Wanderlust and Highway Dust

Wanderlust and Highway Dust Just a girl with a camera and a slightly creepy obsession with abandoned places 📸🪦🖤

09/10/2026

"I’ve always felt a fondness for things and places old and slightly tattered... Abandoned houses, churches and buildings possess such a sad, poetic beauty..."

Two things that make me h•a•p•p•y
09/09/2026

Two things that make me h•a•p•p•y

09/08/2026

Independence, Kansas is a historic city and the county seat of Montgomery County, located in the scenic prairie hills of Southeast Kansas.

Established in 1869, Independence holds a unique place in American lore, combining pioneer history, deep roots in the early 20th-century oil boom, and a surprising number of cultural claims to fame.

09/08/2026

📍📸 Caney Ks

09/08/2026

📍📸 Chetopa Ks

09/08/2026

📍📸 Baxter Springs Ks

Booth Hotel- Independence KsBuilt in 1911 by prominent local citizen Thomas Jefferson Booth, it opened its doors in earl...
09/08/2026

Booth Hotel- Independence Ks

Built in 1911 by prominent local citizen Thomas Jefferson Booth, it opened its doors in early 1912 as a luxury destination during the area's oil boom.

First steel-framed concrete building west of the Mississippi River, designed specifically to be completely fireproof.

Today, the property operates primarily as Booth Hotel Apartments.

The Bristol McBride Mansion, located in Independence, KS, is believed to be the oldest home still standing in Independen...
09/07/2026

The Bristol McBride Mansion, located in Independence, KS, is believed to be the oldest home still standing in Independence. Over its 150-year history, the all-brick structure has evolved from a modest family home into a grand Romanesque estate, survived a phase as a rowdy apartment complex, and ultimately became a famed local landmark with an eerie reputation.
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The Early Years (1874):
Construction began in 1870 and finished in 1874 for Norris Bennett Bristol. It was originally built as a plain, square, two-story brick home.

The Oil Boom Era (1902):
Oil millionaire Albert P. McBride purchased the estate and drastically transformed it into a striking Romanesque-style mansion. He added the iconic tower, large columns, and luxurious interior features that define its silhouette.

The Apartment Era (1949–1990s): Following McBride's death, the mansion was chopped up into eight separate apartments to house workers from the nearby Independence Army Airfield during World War II.
By the 1970s through the 1990s, it served as student housing for nearby Independence Community College and developed a reputation as a major local party house.

Abandonment & Slow Revival (1999–Present):
After being completely abandoned in the late 1990s, the property was purchased in 1999 for just $23,000. Slow stabilization and DIY restoration efforts have been ongoing ever since.

Cherokee Co- KansasDesigned by engineer James Barney Marsh, this concrete-and-steel arch bridge is a masterpiece of earl...
09/07/2026

Cherokee Co- Kansas
Designed by engineer James Barney Marsh, this concrete-and-steel arch bridge is a masterpiece of early 20th-century engineering. Two other similar bridges once sat along the Kansas stretch of Route 66, but they were dismantled in the 1990s, leaving this as the ultimate survivor.

09/06/2026

Montgomery Co- Kansas

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Baton Rouge, LA
70816

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