Deerton, Michigan is an unincorporated community in Alger County that was founded in 1882 when the Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette Railroad constructed a station for a lumbering camp. A post office opened in 1922, and in 1926, a small school was constructed at the junction of Deerton-Onota Road. Today, not much is left in the community – most of the residences are abandoned, although the school still operates.
Author: Sherman Cahal
While whiling away a dreary afternoon at the local library, I chanced upon a trove of information regarding the now-defunct American Car and Foundry Company’s manufacturing operations in Huntington, West Virginia.
The Packard Motor Company on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan was constructed in 1903 and closed in 1958. With just the exception of a brief reuse in several locations, the entire complex – 3.5 million square feet over 35 acres, produced 1.5 million vehicles. Designed by Albert Kahn, the industrial complex used reinforced concrete for its construction, a first for Detroit.
For a town that has been on the economic decline for over two decades, Jeannette, Pennsylvania held its own as it was located near the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Toll Road 66. The town suffered a loss of jobs that rank in the thousands due to numerous glass factory closures that trickled down and affected nearly every small business and resident. But one constant throughout all of this was Monsour Medical Center.
One of the more infamous UFO encounters in Kentucky is the Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter, otherwise known as the Hopkinsville Goblins Case. Occurring in the fall of 1955 near Hopkinsville and Kelly, Kentucky, the event centered around a rural farmhouse belonging to the Sutton family.
Caesar Creek School, located in Caesar Creek Township in rural Greene County, Ohio, was constructed as a high school in 1908. It began serving elementary students in 1927, and a small addition was constructed in 1957 that included two classrooms, two indoor restrooms and a gymnasium. Caesar Creek closed in 1967.
Okay folks, it is almost time for Halloween! What are some of your favorite haunted houses or abandonments?
It was a slightly chilly morning in downtown Cumberland, Maryland when I awoke to my alarm and the passing locomotives chugging along the former Western Maryland rail line through the heart of the city. I enjoyed listening to the trains throughout the night as it had a calming effect upon me, something that I recalled during my tenure at my parents house which was next to the massive Russell, Kentucky railyards. Feeling refreshed, I packed my gear and headed to my car and pointed my compass westward to Frostburg and then south to Lonaconing.
Instead of seeking out nature’s splendors amidst the highlands of West Virginia or the horse farms of Kentucky, I embarked on a journey to document the derelict abandonments scattered across our region. There is an undeniable beauty to be found in these forgotten structures, a visual poetry in the peeling paint and rusting machinery that echoes the grandeur of stately trees and grazing livestock.
While the prevailing notion when examining abandonment fixates on decaying urban landscapes, there is an understated allure to venturing off the beaten path and immersing oneself in the pastoral void of the Midwestern countryside.
One night, accompanied by another photographer, I embarked on a journey to capture the early morning scenery at the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant, which holds the distinction of being the largest abandonment in the United States. The trek into the facility proved challenging, with tall grasses and vegetation reclaiming what once were meticulously maintained grounds bustling with activity.
The Moser Leather Company was one of New Albany, Indiana’s five leather companies during the early-20th century.
Couldn’t make the June 2011 meet for the Klotz Throwing Company? Looking to explore and photograph the last standing original silk mill intact in the US?