I recently received an email from someone who read one of my posts and wanted a location of an old one room school. It would have helped if they were specific as I have posted a lot of old schools. From their vague description I was able to figure out which one they were referring to.
After I saw which one it was I did not give out the location. I usually have no problem telling people where some things are if they want to visit them to take their own pictures. If a place is fairly well known I will tell people where it is. If friends give me locations with the understanding that I will not divulge the location then I will keep it secret. Vandalism and trespassing is a problem in rural areas and some places are on private land. Some explorers are fanatical about keeping locations a secret. Not me. Personally I like it when people go out to see things for themselves simply because some of these places may disappear entirely in a short amount of time. If I do not give out a location there is a valid reason. If anyone asks, do not get offended if I cannot give out a particular location.
People need to get out of the house and make a road trip for themselves every now and again. There are still some hidden gems out there and, after all, history is for everyone. That said, there are some locations that are simply too fragile to handle any amount of traffic...and it's good to have a secret or two.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on being careful.
ReplyDeleteI knew a guy who often complained about tourists stealing from his family's old place in Washington state.
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