Home is where the heart is and for many abandoned homes and barns around Franklin County, the echoes of these past lives is what prompted Michelle Bowers to starta photo collection which documents the abandoned homes of North Carolina.
“I’ve always hated history in school but this seems like a way to get back into history,” Bowers said.
Bowers, a photographer, started posting her photographs of the houses on Facebook in March. She didn’t think much of it, but within weeks she was getting dozens, hundreds, even 1,000 "likes."
People even started sending in their own photos of abandoned houses from around the state.
Bowers’ daughters have also gotten in on the hunt.
“My daughters and I—I have two daughters—we get in the car in the evenings, sunroof down, radio on and we just start driving,” Bowers said. “We get to an intersection and I let each of them take a turn, right or left. They’re always on the lookout.”
For Bowers, the photos are a great way to give some love back to the places that once held so much life.