Oakville, like many places I photograph, has been forgotten by nearly everyone. It was likely named for a plantation of farm, since there was never a post office or railroad station named Oakville in Terrell or Randolph County. The only thing I could find, besides plenty of kudzu, was this abandoned farmhouse.
I’ve talked about the destructive powers of kudzu before and this photograph, dating to 2012 illustrates it well. Kudzu invasions are a very popular subject with Southern photographers, almost obligatory for those who document the backroads. The “Vine that Ate the South” may have taken this old barn down by now.
Even being strangled by Kudzu, this saddlebag is easily identified by its profile. Kudzu makes for interesting photographs in its never-ending battle with structures, but it’s a problematic invasive plant and has cost farmers and landowners millions of dollars since its introduction to the South in the late 19th century.
Surrounded by kudzu, this old farmhouse looked quite vulnerable when I photographed it in 2010. As of 2016, I don’t know if it’s still standing. It was located near Mount Enon Church.
Bill Blackburn writes: This is the Sam Collier house on Stagecoach Road in the Gum Pond Community south of Mt Enon Church. I remember their children were Samuel Jr., Rita and Rosalyn. I rode the bus with them in the mid-1960’s to Baconton School. In 2015 I stopped and spoke to a relative of theirs who was deer hunting on the property so I assume it remains in the Collier family.