Abandoned - The story of a forgotten America.

An Ode to the Coal Industry

A message addressing the coal industry is posted on the exterior of a house that has stood abandoned for several years in West Virginia.

A Profile of Abraham, West Virginia

Abraham, West Virginia, 25955, is a serene community waiting to be discovered, often by those who explore the winding back roads in search of hidden gems.

The Forgotten Community of Jumping Branch

Jumping Branch, West Virginia, is one of those communities that most would pass on by quickly as they either head toward Beckley or Hinton.

Backroads Discovery: Bluestone Museum & Taxidermy

As you journey along the New River in Hinton, West Virginia, you’ll encounter the once-thriving Bluestone Museum & Taxidermy.

A Farewell Visit to Appalachia

I set out to make the most of a weekend photographing some of my favorite locations in West Virginia, knowing it would be my last trip through the area for a while—a sort of farewell to Appalachia.

Trekking to the the Mikes Knob and Red Oak Lookout Towers in West Virginia

Fire lookout towers provided housing and protection for individuals whose duty was to search for wildfires. I recently paid a visit to two of these lookouts in West Virginia: the Mikes Knob Tower and the Red Oak Tower.

Lynnewood Hall: A Photographer’s Tribute to a Last Gilded Age Masterpiece

Lynnewood Hall is one of the most magnificent residences I have photographed. This 110-room Neoclassical Revival mansion, located in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, has stood vacant for several years but is now undergoing stabilization and renovations.

Exploring the remains of the Pine Grove Iron Works

Located within Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania, the remains of the Pine Grove Iron Works can be found along Mountain Creek.

Ascending to Pennsylvania’s Clarks Knob Fire Tower

It was a long ascent to Clarks Knob Fire Tower in Pennsylvania, but it was worth the drive to check out a unique fire tower that still exists in some form.

Build it and they will come: Noah’s Ark

If you have ever driven down Interstate 68 in western Maryland, you have likely seen the unfinished Noah’s Ark.

Forgotten Hospitality: the Hillcrest Hotel

While traveling back along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I passed through a typical array of roadside establishments: declining motels, run-of-the-mill gas stations and convenience stores, and greasy spoon diners.

What Could Have Been: the Campbell Inn

What could have been: the Campbell Inn in Roscoe, New York.

The Ruins of the Boonton Ironworks

It was a quiet walk along the Rockaway River in Boonton, New Jersey, but this narrow valley was once bustling with pig iron blast furnaces and rolling and slitting mills to produce nail rods and bar iron.

Split Rock Iron Furnace: New Jersey’s Last Charcoal-Fired Furnace

have long wanted to explore the northern reaches of New Jersey to capture some of its historical sites, particularly its iron furnaces.

Community and Faith: The Legacy of Sulphur Springs United Baptist Church

A sleepy community lies at the southern terminus of the long-defunct Eastern Kentucky Railway in eastern Kentucky. At its center was the Sulphur Springs United Baptist Church.

Exploring Auburn’s Abandoned River Crossings

Two unique but abandoned bridges cross the Schuylkill River near Auburn, Pennsylvania.

The Dismantling of a Way of Life: When Distribution Centers Replace Family Farms

When you drive through the rolling hills and valleys of Lebanon County today, it’s hard to imagine this pastoral setting was once a hub of industry and agricultural commerce. Centuries-old farmhouses and neatly tended fields give way to another modern behemoth–a mammoth distribution center seeming to rise up from the earth itself.