Washington Court House, Ohio
Well…it was another day driving from Athens, Ohio, to Washington Court House, Ohio, and I was on the look-out for something interesting to photograph… even though the leaves are gone, the amber waves of grain are gone, the brilliant snow and blue skies are not here yet, and spring is so far away I don't even want to think about it. There was not a single interesting farm vehicle lumbering down the road. (If you want to see past sunny and snowy scenes of this same area, click HERE and/or HERE.)
Washington Court House is located west of Columbus, Ohio. We live in Southern Ohio, though, so I approach it from the south, taking the Appalachian Highway west toward Cincinnati, but cutting up on Rt. 35 at Jackson to Chillicothe and then to Washington Court House (thus named due to the Revolutionary War heroes who settled there, and were loyal to George Washington).
There are many beautiful old homes, new homes, and wonderful new school buildings there. Chillicothe is located a bit farther south. I usually zip past it on my way from one place to another, but today I decided to get off the highway and see what the downtown looked like. It'd been a while since I'd seen it.
I was drawn to the old things today…
But I am also continually amazed by the smoke (?) pouring out of a factory of some sort in Chillicothe (you'll notice it too in a photo at the links noted in paragraph one). Today I wanted to see it up close and, boy, was I surprised to find it is just a block away from a school. Kids coming out of school see the white smoke just floating all around. I don't know what it is, but I put my car's air intake setting on "inside air" when I was there, just in case. I mean, it's got to be okay, right? But, jeepers, there were clouds of "stuff" coming out of there. I was wishing Erin Brockovich was in the car with me to tell me if I needed to worry….
Okay, enough editorializing… here are the photos!
In Washington Court House, I stopped to take a photo of this cool truck, which was at a junkyard, and noticed something through the trees.
Here's the junkyard from my car.
Here's my favorite photo of the day! Taken with Hipstamatic "Jimmy" lens on iPhone.
Which do you prefer: the photo taken with my Canon of the truck or the photo taken with the Histamatic iPhone app?
This shape, above, intrigued me.
I liked this view above because in the distance is what seems to be an abandoned school, from the 1960s, perhaps (they have two beautiful new schools in town. And then there's this even older building in the foreground. Both discarded from different decades.
So, here I am approaching the smokestacks. The school is just down the road here, to the left of the stacks.
I pulled up alongside the front of the administration building. There was a loading dock just past it and there were a few guys on their way to work.
I wanted to see if I could get a good photo from another side of town, and when I pulled over to take the photo below, this image above was just out the car window to my right. I really like old textures. This reminded me of the institution door on the cover of "My Beginning."
Letting go of my fascination with factories, I headed toward the "downtown" and noticed this house….
Here is a little trump l'oiel! Also, about the only people I saw on the street at 3:30 in the afternoon.
Here is a shot of downtown Chillicothe.
I didn't know what a "New System" bakery was, especially since it had another sign that said it had been in business for 90 years. It required a photograph. I required a peanut butter cookie. It led me to doubt the new system.
Since the New System Bakery told me they could not sell me coffee but would give me coffee but it was probably "old" having been made "two hours at least" earlier; I had to stop at Krispy Kreme where I did NOT buy anything but a cup of coffee; and it was pretty good. I liked the windows in this place.
Right by Krispy Kreme is the Mission for Christ led by Pastor Vickie somebody.
I took this photo for my husband, Mark.
All photos copyright 2011 by Janice Phelps Williams. All rights reserved.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
OS Readers' Picks
nilesite
ladyfarmerjed
sarah brennan
trudie jackson
Amy A
Salon.com
Comments
R♥
FusunA: I've been gone a while, and it means a lot to me to be welcomed back by you, specifically, and your lovely comment. It was funny because when I left home in the morning I picked up my good camera, then thought "oh, the sun is not even going to shine today, there won't be good photo opportunities" -- but then I had my little camera in the car and as it turned out, I found a few things.
