old buildings that have history. How sad that the old place was taken down. If only those walls could talk.
There have been quite a few old homesteads around here that were here one day, gone the next, then a new house built upon the site.
That poem was so touching.
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