The Crook Farm and Schoolhouse

On a recent drive through PA, we stopped at the Crook Farm in Bradford,PA and took the following pictures of the old homestead.

The Crook Farm, a National Heritage Site, stands where it was constructed in 1847 in a beautiful rural setting located at Seaward Avenue Extension, Bradford, PA.

You will enjoy a walk back in time as you tour the 19th century restored farm house, barn, one-room schoolhouse, herb garden, tool house, train depot and outbuildings.

Birkett Mills

The Birkett Mills was established in 1797 and has been in continual operation ever since. It is the worlds largest manufacture of Buckwheat  products . It is located on Main street in the village of Penn Yan,NY.

The Knox house, Coudersport,PA

Vintage picture

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This old Italian  Villa style home was owned by F.W. Knox who was a prominent businessman in Coudersport and President of the Coudersport & Port Allegany Railroad. Mr Know was born in 1824 and died in 1884.

                               Picture from the 1970's

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Many years later the house was turned into a bar and hotel called the "Old Hickory" and was open for over thirty years before falling vacant again. It is said that famous Prohibition Agent Elliot Ness used to hang out here.

                          Vintage picture from the 1990's

The house was boarded up and left to the elements.

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This picture was taken by me in the summer of 2009 on one of our trips and was used as the backdrop for one of our books....

The William Goff house 1830

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This old house was built in 1830 by William Goff near what is now the town of Howard,NY. Mr Goff was born in 1780 and settled here around 1802, behind this house in 1812 he built a brick kiln and mill on on the creek that is now called Goff's creek. The house and grounds is now a museum and pottery shop open during the summer months for all to enjoy.

If houses could talk

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There is something about old houses that fascinate me. Driving through the country of NY I came upon this old house along the road in the town of Franklinville,NY.
If old houses could talk think of the stores they could tell. An old chair on the porch where mom used to set, the toys in the yard where the kids once played, the old abandoned cars that once took them to town.  

Now abandoned for whatever reason.  What a shame to see once loved and cared for homes left to the elements.  Now fading into the ground.  So many people in need of housing yet all across America, once good, usable houses sitting to rot.  It's too bad there isn't a way to somehow fix them all up and help families in need enjoy them.  Recent statistics show that now, in America, the abandoned homes outnumber the number of homeless people.  

Old Schools

The age of modern times and new schools have left these old schools to sit abandoned falling down and boarded up as a reminder of the times past

With communities trying to save taxpayer money, schools merge and yet, somehow, the taxes still increase.  But now residents of towns have to pay for the new buildings.

Larger class rooms make it more difficult for those students needing extra help.  Was the old way bad?  Probably not, as many of us who grew up in smaller, more personal, schools will tell you, we still feel we were given a much better education.  We will miss you, old schools!

The following pictures I took on some of my travels across the state.

#1 This one was taken in the town of Salamanca,NY.
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#2 This one was taken in the town of Bradford,PA.
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My old high school,KLONDIKE HIGH,  W. Lafayette,Indiana
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AJ's Motel

The word Motel was coined in 1925 and referred to a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot, aka. motor inn,motor courts. As the U.S. highway system began to develop in the mid 20’s long distance travel became more common and the need for inexpensive, easily accessible overnight accommodation close to the main routs led to the growth of the motel concept.  Motels peaked in the 1960’s with rising car travel only to decline with coming of the new chain hotels. Today few of these old motels exist any longer.  Here is one example of such a motel that has  been sitting vacant since the early 80’s called AJ's Motel, it sits along a stretch of highway 16 in the town of Hinsdle,NY as a remembrance of times past……….

Old Motel DeSoto

The old De Soto Motel sets on the outskirts of Olean,NY, in its days it was a grand little Motel with swimming pool in the center courtyard. I stayed here many times in my travels across the state. The Motel was built in the 1940's and closed in 2008 due to all the new fancy Motels that were built in the area. Now it just sits abandoned to time growing up in weeds.......

The Old Farm

This once thriving farm like so many across New York state has been abandoned  so now this big old barn just sets lost to another era and time. It's such a shame to see these beautiful old barns rotting to the ground today and the fields all grown up with weeds.

Old Erie Railroad Station

The old Erie Railroad Station located in the town of Salamanca,NY was built in 1904 and served many people through the years before being abandoned in the 1980's. It now sits rotting to the ground like so many others across the country. Our past history is slowly slipping away......

Old Homestead

This classy old homestead like so many others across NY state sits abandoned along the highway in the town of Italy Valley,NY. New York like so many other states has a great number of old houses just setting in disrepair, abandoned in time due to loss of jobs or being foreclosed.  These beautiful old homes are just being left to rot to the ground.....

The old Billsboro store

The old Billsboro store stands on the corner of Billsboro road in the berg of Billsboro,NY. My wife remembers, as a kid, she used to go there with her grandparents and it was stocked with ice cream treats and the best all day suckers ever.  

When we are kids, somehow we always think things will be there forever.  Then when we grow up we realize that isn't so.  

I could not find any vintage pictures of this place as a working store.  It's as if it has been forgotten and I suppose when all of us are gone, it will be remembered no more.  What a shame. 

The Hyde house

This old Octagon house was built by a Civil War veteran named Hyde in 1870 in the town of Friendship,NY. It stood in the town of Friendship for many many years finally sitting vacant for many years falling down. In 1974 the Genesee County Village and Museum bought the house and disassembled it having it moved to Mumford,NY. It was restored to its original glory  where it stands today for all to tour and enjoy it's beauty.