In 2014, on the one-year anniversary of her sister’s sudden and tragic death, Michelle Bowers decided to honor her sister by doing something they once loved to do as children – explore old, abandoned homes in North Carolina. On that same day, Michelle also made a Facebook page named Abandoned Homes of North Carolina (now called Old House Life) to showcase the beautifully decayed ruins she would discover across the state.
What started as a coping mechanism quickly became a hobby. But little did she know, or ever expect, that this hobby would gain her over 700k followers and national attention.
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook
We’ve been following her page for quite some time and decided to reach out and ask a few questions about the homes she’s explored and the future of the page. Besides beautiful photography, she also has some really neat history and insight into each property.
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook
- What are your favorite locations and why?
Old House Life
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook “The Rockefeller mansion out at Spring Lake. I was told about this one from a follower of the page. She was texting me directions on how to get to it. These were very rudimentary directions. Turn right at the fork in the road, turn left at the fallen tree, take second right. We spent two hours in the woods on military property. Once we finally found it we pulled up to five military ATVs. But they couldn’t have been nicer and even told us certain rooms we had to go check out. It was the Rockefeller’s Thanksgiving retreat. It is currently owned by the Army. When I am lucky my research skills come in handy and I can find old pictures from back in the homes’ glory days. The black and white is from the mansion’s good days. It was his Thanksgiving retreat. They had an indoor pool, tennis courts, basketball court, polo field, horse stables and a kennel that housed their fox hunting dogs.”
Old House Life
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook “The Crudup house in Kittrell, NC. This is one of my favorites and another one where I could find an original picture of it. Josiah Crudup was a very large plantation owner in the area at the time. His home was one of the first in the county to have not only indoor plumbing where water was drawn from the creek into the house, but it actually had an elevator at one point. A hand-drawn elevator that his slaves used to pull him up and down as his health started failing. There is so much rich history attached to it. Whenever I go photograph it feels like I can hear the Crudups crying about the state of their home. They are buried out back in a small grove of trees in perfect view of their once-revered home. I have tried to reach out to the current owner to inquire if she would be willing to sell it. She has not replied to me. It is disconcerting to me that a house on the National Register with an out-of-town owner is allowed to just sit and succumb to the elements.”
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook “This house in Wake County was most interesting. First time ever I had seen a note left by a homeless person seeking shelter.”
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook “On a whim, I texted the number on the sign to see if he was okay. I got a reply! At the time the man had left the sign a year before I found it. He said he was down on his luck and sleeping on friends’ couches. He saw the house and left the sign hoping he could live there and do work on it. I was the only person that contacted him. And he did say he was in a much better place and had a good job with his own apartment.”
- What do you think of the abandoned homes of North Carolina?
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook “I’m amazed at how many there are. Pick any back road and you will see some. I like them so much because not only do they have so much more character than the cookie-cutter houses we have today, but it reminds me of such a simpler time. Families spent their evenings on the front porch swings while the kids chased lightning bugs barefoot in the front yard. Now we are all so electronically connected and so hurried. My dream is to find a little cabin I could restore. It would be my weekend cabin. It would be a technology-free zone!”
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook “This house in Wake County was one of the largest farms back in the day. It was just two weeks from being included on the National Register of Historic Places and it went up into flames. Arson is suspected.”
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook “This picture is what is left.”
- Where do you plan to take the page?
Old House Life “I’m the type of person that just goes with the flow. When I first started the page about a year and a half ago I expected maybe 100-page likes. Now 100,000 later it’s very crazy, but it also gives me promise that I’m not the only one that wishes for a simpler time.”
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook “I have been very fortunate to meet some interesting people since I started the page. "
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook “I have two friends that work for Capital Area Preservation. They are a non profit and their work is amazing. I was very fortunate to be included in and document a recent house move they did to save a century old home in Apex. It was quite surreal to see a house move across an overpass of 540! "
- What places would you like to see make a comeback?
Old House Life “One place would be the castle in Rougemont (Castle Mont Rouge). That house has some urban legends attached to it as to why it was abandoned. He stopped working on it due to the death of his wife? It was a foreclosure? It was tied up in divorce? I believe I know the truth, but let’s leave it as a North Carolina legend. It would be an interesting home if it is not too far gone. I was there a year ago and it was in bad shape. Last I heard some of the foundation was shifting, so doesn’t sound too good.”
Old House Life “The bigger the exploration to get to some of these places is what makes them fun for me. That’s why there are times I take videos of the explorations so followers of the page can get a bit of a more personal feel of the exploration. The castle was one of those trips where just getting there was equally as exciting! And also The Rockefeller mansion for sure! The Rockefellers were such an iconic American family and it saddens me to see it in the condition it is in right now.”
