The beautiful ruins of the Old Sheldon Church. Opened in 1753 for its first service.

All across the country, these former houses of worship now sit empty. As I lean back beneath the crumbling ceilings, behind altars covered in dust, all I can wonder about is the life it must have seen. How many people must have spent so many days inside, walked the aisle or were even wed here?

The summer of 2013 held some interesting moments in exploring, and there are a few here or there that seem to stick out more than others. This is one of those. While exploring the wonderful and clean streets of Ashtabula, Ohio we wandered upon one of the most quaint little rural churches I have seen in…well…forever because I haven’t seen

As we stood static beneath the crumbling mural of the apse, a cold wind fluttered in through the openings surrounding us. Where once stained glass was held in place now remain bare frames circling the upper walls, pouring chilled air into the desolate chapel, and down towards the altar like waterfalls into a small oasis. The fluttering of birds fills