Rambling Along on Virginia 56
After visiting the old Rockfish post office, I picked up Virginia 56 and followed it for about 30 miles. Aside from being a nice little wiggler, the sights along the road were just the type of thing I was hungry to see.
Now, that might seem a little strange based on the pictures that follow. On the surface, they’re nothing but decay – remnants of better times. But, I see these old places and to me they feel like they still have a flicker of fight in ’em. A quiet confidence. Though abandoned or falling apart, they get to return to the earth at their own pace. They soldier on through time, going down with the ship versus being forced into strip mall submission.
As a person from a place where there is little visible history, I wonder if these structures become touchstones for the people who live there? Just think of all the hopes and dreams that tread across their floorboards.
I think I went down that same road. I saw the sign for route 666 and just had to see what was there. I believe the town was Vesuvius or something similar. I recall the last photo with the remnants of a coca cola sign painted on it
Yep – that’s the place! It faces the Vesuvius post office.
“Visible history” is such a good phrase. When you loose that, it’s very easy to loose the actual history as well. Eventually, pictures are all that’s left to remind us of what was there….that the world didn’t just pop into existence a few years ago! Old buildings of any kind are so important, and as you say, contain so many memories. Thanks for taking the time to capture all these interesting places for us to enjoy 🙂