Michelle frequently posts pictures of her explorations and you can even find a video interview with her here:
Old House Life
“The Rockefeller mansion out at Spring Lake. I was told about this one from a follower of the page. She was texting me directions on how to get to it. These were very rudimentary directions. Turn right at the fork in the road, turn left at the fallen tree, take second right. We spent two hours in the woods on military property. Once we finally found it we pulled up to five military ATVs. But they couldn’t have been nicer and even told us certain rooms we had to go check out. It was the Rockefeller’s Thanksgiving retreat. It is currently owned by the Army. When I am lucky my research skills come in handy and I can find old pictures from back in the homes’ glory days. The black and white is from the mansion’s good days. It was his Thanksgiving retreat. They had an indoor pool, tennis courts, basketball court, polo field, horse stables and a kennel that housed their fox hunting dogs.”
“The Crudup house in Kittrell, NC. This is one of my favorites and another one where I could find an original picture of it. Josiah Crudup was a very large plantation owner in the area at the time. His home was one of the first in the county to have not only indoor plumbing where water was drawn from the creek into the house, but it actually had an elevator at one point. A hand-drawn elevator that his slaves used to pull him up and down as his health started failing. There is so much rich history attached to it. Whenever I go photograph it feels like I can hear the Crudups crying about the state of their home. They are buried out back in a small grove of trees in perfect view of their once-revered home. I have tried to reach out to the current owner to inquire if she would be willing to sell it. She has not replied to me. It is disconcerting to me that a house on the National Register with an out-of-town owner is allowed to just sit and succumb to the elements.”
“This house in Wake County was most interesting. First time ever I had seen a note left by a homeless person seeking shelter.”
“On a whim, I texted the number on the sign to see if he was okay. I got a reply! At the time the man had left the sign a year before I found it. He said he was down on his luck and sleeping on friends’ couches. He saw the house and left the sign hoping he could live there and do work on it. I was the only person that contacted him. And he did say he was in a much better place and had a good job with his own apartment.”
“I’m amazed at how many there are. Pick any back road and you will see some. I like them so much because not only do they have so much more character than the cookie-cutter houses we have today, but it reminds me of such a simpler time. Families spent their evenings on the front porch swings while the kids chased lightning bugs barefoot in the front yard. Now we are all so electronically connected and so hurried. My dream is to find a little cabin I could restore. It would be my weekend cabin. It would be a technology-free zone!”
“This house in Wake County was one of the largest farms back in the day. It was just two weeks from being included on the National Register of Historic Places and it went up into flames. Arson is suspected.”
“This picture is what is left.”
“I’m the type of person that just goes with the flow. When I first started the page about a year and a half ago I expected maybe 100-page likes. Now 100,000 later it’s very crazy, but it also gives me promise that I’m not the only one that wishes for a simpler time.”
“I have been very fortunate to meet some interesting people since I started the page. "
“I have two friends that work for Capital Area Preservation. They are a non profit and their work is amazing. I was very fortunate to be included in and document a recent house move they did to save a century old home in Apex. It was quite surreal to see a house move across an overpass of 540! "
“One place would be the castle in Rougemont (Castle Mont Rouge). That house has some urban legends attached to it as to why it was abandoned. He stopped working on it due to the death of his wife? It was a foreclosure? It was tied up in divorce? I believe I know the truth, but let’s leave it as a North Carolina legend. It would be an interesting home if it is not too far gone. I was there a year ago and it was in bad shape. Last I heard some of the foundation was shifting, so doesn’t sound too good.”
“The bigger the exploration to get to some of these places is what makes them fun for me. That’s why there are times I take videos of the explorations so followers of the page can get a bit of a more personal feel of the exploration. The castle was one of those trips where just getting there was equally as exciting! And also The Rockefeller mansion for sure! The Rockefellers were such an iconic American family and it saddens me to see it in the condition it is in right now.”
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook
Old House Life
Old House Life - Michelle Bowers/Facebook
If you share Michelle’s passion for discovering and honoring these beautiful but neglected abandoned homes in North Carolina, check out more of her findings and learn the history each one of them holds within their crumbling wooden bones. Visit her page Old House Life, and if you discover any abandoned places near you, be sure to share them with her as well.
What do you think about her passion for capturing and collecting these abandoned places in NC? Do you have any questions for Michelle? Tell us in the comments!
