Their website says: “Our community was named when William Mann, John Bentz, and William Kneeland decided to flip a $20 gold piece for the honor of naming their settlement. Mr. Mann, being the lucky one, named it Sterling, after his hometown in Illinois.”

Four hundred and eighty souls. Let’s take a stroll.

The renovation of the building on the right makes it look as if half the thing is useless. Perhaps it is. Perhaps they filled in the second floor with insulation foam and sealed it off.

 

 

When signage resembles early AI illustration programs attempting to make words:

 

 

Homely, but oddly endearing.

 

 

It’s like a child’s version of a building facade. Or it was painted so many times the lines have become indistinct.

I can’t figure out that lunette on the right.

You know how you have some minor facial blemish, and your spouse says oh don’t worry no one’s going to notice, but you know it’s the first thing everyone will see?

 

 

Those ground floors make the second floor look too short for actual humans.

 

 

More facade ruination:

 

How many newspapers does the town have?

I’m sure most are empty - TV sets with dead tubes. Maybe a local shopper.

The poor thing. It’s like an old man died and they stuck his preserved body in a lawn chair on main street.

 

 

That’s odd.

IND? Ind.

Ind Weber, who has been in failing health for the past several years, passed away at his home in Sterling, September 18, 1935 at 4:20 a.m. He had been bedfast for the past five weeks suffering from the last stages of diabetes.

Mr. Weber was born on Dec. 24, 1859 in Nemaha County and came to Johnson County in 1862. The family settled west of Sterling where he spent the greater part of his life. He received his early education in the West Sterling school and engaged in farming for his life work.

This could be yours!

 

 

Wonder what the asking price is. Sign says it used to be the “Corner Bar and Grill.”

Another business opportunity:

 

It looks as if someone is renovating it - windows hollowed, dumpster out front.

Door’s open.

 

 

Let’s see what it used to look like . . .

 

 

 

What

 

 

Uh oh - the dreaded blurry picture. I only save those when the structure's gone.

 

 

Well, no, it’s here in this view.

 

And this one.

 

Ah. I was right.

 

 

 

Hope:

 

And abandonment.

 

 

That will do for today, except of course our weekly batch of matches. See you around, and thanks for your visit!