When a student archaeologist was dropped off in a Montgomery County cotton field in 1937 to investigate a problematic Indian mound, there’s no way he could have known the project would last 50 years.

The wrecked economy of Robbins isn’t going to be easy to revive. If the residents of Robbins want to bring the town back, they’ll have to do it themselves.

Photographs from the Asphalt Oval: Raleigh, North Carolina

Depot District: A Commercial Neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina