Picture of the day - July 21, 2007

The old log house at Rush Creek

I've been traveling the narrow country roads of southwestern Virginia ever since I was a young boy, looking at the beautiful scenery and pondering the many old abandoned houses that dot the rural landscape as the miles passed by. And over the years there has always been one house in particular that caught my interest and kicked my active imagination into high gear every time I saw it... Sitting in a picturesque field in the Rush Creek community of Washington County is a long-abandoned log house, the kind of structure typically featured in movies about the brave pioneers who risked their lives and meager fortunes by heading west in search of better lives for themselves and their families. There wasn't much to those old houses, often just a roof, four walls and a dirt floor - but for the families who dwelled within, they were home. For years I have been wanting to stop and take some pictures of that old Rush Creek cabin, but for one reason or another I never did. But last Sunday afternoon I dropped Cheria off for a visit with her Aunt Eleanor, then took my camera for a short drive up to Rush Creek. When I parked my car beside the road in front of the old house and got out to snap off a few shots, I was disappointed that I had to "shoot" from the road. But shoot I did, and the result is today's picture. When I got back to Eleanor's house, I asked her and her sisters Mary and Rebecca if they knew anything about the history of the old Rush Creek cabin. After all, they had grown up in Widener Valley and knew just about everyone for miles around, so I figured that at least one of them would know who had once called the place home. But much to my surprise, they all said that that old house had been empty even back when they were little girls! Eleanor suggested that I talk to Mr. Sam Widener, a neighbor and long-time friend who had also grown up in the valley and just might be able to shed some light on the history of the old house. And as usual, she was right... It turns out that Sam's grandparents Newton and Martha Widener had owned and lived in that old log house many years ago, only to abandon it before Sam or anyone else that I have spoken to about it were old enough to remember it. Sam also told me that he is in fact the current owner of the house, having purchased it upon the death of his aunt a few years back. He was unable to tell me little else about the place, but at least now I know who had made that little log house their home so many years ago. Every old abandoned house across this great land of ours has a story behind it, many of which are known only to God - and so it is with the old log house on Rush Creek. Maybe some day I'll meet up with Newton and Martha Widener when I cross over to the other side, and if I do I'll ask them to tell me the "rest of the story".   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"