Margaret: Thank you for stopping by. I am not sure what school you mean but the new school buildings in this town are incredible. Really big for such a small town, but perhaps kids are bused in from neighboring small towns. I am glad you liked the truck and ball. My first photo of the ball was from inside the car. I was a bit afraid to exit the car (I'd backed up into the junkyard), but then I told my self, "hey, you just found out (through research I'd done this summer) everything your ancestors went through and you're afraid to get out of the car and get a photo?!" So, get out I did, and I'm so glad! Now, if I could get more comfortable taking photos of strangers…
Nanatehay: Thank you for your comment. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I don't need to spend money to have a great time…just get in the car and go explore. There is so much to see.
Seriously, I hear what folks are saying about bleakness. It's what happens when people (usually ones with money) give up on someplace.
Oh, and I like the Canon shot best!
But, where Mark and I live, in Athens, it is very hilly with beautiful forests and lakes and Ohio University. Wilmington, which Margaret mentioned, is also a lovely town with a college and wonderful town center. My son Bryce has been in the hospital there a few times and it is the town where we go to see movies. They have an art store and book store and old fashioned playhouse, too.
I'd like to recommend this link for a completely different look at Ohio. And this is not even to mention Columbus, which is a wonderful and attractive city. (OK, I've done my PR for today!)
Link to forest-photos: http://appalachianmorning.blogspot.com/2011/07/tyler-at-old-mans-cave.html
Here is a little video of autumn leaves in the neighborhood where we live: http://appalachianmorning.blogspot.com/2010/09/autumn-leaves-in-ohio.html
Ohio is a great state (and I lived in beautiful Sarasota, FL for 17 years and missed it so much I had to return!). Columbus is a great city and only 1.75 hours away. There are wonderful suburbs and shops and culture and OSU…but…
Yes, these small towns are hurting. Wilmington (not shown here but mentioned) was featured on several news programs a few years ago when DHL (I think it was DHL) pulled out of town (and I believe the entire US eventually; shish, I have no memory for these details). Something like 1 in 3 people worked there (they had an airport there).
I don't know if it is this way in other states, but in the area where we are, in Ohio, if you go off the main highways in the blocks bordering the small towns, the condition of the houses is often pretty poor and you just know folks are struggling to get by.
My son Bryce and I go there to the movies and also to the town center where (last time we checked) there was a used CD store, an art supply store, a bookstore, a community theater, and a wonderful hospital that cared for Bryce on several occasions.
Thank you for stopping by and for your comment. Don't feel bad; I have driven to Washington Court House at least twice a month for 10 years. I only started taking photographs (and really "seeing") in late 2009. It has been a wonderful hobby and a way to cope with the drive, which sometimes feels bittersweet. My son lives there, you see, and he is disabled. I love spending the day with him, but often have a lot of mixed thoughts on the ride home. In 2009, after taking him back after being home with us at Christmas, I needed to do something other than drive, so being that there was a good snow and a blue sky, I took my camera and took my time. I was then hooked on this process of noticing. My eyes are like independent beings now, searching out what might look good captured forever.
Jeanette: I love your phrase "strange mixture of starkness and weird beauty"! May I use it, giving credit to you, to describe my photos?
Your niece must attend Hocking College. Is she in the restaurant program? We love eating at Rhapsody, the restaurant run by that college. My husband is from Cleveland, and so I can imagine the shock. Last year there was some sort of airline or weather reason that flights were canceled and a large group of foreign students were stranded in Nelsonville. I wondered what they must think of the U.S. being stranded there. It is an odd little town that was once a boom (railroad) town and is now pretty in the miniature town circle but really poverty-stricken, essentially.
Designanator: I can't tell you how much your compliments mean to me because I know you have a professional eye and I still basically guess on the F-stops and ISO settings and all that jazz. But I love doing this and I love that you stopped by and saw value in the photos.
And thanks for the comments on my cigarettes piece. Wedding should be in the summer.