According to scientific research, there is evidence that certain tendencies can be passed down through genetics. Since my parents were infatuated with turn-of-the-century homes, living in or restoring at least two of them in my lifetime, I am blaming them for my own obsession with abandoned older homes.

This week, Knox the Fox went with us to Topsail Beach, North Carolina, winding the off-highway route, through miles of rolling wheat fields, traditional family farms and quaint small towns. However, upon leaving the small towns into the countryside, we passed numerous abandoned homes, once filled with life and activity, now sitting silent and forgotten, their stories lost to time.

Knox made it with us to beautiful Topsail beach, North Carolina, and has this view from the porch.

Despite their neglected state, those houses hold a charm and mystery that captures my attention, sparking my imagination and inspiring stories of the families who once lived in those homes.

Stopping in the middle of the road, I stared and wondered at one such home that is sitting on a lonely back route through the country. It mirrored many that we had passed but since we were alone on the highway, we just stopped and pondered its story. I feel like we uncovered a piece of history and realized this abandoned home was once a place filled with life.

I imagine this once stately home has stood vacant for a while and is seemingly uninhabitable now. The paint is peeling from the walls, and the windows are broken yet many are still curtained from when it had once been filled with laughter and memories. Broken rockers lean on the porch as if reminding passersby, they had spent many evenings holding a family as they watched the sunset and enjoyed the cool breeze coming in from the field across the road.

For some reason, the family left, and the house is left to decay. It will become a place where kids will dare each other to go inside, and teenagers will sneak in to have parties. In my mind, though, the walls will remember a happier time when they were freshly painted, pictures were hung and families called this house their home.

All of us have a story and I want to tell yours! Send them to susan@knoxtntoday.com