I've always dreamed of traveling
back in time. The idea of stepping
through some sort of portal and
instantly being part of a different
century intrigues. However I find
the idea of someone unwilling to
move forward - of staying stuck
in a specific time and place all
the more alluring. Dickens' Miss
Havisham immediately comes to
mind. The older one becomes -
the idea of simply stopping time
and walking away seems magical!
I adore old houses. Beyond the beauty
that history and patina provide there's
an energy to places where others have
lived. Depending on what you believe
some former residents refuse to leave
the premises. Fortunately we've had
some help encouraging several to exit
the Passion Pit. Trust me, post said
departures I now definitely believe in
"ghosts!" All the more reason that we
must cherish the legacy of those who
have been there, done that before us.
After all, it was once their home also!
One of my favorite blogs is Old House
Dreams. Several times a week "Kelly"
posts historic homes for sale across the
country. Recently she shared a 1921
Craftsman style abode in Washington
North Carolina listed at only $139,900.
Bargain aside, what was most alluring
was that said house sat fully furnished
for over thirty five years and hence is
a veritable time capsule. For whatever
reason someone shut off the lights,
closed the door, and walked away.
Click here to see more.
Which reminded me of a fabulous
abandoned apartment in Paris. In
1940 it's 23 year old owner quickly
fled the city prior to the Nazi arrival.
For the next seventy years it sat idle.
A moment frozen in time. A faded
memory preserved. Finally in 2010
the lady of the house died in the
south of France and soon thereafter
her executors unlocked this vestige
of times past. To this day no one
knows why she never returned.
Click here for more of the story...
Rather than hoarders, these abodes are
left "as is". In the Yorkshire region of
England lies a forty room mansion.
Once home to the poet John Milton
it's been untouched for over 40 years.
What causes such purposeful neglect.
Arguments over the estate? No heirs
found? Monument to the past? Too
much of a good thing? Or simply an
unwillingness to accept that someone
once loved is now gone. Whatever the
motivation, the air of mystery about
these forgotten laces is alluring.
Here in Montana one occasionally
stumbles across an abandoned cabin
in the wild. However one lady with
a Montanan connection left several
massive homes vacant for decades.
Huguette Clark lived to be 105.
Her last twenty years were spent in
a hospital room. Upon her death she
left behind a perfectly maintained
Santa Barbara estate, three massive
Fifth Avenue apartments, and a huge
compound in New Canaan CT.
If only those walls could talk...