Backroads Buildings: In Search of the Vernacular by Steve Gross & Susan Daley /  by Todd Henson

Backroads Buildings: In Search of the Vernacular by Steve Gross & Susan Daley

Have you ever driven some back road and noticed that interesting old building, perhaps in disrepair, perhaps still in use, but with plenty of character? I often do, and yet for whatever reason I rarely stop to photograph these buildings. Reading this book, Backroads Buildings: In Search of the Vernacular by Steve Gross and Susan Daley, I wish I had stopped more often and created a collection of my own photographs of these marvelous buildings that leave one wondering about their long history.

Thankfully, these two photographers have often stopped to photograph the buildings they’ve found. In this book they’ve focused on architecture from around the time of the Civil War to the Great Depression, roughly 1870 to 1930, and stretching along the eastern United States from Vermont down to Louisiana. I often smiled when I saw buildings from not that far down the road in Virginia.

“With their humble beauty and distinctive character, these once-useful structures infuse the American landscape with a strong sense of place. This collection of buildings preserves a sampling of our country’s architecture heritage and encourages travelers to slow down and notice the details.”

As with any collection of photography like this, some photos will resonate with me more than others. Many of the photos felt strictly documentary, and to some extent I think they all were intended to be documentary. The photographers have documented pieces of the past before they fall into complete disrepair or are torn down. But some photos also had an artistic air about them which I appreciated.

The book appears designed to last as long as some of the buildings have, being printed on a very thick smooth white paper well suited to showcasing the collection of color and black & white photographs. Schiffer Publishing has done a fantastic job with both the quality of the book materials and the overall layout. There is very little text throughout, though the book does begin with a foreword by Brian Wallis, followed by a short preface. All the rest of the 144 page book is photography, with each photo having a very short description along with the location of the building.

This is a book that may appeal not just to photographers, but to anyone who appreciates these old everyday buildings along backroads just along the fringes of society. If you’ve ever taken a moment to notice one of these buildings then you may appreciate some of these photos.

I found a copy of Backroads Buildings in my local library. Check your own library and maybe you’ll also find a copy. If you’d rather own a copy then check out the link below to see if it’s in stock.

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The Burial Ground at George Washington Birthplace National Monument /  by Todd Henson

The path to the Washington Family Burial Ground

In the past I shared views from the George Washington Birthplace National Monument, an historically significant area of land on the Northern Neck of Virginia. Recently my father and I returned to the location and spent some time at one of the features we’d not been to during previous visits, the Washington Family Burial Ground.

Entering the burial ground

Inside the burial ground

The first burials occurred in 1668 with the death of John Washington’s wife Anne and two children. John Washington was the first of the family to live in Virginia, and a great-grandfather to George Washington. Over the years three generations of the Washington family were buried here, including George Washington’s grandparents, with at least nine more burials after that of Anne.

The front view of the rebuilt Washington family vault

A side view of the rebuilt Washington family vault

An angled view of the other side of the rebuilt Washington family vault

As with much of the area, the burial ground as it stands today is not the same as it was in the time the Washington family resided in this area. Time wore away at the original vault and gravestones, with the vault actually sinking into the ground. So Washington descendants worked to clean up and restore the grounds in 1906.

A view from inside the grounds of the Washington Family Burial Ground

But as time went on the burial ground again fell into disrepair, so according to a sign outside the burial ground, “in 1930, the Wakefield National Memorial Association constructed the wall around the grounds, consolidated the graves into a single casket, and interred the remains in a rebuilt vault.” The NPS website says their primary goal was to “…rescue from decay and preserve the old family vault and burial ground which is in a most neglected condition.”

Looking into the Washington Family Burial Ground

Looking over the burial ground walls

The results of all this work are visible today as can be seen in these photos, though some of the text on the stonework was difficult to read when wet from recent rains.

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Polypore and Feather Moss Galore /  by Todd Henson

Polypore and Feather Moss Galore

This is a photo I created back in 2020, though I let it sit on the computer all this time before doing anything with it. I was drawn to the scene by the contrast between texture and color of the polypore mushroom and the surrounding feather moss. I thought it was a pleasant mixture of browns and green, and I loved that white band around the edge of the mushroom. I hope you enjoy it.

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