Another Look at Tower 26, Houston (TX 11)

My wife and I revisited Houston in March (2023). The weather was too wet to visit NASA, so I suggested we revisit the Fifth Ward. She is very patient with my photographing grungy neighborhoods and industrial sites. The light was soft and gloomy, my favorite for urban decay exploration. 

Tower 26 Railroad Junction

Lyons Avenue view north

Tower 26 diamonds

Tower 26 junction view west from Mary Street

Waiting for the light to change, Mary Street

View east from Mary Street

Tower 26 was once a 2-story railroad control tower. There is no building any more, but three railroad lines still cross here. Google Maps shows the location. Early in the 20th century, this was a complicated network of intersecting rail lines, all manually controlled. 

Tower 26 in the early-1950s (from Texas Railroad History)

Note the handsome wood construction. "The tower architecture gives unmistakable evidence that it was built by Southern Pacific (SP), resembling many other SP towers,"

Brooks Street cottage (Gold 200 film, Kodak Retina IIa camera)

A group of cottages on Brooks Street formerly had their backs to the railroad tracks. I photographed them in late 2022. As of March, they had been totally removed and the land was freshly graded.  

I took the railroad photographs on Kodak Portra 160 film with a Pentax Spotmatic camera and the Super-Takumar 35mm ƒ/3.5 lens. Takumar lenses were top grade in the 1970s and are still totally usable on film and on digital. The Spotmatic camera's light meter works in stop-down mode, meaning the viewfinder darkens as you stop down. For best results, be careful to avoid large areas of bright sky in the measuring area. I still have the correct mercury (mercuric oxide) V400PX batteries for the meter. The camera and lenses are reliable and compact, well-suited for urban decay. 

Tragedy in Rolling Fork, Mississippi

March 24, 2023, tornado path (from AccuWeather via Yahoo)

On Friday, March 24, 2023 around 8:00 pm, a tornado rated at EF-4 tore through west central Mississippi. It touched down just southwest of the small town of Rolling Fork before moving northeast toward Midnight and Silver City and then continuing toward Tchula, Black Hawk and Winona. 

Tornado path within Rolling Fork (from 25ABC)

In Rolling Fork, the terrific winds flattened many blocks of the little town, flipped cars, knocked down the water tower, and shredding trees. The storm killed 26 people that night in Mississippi, with 16 in Rolling Fork. It is a town of fewer than 2,000 residents. Muddy Waters claimed it as his hometown.   

The town was a real mess. We could not drive on the side streets away from US 61, but that was enough to show the damage.

The truck's horn abruptly started beeping when we were next to it. Some power company employees climbed up to it and thumped the body. The horn stopped.

Power company crews repairing electric lines

Scott Petroleum at 19840 US-61 (Samsung phone photo)

Highway 61 had already been bulldozed clear by March 28. 

Have a seat, Hwy 61

The State Police were routing through traffic on Hwy 1 around Rolling Fork. But US 61 was open for repair trucks, supplies, and ambulances.

Snapped tree, Race Street

Note how the tree has been shattered but the nearby house was intact. Astonishing.

Deer Creek

Deer Creek starts in Bolivar Lake and winds its way south through the Mississippi Delta. I have taken pictures in Onward, Leland, and other small towns through which Deer Creek flows.

The water truck (Samsung phone photo)

Water donations at Sharkey-Issaquena Academy

The tornado tore through the Delta while my wife and I were in Houston. We drove home via Shreveport, Louisiana. We bought water in Shreveport to donate because we thought most bottled water supplies anywhere near the disaster zone would be gone. But as of Tuesday afternoon, March 28, there was plenty of water on pallets. Still, the volunteers were glad to have our packages. 

The tornado knocked down Rolling Fork's water tower. I do not know the status of a repair. 

For more photographs of tornado damage, Reuters posted an excellent collection taken from drones and by news reporters on the scene.

I hope the residents can rebuild and put their lives back together. 

The little town of Silver City was also devastated. I have not been there for post-storm pictures. But I have photographed there in 2020 and 2022 (click the links). 

