Lens Artists Photo Challenge #344 – Abandoned

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Anne has challenged us to tell and show our thoughts on abandonment. I’ve seen many abandoned barns, homes and businesses when traveling along the back roads of the America. Each time I see one of these buildings I wonder what happened to the people that lived there or worked there. I wonder why no one wanted it anymore. Where did they go?

Honeymoon Cottage, Cedar Key, Florida

I have images of many abandoned buildings but I decided to focus on one of them that stands out in my mind. The Honeymoon Cottage in Cedar Key on the Gulf Coast of Florida was a stilt house that was built in 1959. It originally was connected to land by a narrow walkway over the water. I don’t have to wonder about why it was abandoned. Powerful hurricanes destroyed it.

We fell in love with Cedar Key when we first visited in 1997 and have returned several times since then. The abandoned wooden structure standing in the water always intrigued me. The header image shows the way the cottage looked when I first photographed it on a visit in 2003. I couldn’t help but think about how much fun it must have been to stay there and how sad it was that no one could use it anymore.

The rest of the images show how the the cottage continued to deteriorate over the years.

Honeymoon Cottage, February, 2009
Honeymoon Cottage, November, 2009
Sadly, in March, 2021 the only thing left of the Honeymoon Cottage was a place for the birds to perch.

We haven’t returned to Cedar Key since our last visit in 2021. Since then Hurricane Idalia caused significant damage to the area in August, 2023. Hurricanes Debby and Helene caused more damage in 2024. Some of the businesses are still closed and the community is working hard to rebuild.

Many thanks to Anne for this challenge Lens-Artists #344 – Abandoned

33 thoughts on “Lens Artists Photo Challenge #344 – Abandoned”

  3. Beth, what a great idea to show the demise of one building. I’ve never understood why people continue to build in Nature’s path. I saw the same thing in Southern California: Fire, rebuild; then mudslide, rebuild; then fire, etc. Great photography!

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  5. The ending to your post is as sad as the decimation of that building Beth. What a perfect choice for the challenge. We can hope that many enjoyed the structure over the years – even if just to photograph it!

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    1. Tina, I’m so glad you liked my choice for the challenge. Cedar Key is a quaint little village that I hope will come back strong. I’ve seen recent photos of the cottage and only a few pilings are left.

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  6. This is such a great post! It’s great that you were able to photograph it in stages of decline. Especially poignant is that it was the Honeymoon Cottage.

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    1. Thanks Nancy. I don’t know for sure that anyone honeymooned there. I know it was built for a couple who I think lived in Gainesville. I assume they used it until it was damaged by a hurricane in 1985.

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  14. This is so amazing and very touching. You really capture the feeling of abandonment in The Honeymoon Cottage during the years. It feels a little sad but also exciting at the same time. A perfect choice for this week’s theme!!

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