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
Address: North Carolina, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
More abandoned places in NC February 01, 2023 Chris Muras Where are some abandoned homes in NC? There are a number of abandoned places in North Carolina from old homes, to mansions, log cabins, and even castles. As these nearly forgotten structures return to the earth it is important to collect their stories so we do not forget them. Here are a few abandoned homes in NC to check out:
Castle Mont Rouge: This interesting castle was the vision of artist Robert Mihaly, who at one point was an accomplished sculptor. The castle itself is a mishmash of styles, and while the exterior was nearly finished the interior was far from complete. Its graffitied walls now sit abandoned, collecting a different form of modern art than originally intended. Henry River Mill Village: It is very rare for an entire village to sit abandoned, but that is exactly the case with the village around the old Henry River Mill. The village has its roots as far back as 1905 when the Henry River Manufacturing Co. was established to manufacture yarn. The mill burned down in 1977 and the town never recovered. Cary, North Carolina Neighborhood: We can expect 100-year-old buildings and homes to be left behind, but a modern-day neighborhood simply becoming abandoned is quite unheard of. This neighborhood in Cary, NC did just that around the year 2000 when 13 properties were simply left for dead. They have now all been demolished but for years they sat abandoned as time took its toll.
Whether it’s an abandoned mansion in NC or an entire modern-day neighborhood that gets left behind, there is always a story to tell. A reason left behind along with the boarded-up windows and decaying doors. These abandoned places in North Carolina each have their own story as well. If you enjoy digging up the history of abandoned homes and buildings you’ll enjoy reading about these 20 abandoned places in NC.
The OIYS Visitor Center
More abandoned places in NC
February 01, 2023
Chris Muras
Where are some abandoned homes in NC? There are a number of abandoned places in North Carolina from old homes, to mansions, log cabins, and even castles. As these nearly forgotten structures return to the earth it is important to collect their stories so we do not forget them. Here are a few abandoned homes in NC to check out:
Castle Mont Rouge: This interesting castle was the vision of artist Robert Mihaly, who at one point was an accomplished sculptor. The castle itself is a mishmash of styles, and while the exterior was nearly finished the interior was far from complete. Its graffitied walls now sit abandoned, collecting a different form of modern art than originally intended. Henry River Mill Village: It is very rare for an entire village to sit abandoned, but that is exactly the case with the village around the old Henry River Mill. The village has its roots as far back as 1905 when the Henry River Manufacturing Co. was established to manufacture yarn. The mill burned down in 1977 and the town never recovered. Cary, North Carolina Neighborhood: We can expect 100-year-old buildings and homes to be left behind, but a modern-day neighborhood simply becoming abandoned is quite unheard of. This neighborhood in Cary, NC did just that around the year 2000 when 13 properties were simply left for dead. They have now all been demolished but for years they sat abandoned as time took its toll.
Whether it’s an abandoned mansion in NC or an entire modern-day neighborhood that gets left behind, there is always a story to tell. A reason left behind along with the boarded-up windows and decaying doors. These abandoned places in North Carolina each have their own story as well. If you enjoy digging up the history of abandoned homes and buildings you’ll enjoy reading about these 20 abandoned places in NC.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
There are a number of abandoned places in North Carolina from old homes, to mansions, log cabins, and even castles. As these nearly forgotten structures return to the earth it is important to collect their stories so we do not forget them. Here are a few abandoned homes in NC to check out:
- Castle Mont Rouge: This interesting castle was the vision of artist Robert Mihaly, who at one point was an accomplished sculptor. The castle itself is a mishmash of styles, and while the exterior was nearly finished the interior was far from complete. Its graffitied walls now sit abandoned, collecting a different form of modern art than originally intended.
- Henry River Mill Village: It is very rare for an entire village to sit abandoned, but that is exactly the case with the village around the old Henry River Mill. The village has its roots as far back as 1905 when the Henry River Manufacturing Co. was established to manufacture yarn. The mill burned down in 1977 and the town never recovered.
- Cary, North Carolina Neighborhood: We can expect 100-year-old buildings and homes to be left behind, but a modern-day neighborhood simply becoming abandoned is quite unheard of. This neighborhood in Cary, NC did just that around the year 2000 when 13 properties were simply left for dead. They have now all been demolished but for years they sat abandoned as time took its toll.
Whether it’s an abandoned mansion in NC or an entire modern-day neighborhood that gets left behind, there is always a story to tell. A reason left behind along with the boarded-up windows and decaying doors. These abandoned places in North Carolina each have their own story as well. If you enjoy digging up the history of abandoned homes and buildings you’ll enjoy reading about these 20 abandoned places in NC.