I took these photographs on Kodak Portra 160 film with a Pentax Spotmatic camera and the 35mm ƒ/3.5 Super-Takumar lens. Dwayne's Photo developed the film and I scanned it with my Plustek 7600i film scanner. 

More Wide View in West Jackson/Hwy 80 (Xpan 10)

Dear Readers, I have inflicted photographs from west Jackson on you before. Highway US80 was once a major commercial artery with factories, restaurants, hotels, and motels. Today it is rough. Traffic buzzes past empty warehouses and factories. Motels look like dives.

Not much discounting any more (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens)

The former Gipson Discount Foods is an example of the type of abandoned warehouses that you see along 80. It has some elements of post-war moderne decoration, possibly not too bad when new. And the yellow paint was cheerful.

Former employee entry to Coca-Cola bottling plant (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens)

The "Plant" is, I think, the former Coca-Cola bottling factory, originally built in 1949. The complex appears to be unused, but I recently saw a new fence. Possibly it is an attempt to exclude homeless people. According to a 2010 article in West Jackson:

The plant was a mainstay on Highway 80 for 58 years. Then, in 2007, the company vacated the aging facility and moved into a newer building in the Northwest Jackson Industrial Park near Interstate 220. The bright spot in this story: at least they didn’t leave the city. However they did leave 143,000 square feet of building space to rest vacant and lonely on the west side.

Kodak Super-XX film, 180mm Caltar II-N lens, yellow filter

The 1949 architecture was considered modern in the post-war era. A Tulsa real estate brokerage company auctioned the site in 2016, but I did not see on their web page who (if anyone) bought it.  

Jackson Southwest Hotel, 2649 Hwy 80 West, Jackson

The Jackson Southwest Hotel, possibly a Holiday Inn at one time, sits empty and vandalized on a hilltop just west of Ellis Avenue. According to WLBT News in October of 2020, a grant will help revitalize it into a residence for seniors. I previously wrote about the hotel in 2020.

Hotel O, Ellis Avenue, Jackson

The Hotel O is on Ellis Avenue just north of the westbound ramp to Interstate 20. Despite its modern appearance, vagrants have lived in it for several years and have set fires. You can see fire damage on the right side of the building in the photograph above. It is likely that the building will be razed soon, just like the former Best Western Metro Inn, which was once right across the street. The Metro Inn was crunched up in April of 2021, and nothing is left. 

Is this really what happens in American cities? Build, maximize the tax benefits, let the property decline as it moves down the food chain, abandon it, and then demolish it at taxpayer expense? What a ghastly waste of resources, earth materials, and energy.

The panoramic photographs are from Kodak Portra 160 film via the amazing Hasselblad XPan camera and its 30mm and 45mm lenses. Click any frame to see details at 2400 pixels wide.

More Wide View in Central Jackson (XPan 09)

We continue our Hasselblad XPan tour of Jackson, Mississippi.

Jackson was, and still is, a major railroad junction town. I like railroad photography and am always impressed by how massive the railroads build their bridges and infrastructure are. In the previous article, you saw the rail overpass on South Gallatin Street. If we drive north, we reach  Pascagoula Street. Turn right (east) and the road drops under the tracks.

Near the Pascagoula Street rail overpass, Jackson (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens)

The Amtrak station is just north of where I took this picture, just beyond the King Edward Hotel (now comdominiums). I later found out that I am not supposed to have clambered up to the embankment ("No trespassing").

Waste land south of Pascagoula Street (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens)

The tall building in the photograph is the 1929 Art Deco Standard Life Building. According to the National Park Service,

Originally built as a tenant office building with a retail annex, the building and annex have undergone a successful $27 million rehabilitation providing retail space on the first floor of the tower and 64 desirable market-rate housing units. The limestone, brick and terra-cotta exterior has been meticulously cleaned, the transoms of the storefronts, display windows and entrances uncovered and restored. The elaborate Art Deco marble, terrazzo floor, limestone wall panels, geometrically shaped storefront windows and decorative ceilings have been retained while finding a popular new use for this Jackson architectural treasure.

I have never been in it and need to make a trip there. 

The low building beyond the white car is an abandoned lock store. I photographed there in 2015. 

North Mill Street view north from Woodrow Wilson overpass (45mm lens at ƒ/8)

The Woodrow Wilson Avenue overpass provides a good view of the Canadian Pacific rail yards and tracks below. The public is not allowed in the rail yard, but from the overpass, you can see locomotives moving rail cars back and forth. I usually park near Mill Street and walk on the sidewalk. Cars rush by but no one cares. Many of the warehouses on the east side appear to be unused. 

Mill Street is pretty rough, with closed gas stations, warehouses, and what may have been manufacturing operations. Many of the warehouses once had tracks leading onto the properties. I wrote about Mill Street in 2016 (click the link).

Abandoned oil mill from under Fortification Street overpass (45mm lens)

Fortification Street overpass view west

The next road crossing to the south over the rail yard is Fortification Street. Just to the south is a complex of sheds and tubes, an unused oil mill. With the XPan camera, I liked the view under the overpass, sort of a no-man's land of trash and construction debris. 

These photographs are from a Hasselblad XPan camera with its spectacular 45mm ƒ/4 and 30mm ƒ/5.6 lenses. The film was Kodak Portra 160, which I scanned on a Plustek 7600i film scanner. Click any picture to see it at 2400 pixels wide.

Next time, some scenes in west Jackson. Can't you wait?

The Wide View in South-Central Jackson (Hasselblad XPan 08)

Jackson, Mississippi, is fun for my type of photography because so much of the city is rough (I am trying to be polite). Let's continue our explorations using the Hasselblad XPan panoramic camera. Here are some examples of south Jackson around South State Street and Gallatin Street. This frames are from Kodak Portra 160 film, expired since 2013 but frozen for all of its life. Click any picture to expand it to 2400 pixels.

South State Street view north (45mm F/4 lens at ƒ/11)

Anyone here? 330 S. Rankin Street, Jackson

South State Street was once prosperous and lined with car dealers and various other businesses. Not today. Heading west, South Rankin Street may be even more desolate. I took black and white photographs here in 2020.  

South Gallatin Street view north (45mm lens)

Warehouses, South Gallatin Street

Addison Auto Body, 828 S. Gallatin Street (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens)

Turn north on South Gallatin Street, and there is a bit more commercial activity. The road dips under the early-20th century railroad girder overpass, which is in regular use. I have photographed along here in the past. 

South State Street (BW400CN film, Voigtländer Vito BL camera, 50mm ƒ/3.5 Color-Skopar lens)

As a comparison, here is the view of South State Street taken on black and white film with my 1959 Voigtländer Vito BL camera and its 4-element 50mm ƒ/3.5 Color-Skopar lens. The XPan's lenses are modern, sophisticated, and amazingly capable on the 68mm wide frame, but this simple 4-element Skopar (a Tessar-type of design) holds its own for the normal 35mm frame. 

Railroad overpass, S. Gallatin at W. Porter Street (TMax 100 film, Rolleiflex 3.5E 75mm Xenotar lens, 1/250 ƒ8, yellow filter)

Here is the north side of the railroad bridge where West Porter Street intersects South Gallatin. This is from my 1959 Rolleiflex camera. Hmmm, how come this "antique" equipment works?

Standby for more Jackson photographs next week.

More Wide View in South Vicksburg (XPan 07)

In the previous two articles, we wandered around downtown Vicksburg with the panoramic Hasselblad XPan camera. This time, let's revisit the delights of the city south of Interstate 20. I have explored Hwy 61 South before, which is lined with industries and some sites worthy of an urban decay chronicler.  

The Tomato Place (30mm lens)

The Tomato Place (30mm lens)

The Tomato Place, at 3229 Hwy 61 South, is a popular lunch stop and vegetable stand. You can also buy local honey, fresh bread, cookies, and other goodies. Nice place! Mallory generously lets me photograph inside. 

