Small Town Photography; Part II

What's left of the Atlantic and Danville Railroad and an old freight depot that most likely served the area's farmers in getting their goods to market and getting what they needed to grow them.  The siding is now gone but you still can see a few of the old ties that held the tracks in place.  Capron, Virginia (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-H1; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 16mm; 1/105th sec. @ f/11; ISO 800

I posted Part I of my day out wandering among some small towns in southeastern Virginia.  For more context, you may want to read that post first.  You can find it here.

Here are some additional images from that day.

I'm not sure who the customers are for these machines in Dreweryville, Virginia (click to enlarge)
Downtown Dreweryville consisted of a closed post office due to fire damage, the Post Office truck (below) and
Dreweryville Volunteer Fire Department next to the abandoned Atlantic and Danville Railroad station.
Besides the machines themselves, the red was what attracted me to this scene.  It was the most colorful thing
I had seen for miles!
Fujifilm X-H1; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 29mm; 1/120th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 800

Since the Dreweryville Post Office was closed due to the attached building next to it burning down, this truck is
now the Post Office, parked in front of the old abandoned Atlantic and Danville Railroad Station. (click to enlarge)
I've never seen one of these "Mobile" Post Offices before and didn't know they existed!
Fujifilm X-H1; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 18mm; 1/480th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 800

J.T. Barham and Company feed and seed store, Capron, Virginia (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-H1; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 20mm; 1/680th sec. @ f/11; ISO 800

Stacked plastic chairs.  Part of an sidewalk display at a very small hardware store in Courtland, Virginia
Of course, the colors and pattern were what attracted me to this. (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-H1; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 28mm; 1/70th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 200

Rural transportation no more.  This abandoned Atlantic and Danville Railroad station served both passengers and freight.
The small number of residents relied on the railroad to take them to places far away and the farmers relied on the
railroad to take their products to distributors as well as deliver seed, fertilizer, equipment and other essentials. Dreweryville, Virginia (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-H1; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 16mm; 1/60th sec. @ f/11; ISO 800

I wonder what stories this old farmhouse could tell. Carrollton, Virginia (click to enlarge)
There are "No Trespassing" signs around this property.  I plan on going back, finding out who owns this
and asking permission to enter the property to photograph it more thoroughly.  I always respect others' property
and don't trespass.
Fujifilm X-H1; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 20mm; 1/280th sec. @ f/11; ISO 800

I find wandering through the countryside and through small towns causes me to think about what was, how things used to be, the lives of those who lived in those places and the pivotable role small towns and rural landscapes played in the creation and development of this nation.  Many small towns in America owe their very existence to the railroads as the villages and towns would not exist without them.  I also consider how important the railroads have been in the building and expansion west of this country throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries.  I don't live in the past but I try to appreciate those that provided the foundation of what we have today.

My mind may then drift to wonder about the future as each year there are fewer farms, fewer villages and towns and more urban and suburban growth, fundamentally changing our country.  I'm not saying this change is bad, just different from the past.  Good or bad it is what it is.  I just want to record what was so those in the future can appreciate the past also.

Join me over at Instagram @dennisamook or my website, www.dennismook.com. 

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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