This is a continuation of some rural decay shoots I did a while back that I’m just now getting around to editing. I came across this little tan house while driving through the backwoods on country roads, as one might say. I almost missed it, as it was barely visible from the road and completely overgrown with kudzu, being overtaken and reclaimed by the surrounding landscape.
These little structures are so abundant, yet transient. Once the property is purchased by the state or agricultural businesses, they are torn down pretty quickly. I love how these places are little snapshots in time, frozen at the moment they were built. You can see large beams and framing that have stood up well over time.
About Little Tan House
Years ago I hesitated to post specifically where these structures were, but these days everything is pretty much searchable by any and all means, and it’s on my EXIF metadata, so I don’t think it matters much anymore.
This particular little house was located at 32°30’42.083″ N 85°16’22.699″ W showing how much in the middle of nowhere it is. It had one side of the house that was completely open to the elements, which is how I took the image of the “living area” in this house. I didn’t have the proper shoes or confidence in the structure to go in this time. I love the rich colors and textures of the green dresser, and the old wallpaper. Some of the items seem to date the inside to not that long ago, maybe the 90’s or so, but I’m no expert on that. The Southern Union State Community College course book and the empty CD’s cases on the floor give it a newer date, but those could have always been left by squatters after the original owners had left. Who knows. I believe the property itself was eventually purchased by the Alabama State Forestry service at some point (I think).
Photographs Selected
The images below are basically all angles surrounding the house that I could get to. There was at one time a back yard, a patio with an overhanging roof. The inside had two rooms, a family living area and a bed room area. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any images of the bed room area. Another shot I wish I had gotten but didn’t was a farther out shot of the overall property. I always forget about those.