Guard shack, Miller Street

The tracks that cross Rifle Range Road are not in the best condition. I thought they were unused until one day, a locomotive trundled up to me and I had to move my tripod. The locomotive was pushing a tank car to the Halcros Chemicals company. I followed this rail line south out of Vicksburg in a 2021 article. It once ran all the way to Port Gibson, but most of the track has been removed.

Here is the little peach-colored store/gas station on Warrenton Road. I do not recall it being open for business.

Fixer-upper truck (45mm ƒ/4 lens)

The junk yard at Rubber Way never fails to please. But it appears to be slightly cleaner than before. Possibly the owner is clearing out the wrecks? Where will I photograph junk cars when it is gone? Quelle horreur!

Thank you all for following along. These are photographs from a Hasselblad XPan camera with its superb 45mm ƒ/4 and 30mm ƒ/5.6 lenses using Kodak Portra 160 film. Northeast Photographic in Bath, Maine, developed the film and I scanned it on my Plustek 7600i film scanner. I merged the negatives with Photoshop CS6.

The Wide View in Vicksburg in Color (XPan 06)

Kodak Portra 160 film

I had three rolls of Kodak Portra 160 film in the freezer. It was expired but had been cold stored since 2013. I thought it would be useful to try a color film in the Hasselblad XPan because of the ability to place a colorful central object as the focal point of a panoramic frame. Below are examples from semi-random trips in and around Vicksburg. Please click any frame to see details at 2400 pixels wide. All comments welcome.

Good stuff, Mt. Alban Road (30mm ƒ/5.6 lens)

Oh, no, it's the car junk yard on Mount Alban Road that I periodically impose on you. I liked the red truck this time. And the extra wide coverage shows the unending supply of tires and junk. 

Former Mercy Hospital, McCauley Drive (30mm lens)

Mercy Hospital (30mm vertical)

The Vicksburg Sisters of Mercy opened Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in 1957. At that time, it was a state-of-the art medical facility for the post-war era. In the 1950s, this was the "white" hospital. African-Americans used Kuhn Memorial (Charity) Hospital a short distance away. 

Later known as Parkview Hospital, Mercy closed permanently in February of 2002. A 2012 article in Preservation in Mississippi includs dozens of comments from former patients and employees. The building suffers from black mold, asbestos, leaks, vandalism, and myriad other issues. It will never be used again.

Mississippi still suffers from great disparities in health care and ranks last in almost every health outcome among US states.* White politicians in Jackson refusing to extend Medicaid and underfunding public health have perpetuated this disparity.

New Year clean-up, Candee Street. Where is Italy? (45mm lens)

More New Year clean-up (45mm lens).

Just after New Years is a good time to clean out furniture, toys, and posters showing maps of Italy. Good stuff.

View west from Drummond Street near Bowmar Avenue (45mm lens)

Bridge over Stouts Bayou at Letitia Street (45mm)

Asam Hotel, Washington Street (45mm lens at ƒ/11, tripod-mounted)

This and other motels once provided a view over the Mississippi River. Most became low-end temporary housing over the years. A new operator has bought or leased this unit and recently painted it. It was formerly the Dixiana Inn.

 

Sycamore Avenue, view south (45mm lens at ƒ/11)

Free furniture, Sycamore Avenue (30mm lens at ƒ/11)

Sycamore Avenue is one of Vicksburg's semi-hidden streets, seldom used and with only one house left on the hillside. When house lots were originally platted, innovative builders stuck houses on stilts just about anywhere where they could fit them. Over the decades many have burned, collapsed, or been torn down. I wonder when the City will abandon Sycamore Avenue? I cannot tell if it serves any purpose now.

Thank you for reading. We will see south Vicksburg next time.

* From the Mississippi State Department of Health: 

  Mississippi ranks last, or close to last, in almost every leading health outcome. In Mississippi and nationwide, these health disparities are significantly worse for those who have systematically faced obstacles to health due to their socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, geographic location, and other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion.

The result is a disproportionate burden of disease and illness that is borne by racial and ethnic minority populations and the rural and urban poor. Health disparities not only affect the groups facing health inequities, but limit overall improvements in quality of care, the health status for the broader population, and results in unnecessary costs.