Author: Sherman Cahal

December 21, 2011 / Explorations

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.

November 28, 2011 / Explorations

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.

November 21, 2011 / Explorations

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.

November 18, 2011 / Explorations

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.

October 31, 2011 / Other

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.

October 31, 2011 / Explorations

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.

October 28, 2011 / Other
September 26, 2011 / Explorations

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.

September 8, 2011 / Explorations
August 30, 2011 / Explorations

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.

August 28, 2011 / Explorations
August 23, 2011 / Explorations
August 21, 2011 / Explorations
August 4, 2011 / Explorations

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.

July 31, 2011 / Explorations
July 30, 2011 / Explorations
July 26, 2011 / Explorations
July 22, 2011 / Events
July 20, 2011 / Explorations
July 17, 2011 / Explorations

There is something to be said for hiking in before sunrise into the largest collection of abandonments in the United States: the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant.