A Delta Church

Often when visiting an abandoned building, you are left with several questions. When was this building abandoned and why was it left to the elements to decay and fade? Who were the people who built it, and who decided to let it go? A lot of times it is hard to find much information about some buildings, so they are left in mystery. I wish I knew more about this church, located in the Delta region of eastern Arkansas. It looks to have been abandoned for awhile, with part of the roof caved in and collapsed (making it a holy/holey roof).



The interior of the church raises more questions, namely what happened here? Why is one half of the building nearly gone, while the other almost looks to be ok? What's the story with the piano in the middle? Did someone try to move it, only to manage to get it to this spot before giving up? Also there were some holes in the floor, would I fall through if I walked inside to take pictures?



And a close-up view of the piano, with the gaping hole in the roof above. Which made me wonder how much longer this building will be standing? And how many people would mourn it once it inevitably collapses?



Nearby was this old abandoned home, which was slowly being devoured by vines and weeds.



Down the road was this old store, which despite what the "OPEN" sign says was definitely closed for business.



Also nearby was this spherical building sitting by an old cotton gin, looking almost like a metal wigwam. I stopped for a few pictures and was greeted by a curious dog who stood in the street to see what I was up to (part of the town's version of the Paw Patrol, I'm guessing).

Pinnacle Mountain

Last weekend I took Jonah to Pinnacle Mountain State Park, and we walked along the Arkansas Arboretum Trail. The trail is great for toddlers - it's not too long, and there aren't any steep parts or places where he could fall off a cliff. The trail, along with the park's playground, are a favorite spot for draining a toddler's energy levels so that he's good for naptime (which more importantly means I can take a nap too).



Just outside of the park is this old red barn, so I made a quick stop to get a few pictures before heading home and napping.

Hurricane Lake

It's oddly interesting that Arkansas, a state that is not located on the ocean, has two wildlife/wilderness areas named after hurricanes. There is Hurricane Creek in the Ozarks, and then Hurricane Lake in the Delta near the metropolis of Bald Knob. Wonder how they both received their names? Did someone name them after their favorite drink that they enjoyed on Bourbon Street in New Orleans?



The Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area encompasses about 17,000 acres, which contains several oxbow lakes and bottomland hardwoods. It's a popular spot for hunting and fishing (and also mosquitoes).

Judsonia

The small town of Judsonia features not one but two old bridges that cross the Little Red River. One of them is an old automobile bridge, which was built in 1924 and is still open for traffic. And also wayward photographers who walk across to take a few pictures (there was also a guy fishing and a couple getting their portraits taken by another photographer). From the bridge you get a really good view of the other old bridge - the Union Pacific Rail Bridge, which was built in 1912 and is also still used by trains.

This was taken on a typical hot and muggy Arkansas summer day, which meant the camera immediately fogged up as soon as I got out of the car. But the foggy lens did at least match the drifting fog lurking along the river.

Pawnee

Located just at the foot of the Main Street Bridge in North Little Rock is the National Pawn Shop, which opened in 1945 and holds the distinction of being the oldest pawn shop in the state. On the side of the building is this sign, which has cracked and broken off and revealed an older sign beneath it. Which is ok, even the Mona Lisa is falling apart.