Nortonville, Kansas Postmortem
"Postmortem" is a bit unfair as this small Kansas town isn't quite dead yet, but its business section is definitely moribund. Virtually every building is empty and in disrepair. There was a barbershop that seemed to be still in business across the street from this row of buildings, and if memory serves, just down the block there is a recently built micro-bank. Otherwise . . . .
This was my second stop on my way to DC/Maryland--off Kansas Highway 4, only about 35 miles NE of my hometown of Topeka. I figured as I left home, that it was about even money whether I would make it out of state before nightfall or not (mind you, the border with Missouri is only 85 miles from home the way I was traveling, but my propensity for detours, and stopping for photos often means that traveling 100 miles in a day is often unlikely). "Even money" turned out to be exactly right, as I ended up spending the night in Elwood, KS, which is right on the boarder with Missouri--and ended up driving into St. Joseph, MO to eat. So, depending how you look at it, I came just short of leaving the state, or barely managed to do so.
Nortonville, Kansas Postmortem
"Postmortem" is a bit unfair as this small Kansas town isn't quite dead yet, but its business section is definitely moribund. Virtually every building is empty and in disrepair. There was a barbershop that seemed to be still in business across the street from this row of buildings, and if memory serves, just down the block there is a recently built micro-bank. Otherwise . . . .
This was my second stop on my way to DC/Maryland--off Kansas Highway 4, only about 35 miles NE of my hometown of Topeka. I figured as I left home, that it was about even money whether I would make it out of state before nightfall or not (mind you, the border with Missouri is only 85 miles from home the way I was traveling, but my propensity for detours, and stopping for photos often means that traveling 100 miles in a day is often unlikely). "Even money" turned out to be exactly right, as I ended up spending the night in Elwood, KS, which is right on the boarder with Missouri--and ended up driving into St. Joseph, MO to eat. So, depending how you look at it, I came just short of leaving the state, or barely managed to do so.