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I was just here in Raphine, Virginia last year and the year before. I’ve actually been through here three times and it’s amazing that I didn’t discover this old house because I’m always looking for old, abandoned houses to photograph but that’s not all, I like to photograph nature, parks, rivers, lakes, classic cars, antiques and just about anything else I find interesting.

I saw this old house after it popped up on a notification and I thought I’d share it. I not only like to share my own photography but other people’s too. Especially, when I find it interesting.

This will be one of those things I’ll have to put on my bucket list to go back and visit. I’ve been through this area a few times over the past couple of years. But whatever reason I didn’t look for abandoned houses. It’s isn’t that far from North Carolina but it is quite a bit further from Memphis. Today, I made an appointment to update my driver’s license. There is a three month waiting list to get in. Like I’ve said before I will get a break from caring for my aunt sometime in the spring. I don’t yet know how much of a break so that will affect how far I go. If it’s only for a week or two then I won’t go far. Virginia would be perfect since it won’t be all that far.

When I went through here back in 2020, it was right before my car started giving me problems. By the time I got to Tennessee it was dying in the road every ten minutes, sometimes sooner. It then stayed in the shop for eight months and they never figured it out. My husband tinkered with it(taped up some wires under the hood and the radio stopped working) and it started running fine with no more stalling in the road until the other day when it died as he was taking a turn. It does okay if not driven but a mile or two. This makes me remember this area and time more than I otherwise would have.

Here’s another abandoned building, an old store called the Candyman Store.

And here’s another abandoned store General Store of Steeles Tavern Virginia which is on Lee Jackson Highway otherwise known as US Route 11 and this is the route I took through Tennessee and Virginia. Highway 11 isn’t that far from the interstate so at night when I wanted to go to Walmart or go to a truck stop I’d drive the two or three miles to the interstate. Then the next morning I’d start again. I traveled US Route 11 from Tennessee to Pennsylvania.

This old store was built in 1911 and I think I remember seeing it. This area was originally called Midway. In addition to Steeles Tavern were two stores in the village. William Hopkins who owned one store thrived until some yankees came through town and destroyed his merchandise and much of his property. He was unable to recover and moved west to Arizona.

Here’s a website with some very old houses for sale Old House Dreams.

I often find old, abandoned houses, businesses and old cars along the way while I’m driving and when I do I usually get out and take pictures, sometimes a video now. And Virginia is one of my favorite states to travel through. It’s historic and in the summer it’s a lot cooler than a lot of other southern states. Plus it’s a beautiful state.

References: Forgotten Virginia, Abandoned Eastern Virginia, Abandoned Virginia, Abandoned Southern Virginia and Abandoned Northern Virginia.

Latest posts: Abandoned South Carolina, Old House in Indiana, Demon Dog Valle Crucis NC, Abandoned Railroad Tunnel in Ukraine and Old Truck Texas.

Until next time……..My story……..UPDATE: I’m moving to a marina on Lake Keowee in Oconee County, only in a smaller boat, a 1981 Yukon Delta 28 that needs a ton of work…………….I’m Rachel Xie Qi Holbert-Jones Page and this is my story: living in Iva, South Carolina (Anderson County), part time in Hartwell, Georgia on my boyfriend’s boat, a 1986 Chris-Craft Catalina 381. I was at the Hartwell Marina which doesn’t allow liveaboards so I left. He purchased a 1996 Holiday Mansion 39 Barracuda, 1977 CHB Trawler 34 (I’m remodeling), 1986 Marine Trader 54 Sunliner that I’m updating, 2018 Sunseeker Manhattan 52, 2001 Nordic Tug 37 and a 1983 Fishcraft 28 (similar to the AdventureCraft 28 I lived on and still call home). I’m also camping at various places, mostly lake campgrounds. ****************I still care for my aunt in West Virginia sometimes and hoping not to have to return to Memphis, Tennessee. We are scheduled to move my aunt to Dead Women Crossing, Oklahoma but first it’s to Georgia for the winter & Michigan in the summer. I’m still traveling for work and have been to my Uncle’s ranch in Alpine, Texas to oversee it and the cattle he retitled in both of our names, Texas Longhorns, Scottish Highlands, Brangus and show horses. He’s also added Bison and Beefalo to his ranch. **************************************************************** For my work travels my uncle purchased a 1995 Ford E-150 Econoline GT Starquest Campervan. I wasn’t sure about an older van like this but the man that owned it had completely converted it with solar power and electrical, it was a good deal. It only has 112k miles. It only has a sealed portable toilet but it is okay because I prefer a public toilet and only use a camper toilet if I’m dispersed camping, at a Walmart or Cracker Barrel. I prefer rest areas and truck stops. For short trips, I drive a car or SUV. ***************************************************************** I have an avid love for photography and capturing the essence of old, abandoned houses, allegedly haunted places, classic, antique vehicles, lakes, rivers, nature, museums, art galleries, antique shops, car shows and historical places. I’m not a ghosthunter or paranormal investigator although I’ve had people request me to lead their groups, I’m a legend hunter. I love scary podcasts and spend more time on YouTube or Audible than Peacock or Tubi. I used to watch TV or movies when I stopped for the night but now I usually go right to sleep when I stop and prefer the podcasts of Darkness Prevails, What Lurks Beneath, Swamp Dweller or Red Owl. I like to listen to scary trucker stories too, occasionally grizzly/polar bear attacks, audiobooks & Dateline Podcasts. I like google scholar, casetext, medium, wordpress, livejournal, blogger, unsplash, pexels, pixabay, pinterest, instagram, facebook, X, tumblr, amazon, eBay, shadowlands (for places that are haunted), reading, greek mythology, animal shows, National Geographic, the metaphysical, food, camping, fitness, weightlifting, nutrition, health, gua sha, face rollers, beauty, fashion, tai chi, yoga, YouTube (listening to van lifers and people living in their vehicles), road tripping, computers, internet and creating videos. I also like long drives & deserted back roads. Work consists of scouting for investment properties and rehabbing/remodeling those properties for my employer. We also remodel old boats and restore classic cars. *****************************************************************Visit my blogs at https://rachelholbertjonespage.com, https://sassygrrl32x.blogspot.com and https://youtube.com/sassygrrl32 ……………………..By Rachel Xie Qi Holbert-Jones Page AKA sassygrrl32 & Haunted Legendhunter & Bourbon Street Blogger **********************************************************Alot of people have asked me the story of my homeless situation and I’ve removed it for now and will discuss it in my blog posts. *****************************************************************#rachelxieqiholbertjonespage #sassygrrl32 #Iva #Keowee #SouthCarolina #Hartwell #Georgia #andersoncounty #Michigan #livinginacar #vanlife #nomadlifestyle #carcamping #roadtripping #boondocking #carlife #livingoffgrid #vandwelling #vanliving #legendhunter #haunted #abandoned #xieqi #sassyaftersixty #deadwomencrossing #oklahoma #westvirginia #memphis #tennessee #bourbonstreetblogger #bepositive #prayer #GodBless #rebranding #westernzhoudynasty #daxie #nanyang #mandarin #xiemei #lowbow #vitallifeforce #flowingvitalenergy #unseenenergy #taichi #davisislandersllc #rizzoreipartners