I have piles and piles of photographs of abandoned homes.
What began as a hobby of researching historical buildings has now become something that I do quite frequently on my days off. I was recently lucky enough to find out about the Bennet School for Girls in Poughkeepsie, NY. A friend of mine read about it online and suggested we take a little road trip with our cameras and a thermos filled with homemade hot chocolate. As soon as Sunday rolled around we headed north on the Taconic only to find the abandoned school just barely preserved by the winter air.
Moving past the chilly porch walls, climbing around wild thorns and brambles only to arrive at a water damaged ceiling ripping through to the open sky - we screamed with excitement at our discovery! Quite frankly, these are the moments that my camera lives for. With my thorn ridden boots and fingertips numb I snapped photograph after photograph until I couldn't feel my hands any longer and then I even snapped some more after the fact.
These forgotten places are haunted by memories, music and nostalgia. The stories of the lives that swept through are the only ghosts in these parts. Still I find them romantic, enticing and unparalleled in their sheltered beauty. I credit my friend Mike for finding this school and getting me to go despite the cold. I'm grateful that I had a chilly day with a friend to explore the history of this exquisite building. Sometimes I feel like a detective, other times like a photographer and still other times like an outsider who is lucky enough to get caught up in the child-like nostalgia that comes with exploring an old haunted house.
