Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Repurposing

The church on the left was the building where my Dad conducted his first full-time pastorate.
This is a picture of the building as it is today. Clearly, it had been at some time repurposed to residential use. Likewise, it is clear that its current purpose is to keep a patch in the middle of the lot clear of weeds.

This house is across the street to the north of the 'church.' It was the residence of Mrs. Anderson, church member, friend of the family; and in the estimation of the child, a very rich person who wanted for nothing. Among the fabulous possessions within this domicile was the huge cabinet housing the great Philco radio with its beautifully lighted dial and the mystery of its contents. How could it hold all those obviously tiny people within, who spoke such words of wonder? This house, too, has been repurposed to weed barrier. From the appearance I would say it is destined to lose that battle.

Across the street to the east, was the parsonage in which we resided. It was here that my little sister was born just three months before my third birthday. It was gratifying to me to note that the house is still purposed to residential use, and that it is in good repair, obviously providing excellent shelter to the occupants. The garage behind the house now takes the place of the woodshed/goat shelter that stood there in the '30s.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! I can't get over how much that church building has changed. But it's cool to see that the parsonage is still a residence.

Secondary Roads said...

Amazing how much "the church" building has changed. Around here one can find a number of former church buildings and school houses that are now serving as residences.

Vee said...

There really is a Bladen! I'm glad the house in which I was born is still there. I would like to go there sometime and see the town again.

vanilla said...

Jim, seriously different from what it once was.

Chuck, we have a number of churches and schools in our county that have been "repurposed' as well.

Vee, yes, Vee, there is a Bladen. It's not that far off the "beaten path." (If you take 36.)

Sharkbytes (TM) said...

Hmmm - I call that activity "chasing ghosts." Hope it was a satisfactory activity for you.

vanilla said...

Shark, Dad used to say that all our experiences are stored in memory, if we but had the key to access them.

We are the sum of all our experiences. Perhaps we can yet add some positives to the account.