Ghost towns are a lingering memory, the old buildings and chipped paint relics of bygone days…but not too far bygone. But even those memories crumble and eventually vanish. Rockerville, a former mining town of the gold rush era, has joined the league of vanished ghost towns. Last weekend, this beautiful little remnant of history was used as burn practice by a dozen or so local firefighting crews. It is understandable that the buildings needed to go – They were in a public location, near a well-frequented restaurant, and the liability with having them there was probably not insignificant. A fire caught in a couple of the storefronts over the summer, which would have further compromised them structurally. But it is still sad to see them go. During the spring, summer, and fall, I drive past Rockerville on my way to and from work, and I always loved seeing the ghostly little town. Here are some pictures of Rockerville, which I took last year.
Into the realm of memory.
A forest of Queen Anne’s Lace sparkled in the waking light, and a cat groomed herself on the porch of an old tumbledown storefront. A few people still live in the area of Old Rockerville, and a single restaurant is a favorite local stop. The past and present mingle in this place.
Where are they now? Where will you be, 100 years from now? Who will remember you, and what will you be remembered for? What will the point of your life have been? Whom are you serving?
Song Dog Journal 