{"product_id":"abandoned-maryland-houses-ruins-of-the-american-dream-9781634994361","title":"Abandoned Maryland Houses: Ruins of the American Dream","description":"\u003cp\u003eHistoric mansions, farmhouses, and family homes rot across Maryland, the wealthiest state in the nation, from the Eastern Shore to the west in Appalachia. As the authors explored these homes, they researched the reasons the families lost their properties, so they could tell their stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey discovered families often leave due to financial distress and environmental disasters. In other cases, developers purchase property with decayed historic homes and then allow them to rot until they can get them condemned through a process called demolition by neglect. Complex laws, or lack of legislation, leave local municipalities in a bind as properties deteriorate and unpaid property taxes accumulate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the authors, these homes represent lost memories, lost hopes. Buying a home has always symbolized a means to accumulate wealth and rise to the middle class. Losing a home means losing access to the American dream. Walk with the authors as they have discovered, in weather-worn halls, 200-year-old architectural gems, faded photographs of ancestors, vintage trinkets, and antiques of yesteryear. Each item signifies a stop on a family's ancestral road map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e America Through Time\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/21\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781634994361\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 96","brand":"Rhea Hodgson, Robyn Hodgson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42439270629557,"sku":"9781634994361","price":21.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_b06e9a9c-7856-458f-901d-b8be3751af15.jpg?v=1665461459","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/abandoned-maryland-houses-ruins-of-the-american-dream-9781634994361","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}