There are plenty of places where someone can almost hear echoes. They speak volumes even though they’re just quiet, out of the way locations.

A short self-guided tour is enough to imagine what they must have been like in the past.

In their day they were centers of activity. They hosted many special occasions. People flocked to them in ways that made history.

One example can be found in any old two-story home. These might be located at the end of a long farm driveway, or perhaps on a huge lot in a town neighborhood.

They might look simple, maybe even somewhat ramshackle these days. That doesn’t take anything away from what’s apparent by looking at the front porch, the bay window, or the arched entryway next to the front parlor. The entry might even feature built-in glass-enclosed cabinets.

The same concept holds true for one-room schoolhouses and town halls. Stately, sturdy front steps lead to an entry and then the gathering area. Starting the wood stove was a very important job.

Additional symbolism is reflected in downtown hotels, ones that are often three or four stories tall. Usually a stately high-ceilinged main hallway led past a front desk and a coffee shop. Brick facades still show a sturdiness unchanged by many decades.

More than likely those accommodations were a stone’s throw away from the downtown train depot. Their ample waiting rooms were fronted by wide, flat wood or concrete platforms. Trains passed by a frequent basis, loaded with cargo and sometimes more than a few passengers. Rails shined in the sun. They thrummed with constant rhythm.

Within 2 miles in any direction there’s probably at least one everlasting place to rest. Its many markers tell a story; a myriad of names, dates and memorial tributes. They add up to a rich history of those who lived nearby.

There you have it – six different kinds of outposts. They fit right in to lots of out-of-the way places located anywhere “off the beaten path”.

A 19th century British Victorian poet wrote a poem that tells of familiar faces, and laments how all the “old familiar faces” are gone.

It’s different with the places. Many of them are very much alive. They resonate and reverberate. They have stories to tell.

They convey an unmistakable sense of place to anyone who finds them, anyone who wants to learn the real story shown in the remnants.