Houses have souls. I’m sure of it. Have you ever noticed that a house starts to deteriorate when it is no longer occupied? Why is that? I believe it’s because when humans move out, the house loses it soul. Without a soul, it dies.
Vicksburg has quite a few abandoned houses; some are falling down, others are just waiting, hoping a new family moves in and brings its soul back.
Around the corner from the Baer-Williams House, across the fence separating our side yard from its back yard, was a huge Victorian home that had lost its soul. We learned that the house had been condemned by the city a number of years ago but no action had ever been taken to demolish it. Until two weeks ago.
On Monday evening, several men drove up in a pick-up truck and went into the sad old house. Several minutes later, they came out, made a phone call, and waited for the wrecking crew to show up. Not long after, that beautiful old house came crashing down. Its guts were ripped out, its bones, roof and foundation reduced to a huge pile of rubble.
Adams Street, Vicksburg, MS. Original photos by P. Rickrode, October 13, 2016.
I watched with much sadness. A family had once lived within those walls. Tears were shed inside, laughter filled the halls, memories were made. Special moments that, hopefully will live on the in minds of the ancestors of the folks who lived there and eventually took away its soul.
Below is a video – my first attempt at “movie making” – capturing part of the demolition process. It’s kind of long, but I am sort of proud of it. You see, I figured out how to add some captions. Not a big deal really, but I am an old dog and that was a new trick, so . . . I’m feeling a little cocky right now.
I wish I had known exactly when the house was going to be razed; I’d have taken a few “before” pictures. Here are some still shots of the old beauty being demolished.
Here’s what’s left of the front:
Original front steps. Adams Street, Vicksburg, MS. Original photo by P. Rickrode, October 13, 2016.
So, tell me dear readers, do you believe that houses have souls? Are they living breathing entities? Do you ever wish walls could talk?
Word of the Day: Jongleur
Fun fact about me: I love to explore old houses and abandoned places.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, October 2016. Photos courtesy Google Images and original photos by P. Rickrode. Video courtesy YouTube (Jansen Schmidt).
jansenschmidt 
I’m not convinced houses have souls, but empty houses have a tendency to look sad. It’s probably just us humans attaching emotions to it. 🙂 But it IS sad to see beautiful architecture erased. Good job on the video!
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Thanks. I’m going to try to be more tech savvy in the future so perhaps more “movies” are in my future.
Here’s to all the sad old houses. Thanks for visiting.
Patricia
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Never really thought about it before, but either way, they do have history, and I think there’s a bit of that which lingers. There is an old, fallen-down farmhouse on the property we’re thinking of buying, and if we get it, I want to grab some of that reclaimed wood for decor in my new house, because I’d love to have a piece of that history in with the new.
A jongleur is something I’ll never be!
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Oh, oh, oh – reclaimed wood from the falling down farmhouse in your new house would be so, so, super cool!! I hope you do it. That would be neat.
I suppose I might be considered a modern day jongleur. By some anyway.
As always, I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and leave your thoughts. Always good to hear from you.
Patricia
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I loved that old house too. Definitely houses have souls. Some even have ghosts or entities from the people long gone. Wouldn’t it be something if somebody wrote a story from the house’s POV? I mean, I am famous for a rock having a POV, Judy Ashley. 😉
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I love the idea of writing a story from the house’s POV. I might have to do that and thank you for the idea!
It’s a sad vacant lot that sits across my fence. Poor old house.
Thanks for stopping by. I’ll contact you if I need any story ideas.
P.S. what’s this about a rock having a POV?
Patricia
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