Tag: mountains

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The Ozarks: Abandoned

Living in The Ozarks has been key to my development as an artist. The color, seasons, textures and characters of The Ozark Mountains makes it all come together.

It’s history and it’s people are what inspire me. Photo journalism is my focus, if you are looking for senior, wedding or baby pictures you might as well continue searching for another photographer.

Simple pleasures and the mysterious power that lures people to the land. Nothing is more satisfying than a newly turned field in early spring, fresh cut hay on a summer day or the smell of apple butter cooking in the fall.

In this post I’ll introduce you to “My Ozarks” they are small, out-of-the-way places, back road villages or one horse towns . The people who live here have opted to live differently. Small town residents worry about everything from school closings and their children’s futures to the slipping of the local economy.

The fragility of our communities in small towns is evident as you can see in these images. Some are blighted, while in other areas nearby the economy is booming. Making us question “what happened here”?

There are factory workers, barbers, small business owners, retirees, teachers, farmers, clergy, and mayors all who depend on the smallest things to hold these communities together all the while dealing with things such as the opioid epidemic.

Down at The Corner Cafe they are having their coffee about now, discussing the daily special or who fed the cats.

The End to the Means.

I first found myself staring at the ruins of an old home in an uninhabited town, I thought post-apocalyptic! It’s a vision of a horror story. However in certain cases they make me curious as to the backstory. But that’s not what keeps me searching for modern ruins, and it’s not the sole reason I devote so much time to finding and documenting these vanishing forgotten buildings.

Heck, they are so compelling! Of course, there’s an aesthetic to decaying buildings, an opportunity to enjoy these buildings when I stumble upon them. After all those who came before me enjoyed them in their day, why not me, why not now.

These ruins still contain promises of the unexpected. They have served their original purpose but now, for me, it’s the possibility of some weird encounter. The seemingly impossible find of a forgotten treasure or a captured moment.

It all allows for my imagination to go wild and the images allow for your own interpretation. In some strange way it’s all unencumbered repurposing.

Just a note to my fellow photographers who like to shoot cemeteries…Avoiding stepping on a grave. Ozarks Legend has it if a hillman happens to tread upon a grave, he is supposed to jump backward across it immediately, as otherwise a member of his family will die, according to the old-timers.

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Kindall’s General Store

Kindall’s old General Store is one of the oldest continuously operated businesses in the Ozarks. The Old Store has been serving generations for well over 60 years. The business, situated in front of the majestic and scenic Ozark Mountains, continues to be operated to this day.

The interior of the store is much the same as it was when constructed with many old features and antiques. The original board floor, the antiques, metal, stamped tin ceiling, the original shelving and counters, and numerous antiques give the visitor the feeling of stepping back in time. The architecture of the building along with the big front porch represents the vintage of middle and late 1800s.

The current operator plans to keep the store as is, even though it’s not as profitable as it needs to be. There’s more to this labor of love than money.

The original ceiling tin is intact, more than one person has tried to pry it out of the store, there’s not enough money to make that happen. The oak tongue and groove floor is soft in spots, heck I would be too if I were that old. It just adds to the ambiance of the place. The wood stove still sits in the back but due to insurance it’s disconnected.

The Store is an antique and be truly an educational experience.

Across the street is where the Kindall’s lived, underneath the giant oak sits the homestead.

The house appears to be the same time period as the store, the chairs out front were a perfect place to watch traffic on the highway.

Living on top of the hill meant a storm cellar was a must, tornado’s are common place in this part of the Ozarks. This place was old but I was directed to the original home site which was much older and still standing.

Like taking a step back in time, walking into the general store in the community of Olga, Missouri takes you to a place in Ozark history. In the 1980’s, Corda Kindall kept her store alive even though supermarkets in nearby towns got most of the business. At that time, her store was like a museum, full of items once commonly sold in country general stores. She stocked modern necessities as well, but mostly just enjoyed the people dropping by for a chat, a loaf of bread and way of thanking her for keeping the store open and welcoming to local people. Corda Kindall passed away in 1995. Video Produced by Ed Fillmer.

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2018 Abandoned Calendar On Sale

Just finished up the Abandoned in the Ozarks Calendar for 2018 just follow this link to get yours! Photos from across the Ozarks places like Galena, Protem, Cane Hill, Brighton, Greenfield and Bona to name a few. It’s a collection of photos I’ve taken featuring abandoned and endangered buildings that due to Mother Nature, lack of funds or care and soon will be lost to time forever.

It’s choked full of 12 months of abandoned goodness.

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Bennett Spring State Park

Bennett Spring and its valley have attracted visitors since the mid-19th century. Settlers found the spring-fed streams to be ideal locations for their grist and flour mills and the wilderness around the stream was perfect for hunting. James Brice was one of the first settlers in the area and he built his first mill in 1846. Although several other mills were built at different times, the most successful mill was operated by Peter Bennett, Brice’s son-in-law. Bennett became the namesake for the spring and the spring valley became a popular hunting and camping ground for farmers waiting for their grain to be ground at the mill.

Already a favorite among fishermen, the area became even more popular in 1900 when the Missouri Fish Commissioner introduced 40,000 mountain trout into the spring-fed stream. In 1924-1925, the state purchased the spring and part of the surrounding area to create one of the first state parks. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps contributed much of the present-day character of the park, building cabins, a shelter house, roads, trails, the arched bridge across the spring branch and the rustic dining lodge.

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The Old Country Store

The Old Country Store was and is the life blood of small Ozark’s communities. This applies more to this particular store than most. Most neighbors are not just a stones throw from here. Many miles of hills separate this store from most. Taney County doesn’t have a huge population now let alone when this store was active. In the 1930 census the nearest town of Bradleyville only had a population of 41.

When I entered the store it was walking back in time. I could see the shelves lined with canned goods, supplies, I imagine it had a wood stove near the right side. I’ll bet the old boys showed on Saturday with their chewing tobacco in pocket ready to chew the fat with the regular “spit & whittle” club. One thing I did not show was the old glass counter cabinet. It was in really sad shape, glass had been knocked out and it was falling apart. I feel it’s important to leave it alone. Let it go with this building when it decides to give way to time.


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Phillipsburg General Store

The Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation (Missouri Preservation) announced its 2017 list of historic Places in Peril on Friday evening, August 25, 2017 at a special “Unhappy Hour” event at the National Building Arts Center in St. Louis. Listed at #9 is…the Old Phillipsburg General Store in Phillipsburg,MO


Few small town buildings are as iconic as the old general store. The Phillipsburg General Store was constructed in the last years of the 1800s. It survived for many years as one of Phillipsburg’s largest buildings and now has the distinction of being the only historic building remaining in the village. The building also sat next to the railroad tracks, and trains supplied the store with the many provisions needed for the villagers and local farmers. Sugar and flour, crackers and other needed items were bought in bulk and put in sacks to take come. Dolls and garden supplies, tools, as well as rabbits and chickens were purchased in the store and taken home in wagons pulled by horses. In later years the adjacent Route 66 brought many tourists to this tiny town. The upstairs served a variety of the community’s social needs, containing a small theater, an office where a lodge was located and where the Woodsmen of America met, as well as other groups like the American Legion. After the lodges were gone, ladies set up quilt blocks where they constructed quilts for many families in the community. During the 1990s some rehabilitation work was completed on the old store and part of the building was used again for quilting and antique sales. But in the meantime, a building that has been cut off from the railroad and its iconic roadway is in danger. A roof leak in the rear of the building has caused extensive They hope to attract a buyer that is interested in renovation of this small town icon. Contact the owner: bcbender3@yahoo.com or 417.664.6520