Honoring the Past, Building a Future
Some days, it feels like we’re living inside a Southern novel. Not the kind with porch swings and sweet tea, but the darker kind, where power and corruption hides in plain sight, and self-preservation outweighs public service. The longer I write about Rocky Mount, the clearer it becomes. We are not just observers in this … Continue reading When Real Life Reads Like a Southern Novel
This morning, I looked at this gorgeous photograph of a green craftsman bungalow, its symmetry softened by shrubs, its porch pots blooming., I purred like a kitten. The reaction was instant and familiar. I have a grand passion for bungalows, one that never fades no matter how often I've written about them or pass one … Continue reading From Rocky Mount NC: A Love Letter to the American Bungalow
I love Rocky Mount Mills. (Everything but the stickers on the water tank that are tacky.) I admire all the wonderful people involved, from the owners to a lovely young waitress that brings your food. Check out this post I wrote on The Battle Family. https://mainstreetrockymount.com/2015/08/26/a-family-leaves-a-legacy-the-battle-family/ The preservation, restoration, repurposing, landscaping, atmosphere, businesses, the whole … Continue reading William West, Telegram Staff Writer, Brings Good News
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about ghost signs, and I doubt it will be the last. Something about them keeps calling me back. Maybe it’s the way they invite us to look closer at what we pass every day. Or maybe it's the quiet dignity with which they endure, fading but not forgotten. … Continue reading Faded But Not Forgotten: Rocky Mount’s Ghost Signs
Repurposing historical commercial architecture along Main Street Rocky Mount is one of the most fascinating aspects of preservation. Preservation isn’t just about saving what was, it’s about imagining what could be. When we repurpose an old building, we’re not erasing its past, we’re extending its story. A repurposed structure becomes both a tribute to craftsmanship … Continue reading The Power of Repurposing: Endless Possibilities
Main Street Rocky Mount 