Michael Kaynard – Page 2 – Building a better South

September 21, 2013September 21, 2013

Abandoned house, near Enfield, N.C.

The yellow trim around windows of this abandoned, bleached farm cottage near Enfield, N.C., caught the attention of photographer Michael Kaynard as he was heading south on U.S. Highway 301 in late March, 2013.

“From what we could see through the windows, it had once been a fairly decent dwelling, although small by today’s standards. Nearby was a trailer that appeared to be the replacement home,” he observed. “When I see small houses sitting next to plowed fields, I wonder how people could raise an entire family in what is not much larger than our den. Now we have to live in homes that are 2,500 sq. ft. or larger or we feel we are in cramped quarters.”

More photos by Kaynard are at: Kaynard Photography.
First published May 1, 2013. All rights reserved.

September 17, 2013November 16, 2014

Red barn, near Bennettsville, S.C.

Photographer Michael Kaynard of Charleston, S.C., writes that this stereotypical barn off U.S. Highway 15 south of Bennettsville, S.C., continues to shelter equipment used on an adjacent farm. “I was drawn to the design. It was quite a fancy design for a barn.” Across the rural South, more and more barns are being lost to progress.

Bennettsville is the county seat for Marlboro County, where almost 29 percent of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county had 28,145 residents in 2012, 51 percent of whom were black, according to Census estimates.

September 15, 2013September 15, 2013

Decaying barn, near Pleasant Hill, N.C.

When driving north on U.S. Highway 17 in North Carolina just before crossing into Virginia, this barn stands near the town of Pleasant Hill. Nearby is an abandoned farmhouse. Both reminded photographer Michael Kaynard of the general decay of older homesteads along the highway in rural areas.

“We drove through one beaten-down town after another. We also experienced the same decaying buildings. It was a reminder that everything is not alright in America. There is a lot more poverty and struggling families than I imagined. I guess if you don’t see it then it does not exist.

“I think everyone should take the time to see a portion of their country by riding the roads. It will certainly make you appreciate where you live and what you have. I know it certainly did for me. I love riding the roads but seeing some of the things on this last trip was disturbing.”

More photos by Michael Kaynard

September 13, 2013September 13, 2013

Grand house standing empty, Tatum, S.C.

This once grand house in the Pee Dee town of South Carolina appears to stand empty, at the mercy of the elements. Photographer Michael Kaynard reports it has a lot of ornat features and probably was a nice house in its day.

“When I see houses like this, I am drawn to them because of their age and architectural features. someone was probably very proud of this structure. Now, no one seems to care what happens to it.”

July 15, 2013July 17, 2013

Campaign headquarters, Plains, Ga.

In 1975 in this old train depot in Plains, Ga., former President Jimmy Carter started what some thought would be an unlikely presidential campaign. The depot, now part of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, reportedly operated from 1888 to 1951 in this town of about 700. Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, grew up in Plains.

Photographer Michael Kaynard noted, “There is a block of tourist businesses just down from the train depot Carter used as his campaign headquarters. Other attractions include his boyhood farm, Plains High School, Billy Carter’s gas station, Rosalynn Carter’s family home and the private Carter compound. Some of the land is being used for agriculture but it would be bypassed except for its ties to the President and his family.”

Plains, whose public school system was absorbed into that of nearby Americus and Sumter County, had 776 people in 2010, according to the Census. Three in five residents are black, with whites comprising almost all of the rest. About a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line.

July 13, 2013July 13, 2013

Presidential classroom, Plains, Ga.

: Classroom, Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, Plains, Ga. Photo by Michael Kaynard.

Former President Jimmy Carter went to school in this Plains, Ga., classroom at Plains High School, now the museum and visitors’ center at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site.

To our knowledge, this is the only federal presidential historic site in the Southern Crescent. All over town, it’s easy to see commonalities with other rural communities across the Crescent — small-town life dominated by agriculture and a close-knit community.

July 3, 2013July 13, 2013

Old stores, Mount Vernon, Ga.

These two old buildings on Church Street in downtown Mount Vernon, Ga., caught the eye of photographer Michael Kaynard. Both seem to be old stores. the left of which seems to be re-purposed as a hair salon. The right one appeared empty.

Kaynard observed that people in Montgomery County seemed proud of the renovation of the county courthouse, which was nearby. But in the square around the courthouse, there weren’t many active businesses. “I spoke with a young woman in city hall and two of the businesses I asked about had been closed since before she arrived there” several years back, he said.

Georgia photographer Brian Brown of VanishingSouthGeorgia.com also enjoy these two Church Street buildings, saying here that they’re his two favorites in Mount Vernon.

See more of Brown’s photos of Mount Vernon and Montgomery County.

These days, Montgomery County and the area around Mount Vernon seem strapped, but interestingly, the population is about 50 percent bigger than it was in the late 1960s when Brack visited. In 2012, the estimated population was just under 9,000 — some 3,000 more people than in the 1970 Census. More.

Some 21.6 percent of people in the county live at or below the federal poverty level.

June 27, 2013July 13, 2013

Downtown street work, Hampton, S.C.

Lee Street, Hampton, S.C. Photo by Michael Kaynard, 2013.

A street construction crew worked in May to reconfigure Lee Street to make the downtown area more welcoming to residents and visitors alike. The work was just in time for the community’s 71st Watermelon Festival, an annual event that runs this year through June 30. (Visit the Watermelon Festival Web site.)

Hampton, like many rural Southern towns, is redoing its downtown to make it more attractive for people visiting smaller towns throughout the South. It seems to be working on Lee Street where, on one end of the street, is a funky coffee shop. At the other end is the old art-deco Palmetto Theater operated by the Hampton Arts Council. A resident on the council said its neon looks magnificent at night — and that we should return to see one of its productions.

Hampton County, located in the southern part of the state, was home to 20,090 people in 2010, about 4,000 fewer than a century earlier. More.

June 1, 2013November 16, 2014

Clothes line, Allendale, S.C.

13.0506.sc_allendale1 — Clothes drying in the sun, Allendale, S.C., May 2013.

This clothesline in rural Allendale, S.C., represents more than drying laundry in the full sun to get that “fresh” smell and feel. It is a reminder that a lot of people in distressed counties prefer saving money by letting the sun do its work on clothes than spend a dollar at a laundry mat to get them dry.

Allendale County with just under 10,000 people is one of South Carolina’s smallest counties, but also its poorest. With just over 40 percent of people living at or below the poverty level, the median household income is about $23,000 a year — half of South Carolina’s average and well below the nation’s $50,000 average.

More about Allendale County from QuickFacts from the U.S. Census.

May 30, 2013July 13, 2013

New store, Abbeville, Ga.

These construction workers are preparing a plat in Abbeville, Ga., for a new Family Dollar store that’s right across the street from the county courthouse.

That’s good news because the economic investment offers more shopping opportunities for people in rural Wilcox County, one of the Peach State’s smaller counties with 9,068 residents, according to the U.S. Census. About two thirds of residents are white and a third black. Estimates by the U.S. Census are that 27.4 percent of county residents live in poverty.

More QuickFacts from the U.S. Census.