Pictures of the Past is a project intended to educate and show what time does to what we leave behind. Just like people, places have beauty that comes with age. Cracks are like wrinkles and they retain history.
Have you ever driven by a town that seemed to be left behind or a building in the old part of a city with boarded up windows? Before cringing or judging, I encourage you to imagine what it was like in its prime and how many memories began and ended there.
Later years can sometimes be sad. Sometimes they’re scary. Other times are quite remarkable. A lot of preservation efforts are made in urban and rural areas by private and state societies. Schools which haven’t seen students in 50 years are often used as community centers and sometimes into businesses, like the Eola School Restaurant and Brewery.
While I hope to inspire appreciation of history, you should not set out to explore places without permission. There are many locations which can be viewed from safe distances but many are on private property. They are not maintained and can be dangerous on many levels. Most importantly, always be respectful. You will find several examples here of vandalism, which nobody should condone.
Most of this site is dedicated to Texas towns, although I never travel out of state without a camera.
With so much excitement about the latest and greatest of everything, sometimes it is nice to reflect on the past.