Forgotten Places

Finding a forgotten homestead is always an interesting diversion from the hunt. These old places where people laughed and cried, loved and fought, lived and died have a special place in my conscience. Most of them are on state owned land, pl;aces where time stands still and they are safe from the progress of man as they slowly crumble back into the ground that they came from. Old stone walls that once showed boundaries of fields and pastures, that kept cattle, horse, sheep and hogs in or out, layed one stone at a time by old time farmers who no doubt took pride in their work. Old stone foundations of barns and houses and old stone lined well all have a story to tell if you just stop and listen. Imagine the excitement these people felt as they worked day after day and saw the fruits of their labor mature into a sturdy barn or a handsome house or a reliable source of water. Here are some of my homesteads that I have claimed in my wanderings in the Allegheny Mountains