Diary of Abandonment
@thequeenofrust • 56,958 subscribers
A visual journal of forgotten America.
Shorts
Videos
Bookmark and share this amazing open-air museum tucked away in Vale, North Carolina: Hart Square Village. It’s a great spot to pack a picnic, wander through history, and learn more about the people, trades, and everyday life that shaped Appalachian heritage. ✨They’re open Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm ✨
Diary of Abandonment107,229 次观看 • 1 个月前
I went to my father-in-law’s house tonight and watched VHS tapes from our high school prom. I’m the blonde, on the right. A group of us from church went together as friends, and one of them would later become my hubbs. 1994 feels like a lifetime ago with how much the world has changed since then.
Diary of Abandonment587,083 次观看 • 9 个月前
🐝 On top of the wasp nests hanging from light sockets and in the corners of the ceilings, I didn’t realize until later that there was a massive feral honeybee hive inside the walls of the upstairs bedroom. That explained all the buzzing. I was hoping for a few fun treasures in the attic, but it was clean as a whistle. The same day this video was shot, I also filmed an interview with WBTV News on the front porch of this house. The abandonment made the perfect backdrop.
Diary of Abandonment282,803 次观看 • 9 个月前
Got a handful of negative comments on this one, so I edited it to please the Karens. 😆 They wanted to make sure I knew stacked stones are illegal (we didn’t stack them) and that I should be wearing sunscreen, completely missing the point of the video. Which version do you like better?
Diary of Abandonment87,838 次观看 • 4 个月前
Did you know the nation’s largest collection of historic log structures is right here in North Carolina? Hart Square Village in Vale, NC, has 103 historic buildings rescued from Catawba County and the surrounding area. It’s honestly one of the coolest nonprofits I’ve stumbled across, so I love promoting what they’re doing to preserve them. They rely heavily on volunteers, donations, and memberships to keep things afloat. Hart Square needs a few extra hands to finish chinking and daubing their 1850 dogtrot cabin before their Fall Festival on October 24th. They only need help on three workdays (Oct. 1, 2, & 3, between 10am–3pm), with a maximum of four volunteers each day. If you’re interested, contact them through their website first. Don’t just show up! It’s a drive through the country, and they may already have enough volunteers by the time you get there. 🛻⛽️ I’m not able to volunteer right now while my shoulder is recovering from surgery, but I sure don’t mind recruiting some help. When I volunteered there and learned how to chink and daub, I found it really interesting to learn how much work went into building and maintaining these old cabins. Getting my hands muddy and actually doing it myself gave me a whole new appreciation for the people who once relied on these methods to keep their families sheltered. So, since I can’t get my hands muddy this time around, I hope you enjoy the mini history lesson instead.
Diary of Abandonment20,615 次观看 • 1 个月前
Exciting things are happening! I launched my headstone cleaning business, Grave Conditions, and it’s really starting to take off! 🐦⬛ So I made my first big investment in the business and purchased the PetraTools HD5000 Pro sprayer to make our cleaning easier and more efficient. We put it to work on a big job recently, and I’m already wondering how I ever cleaned without it. Having a continuous spray without constantly stopping to pump made such a difference, especially when rinsing large headstones. Definitely money well spent. 10/10 recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Diary of Abandonment30,542 次观看 • 2 个月前
Growing up, three things shaped me early on: patriotism, history, and a deep appreciation for those who came before us. Elementary school in Texas fostered my love of American history and patriotism. Later, attending school in Pennsylvania meant early mornings playing The Oregon Trail with my friends, planting a seed of fascination with the settling of the American West. And being raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave me a deep appreciation for family history, genealogy, and the sacrifices of the pioneers. So when I finally stood at the wagon ruts in Guernsey, Wyoming, it felt like all of those threads came together. Running my hand over grooves carved by thousands of wagon wheels and standing where so many pioneers once walked was far more moving than I ever expected. It truly felt like walking on hallowed ground.
Diary of Abandonment39,811 次观看 • 2 个月前
It’s one thing to know it’s coming. It’s another thing to finally hold it in your hands. ❤️ The Fall 2026 edition of Front Porch Life Magazine arrived, and they gave me 18 whole pages to tell the story behind Diary of Abandonment…the places I’ve photographed, the history I’ve chased, and the work that has grown from more than a decade of documenting the things we leave behind. It’s pretty awesome flipping through these pages and seeing years of my work in print. Here’s a little unboxing and my first look at the finished magazine. I’m incredibly grateful to Front Porch Life for giving my story this much space and treating my work so beautifully. ❤️
Diary of Abandonment13,917 次观看 • 25 天前
One thing about being an artist is that sometimes you say yes to a project and figure out how to do it afterward. I was hired to paint this mantel in faux marble, something I’d never attempted before. So I watched a YouTube video or two and practiced on a piece of tile. I used Rembrandt oil pants and a gold leafing marker. The process felt a bit like slow dancing and surprisingly therapeutic. Even better that the client loved it.
Diary of Abandonment16,320 次观看 • 1 个月前
I tucked a little Charlie Brown Christmas tree into the corner of my kitchen. I used an old metal mop bucket—already filled with soil and a plant—as the base, then added a few simple touches: lights, berries, and snowflakes from Hobby Lobby (maybe $15 or so total). The finishing detail was a bird’s nest I once found in an abandoned house. What do you think?
Diary of Abandonment99,237 次观看 • 10 个月前
In the middle of a South Dakota cornfield stands a church built in 1883 to serve the area’s growing Czech and Bohemian community. I don’t know how long it’s stood empty, but l was grateful to find it untouched. No graffiti. No broken windows. Just some happy little birds singing praises in an empty chapel. South Dakota📍
Diary of Abandonment34,581 次观看 • 3 个月前
