City/Town: • White Springs |
Location Class: • Commercial |
Built: • 1975 | Abandoned: • 2011 |
Status: • Abandoned |
Photojournalist: • David Bulit |
Located in White Springs off of I-75, BB Ann’s Country Kitchen, Pub and Arcade was constructed in 1975, although it didn’t open as BB Ann’s Country Kitchen until 2005. Operated by Mark and Barbara Pierce, guests were welcomed by a large sign which reads:
“Welcome to our family-owned and operated restaurant. On behalf of Mark and Barbara Pierce, we have a large counter/bar for truck drivers or single travelers. A place to relax, dine and watch tv. We are a small town without a lot of indoor activities for families, so we put in pool tables, video games, and dart boards to provide our families with some fun activities to do. So parents and traveling guess, have a seat, relax, and enjoy your meal and let the kids stretch their legs. Remember, we are a family restaurant. We are not a bar, we only sell beer and wine coolers.”
Next door was a Scottish Inns Motel which was in operation since 1998 as well as a gift shop and gas station located on the other side of BB Ann’s Country Kitchen, all operated under different owners. Strangely enough, they all closed down around the end of 2011, and the buildings which remain have been vacant ever since. The Scottish Inns Motel was burned down during the 2016 winter and the property was subsequently cleared. While I was there, a man driving a white Chevy Suburban pulled up next to me, pulled a pistol out, and held it outside of the truck while asking me who do I work for and warning me to stop taking photos of the property or “sh*t’s gonna get ugly”. I left that instant but it left me wondering what really happened there, and what’s currently happening there to have someone threatened for just taking photos.