I stumbled across this photo while pilfering my grandma's stash. Photo stash, that is. The back of the photo simply says " Tioga Depot 1920." Would be interesting to know who these people were. I like their dog. I imagine his name was Frank. Seems like a solid doggy name. He's looking like, "Eh, what you want from me?"
My favorite part of this photograph, though, is the cameraman's shadow...
The date on the next picture says 1966. I suspect this is either when my grandma bought Tioga or shortly thereafter. I could easily call somebody in my family and get an answer within minutes. But I'll be honest. I'm lazy. And I could have cleaned up this photo and made it look untorn and pretty. But again, I'm lazy.
And here is the store, abandoned and unloved. Little did it know the years of activity and memories that waited for it at the hands of its new coffee-addicted chain-smoking mayor.
And here is the old depot. This photo must have been late 70's, if I had to guess by the other photographs I found with it. It's weird to see barren land, ruts in the mud, the photo taken long before my grandma's grassy lawn reached the depot.
This last pic is of the depot, the creepy shed I talked about in my previous blog post, and the little playhouse. And, too small to really see, my grandma and one of the many, many dogs she's had over the years. Actually, they usually belong to the trucker across the road, but any dog that guy owns usually half becomes my grandma's, because she feeds them...a lot.
Speaking of the creepy shed, I'll use that as a segue into my photos from the ghost hunt. Keep in most, most of these are nothing more than my photographic fascination with Tioga.
While searching the depot for something paranormal, I discovered this name painted on the wall. Surprisingly, I don't remember ever seeing this before. Did an internet search (love Google!) and learned that Rae D. Ingham ran Tioga in the early 1920's. He was post master, store owner, and clerk of the depot's ticket counter. A jack of all trades. And his painted signature has lasted almost 100 years. Amazing.
I'd never noticed this before, but beneath the ticket counter are faint pencil marks. I could make out "Fairchild," which is a nearby town. Fairchild was actually where Nathanial Foster, founder of Tioga, made his home and raised his family. I believe he his buried in a Fairchild cemetery, as well.
I'd love to say the orange flare is paranormal, but I'm pretty sure it's just flash flare.
And back to Tioga. Here is the store as it stands today. It's a little old and saggy. But still lovable.
A picture from the side window of one of the front bedrooms. During the ghost hunt, it was unanimous that everybody felt the most welcome in this bedroom. There's just this warm, homey vibe that beckons to the soul. We mentioned this to my mom who said this room was always my grandma's favorite room in the store. Coincidence?
This is one of the back bedrooms. It's long and narrow and doesn't have the same vibe as the front bedroom in the picture above. But still, like all of Tioga, special in its own way...
I'm not only in love with this building, but the all of the things my grandma has stashed in it. New and old, it doesn't matter. It just adds to the charm of the place, endearing me to it further.
This, however, creeps this shit out of me.
PBR me ASAP. It helps curb the fear of the creepy doll.
Peeling paint from the ceiling of the porch. Just looked cool to me.
Real ghost hunting equipment.
Gah! A ghost! Oh, wait, that's just my mom.
And here is one of my favorite pictures. Tioga in twilight. At a glance, the photo looks like a reject, something taken by accident or before the flash could recharge. But no, it was all intentional. This photo embodies everything I love about Tioga. It's darkened core, nothing scary about this darkness. Filled with mystery, intrigue, and a gentle calm.
Thank you, readers, for indulging my obsession of Tioga. I hope you have enjoyed it. And if not, well, then, eff you.
Friendly reminder, these photos are all property of Brenda Boo. I do not mind my work being shared on the internet, but if you're using them for profit, then you are very undude. Be respectful. Get my permission.
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