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Rockford

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These days we take bridges for granted. We seldom think about what travel was like when getting across rivers was a big deal. The earliest solution, of course, was to ford the river where the terrain was suitable. Then came ferries, and then came bridges. In one of my visits to Paris, I wondered aloud to an English friend why the most important city in France was built seemingly in the middle of nowhere in the interior of the country. The answer was obvious to him, but he indulged the ignorant American with the answer. It’s because, he said, the site of Paris was a natural bridging place for the Seine. Oh. I get it.

Rockford, in colonial times, was a travel hub. It sits on a hill above a ford across the Yadkin River. It used to be the county seat for Surry County, and the old courthouse still stands, though it is dilapidated. Now Rockford is in the middle of nowhere (though many Yadkin Valley vineyards have sprung up around it), and most of the old buildings are in varying states of dilapidation.

When I see an old church with carpenter gothic windows, I usually stop to take photos. It’s interesting how that one feature — gothic windows — makes a huge difference in whether a building is seen as worth preserving or whether it is allowed to fall into ruin. This old church in Rockford could use some maintenance, but it’s holding its own.

The enhanced value provided by gothic windows makes me think of my own home. I like to think that this house will still be standing two hundred years after I’m gone. The gothic windows can’t hurt.

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2 Comments

  1. Namin wrote:

    Nice little post. Like a single drop of rain.

    Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at 5:55 pm | Permalink
  2. Jo wrote:

    The gothic windows in your home “speak to me” each time I see a picture of Acorn Abbey.

    Saturday, June 11, 2016 at 12:47 am | Permalink

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