A few weeks ago, I made another drive out into the Delta. It was starting to rain a little, with dark storm clouds lurking overhead. As I headed east, I drove through the small community of Johnson Chapel. The town lives up to its name, there is an old church sitting next to a large cemetery.
The church was built in 1871, and was used for services for nearly 100 years. Although it's not used regularly, it is still used for wedding and other events. The inside is well-maintained, and looks like it could be used at anytime. In fact the only thing I noticed that suggested the church doesn't see any use were some cobwebs growing between some of the pews.
Driving further east, the sky continued to grow darker. Thunder and an occasional flash of lightning sparked across the sky.
The clouds hung heavily over the fields, where the rice was a deep shade of green.
I continued on, driving to the town of Des Arc. Des Arc has a population of about 2,000, and is one of the two county seats of Prairie County. Sitting right in the middle of town along Main Street is the Frith-Plunkett House. The home was built in 1858 and is the oldest building in Des Arc.
The old home is described as a "
a well-proportioned two story wood frame structure, with a gable roof, weatherboard siding, and a foundation of brick piers. A Neoclassical two-story porch projects from the center of what is otherwise a typical I-house, giving it a distinctive Greek Revival character."
The old home survived the Civil War because it was used as a hospital. The home is is empty now, and was added to the list of Arkansas' Most Endangered Places in 2013.
I drove on, heading east to the town of Cotton Plant. People have been living in the area around Cotton Plant since the 1830s, and it grew around the cotton that gave the city its name. But like so many Delta towns, it has hit hard times. Many of the historic buildings in the downtown are empty and abandoned, and many have been torn down.
I peeked in the windows of one building, which looks like it recently housed an antique shop. The store is closed and abandoned, but there is still all of the merchandise inside. Clothes and books still sit on the shelves, covered in a thick layer of dust. It almost seems like the store could open up, except for the fact that some of the ceiling and the entire back wall of the store has collapsed.
This old liqour store has also been closed, with vines slowly taking over the side of the building.
And a few more shots of another old building, which is empty except for more creeping vines.
As I headed out of town, the dark clouds continued to gather overhead and threaten to pour rain.
When I saw these clouds I immediately tried to find a place to pull over.
A few minutes after taking this, the front from the storm passed by with a big gust of wind. Although it didn't rain, it did cool off about 15 degrees.
I had pulled over by this old barn, so I walked over to take a look. The wind that cooled the temperature down also seemed to have blown the mosqitoes away for a few minutes.
While driving north I drove by this old house. It does look like it's been abandoned for ahwile, but it is for sale.
The old silos were in the small community of Fair Oaks. I'm not sure if these are used still, they were fairly quiet the afternoon that I drove by.
I drove by an old home, which was abandoned and nearly falling apart. The walls were tilted at dramatic angles, and it probably won't be too long before gravity drags the building down.
There were a few flowers growing along the weathered wood on the walls of the building, providing a few nice splashes of color.
And the view looking inside one of the windows. The interior walls are mostly gone, and the ceiling is dotted with dozens of wasps nests.
I thought I had plenty of time before sunset, so I drove over to the town of Wynne. About 9,000 people live in Wynne, and it is the county seat of Cross County. I drove by the downtown, looking for any interesting old buildings. I saw this old building that unfortunately had a roof that just collapsed. This is the view of the side of the building, where the debris from the collapsed roof almost seems to be spilling out of an open door.
I then headed to the town of Augusta, and got there right around sunset. Augusta sits along the White River, and is the county seat of Woodruff County. Back in the 1800s it was an important steamboat stop, and regularly saw boats coming in from Memphis and New Orleans. About 2,800 currently live in Augusta, which still has a large number of old buildings in the historic downtown area.
I drove over to the old courthouse to get a few pictures, but was distracted by an old house that sits across the street. This is the Ferguson House, which was built in 1861 and is one of the oldest structures in the city. The Ferguson House "
is a two-story wood frame structure, with a side gable roof and clapboard siding. Its main facade is five bays wide, with a central projecting portico with square supporting columns, and a gabled pediment. The interior has a well-preserved central-hall plan." The home is vacant but looks like it is getting some repairs, or at least being stabilized.
I headed across the street to the Woodruff County Courthouse, which was built in 1900. I tried to get a few pictures until a swarm of mosquitoes chased me to the car, and I headed on back home as it got dark.
