In the isolated hills of West Virginia stands the forgotten and dilapidated Dusk Camp Methodist Church.
Category: Explorations
The bleakness of the winter landscape in south-central West Virginia was a constant reminder of the season’s harshness. It was a perfect time to visit some abandoned bridges and churches.
The warm spring weather of April 2022 was perfect for a hike along the former South Side Branch of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway.
Many of the abandoned “beehive” coke ovens of the Davis Coal & Coke Company are still visible today in the company town of Coketon, West Virginia.
The O.H. Hutchings Electric Generating Station, located in Ohio, was once a prominent example of the United States’ reliance on coal power plants.
At 2,500 feet in elevation along the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, this former tuberculosis sanatorium turned state hospital turned prison has a long history.
Sherman Cahal and Adam Paris, authors of the newly released book Abandoned Kentucky, recently visited the former Old Taylor Distillery complex near Frankfort, Kentucky, to compile a series of before-and-after photos. Colonel Edmund H. Taylor acquired property along Glenn’s Creek and Versailles Pike and established Old Taylor Distillery in 1887. It was intended to be different from the distilleries of that era which had little confidence from consumers due to product quality. From its iteration, Old Taylor was designed to be a showcase for bourbon. Drawing heavily from his travels through Scotland, England, Ireland, and elsewhere, Taylor designed his distillery…
A late autumn trip to West Virginia’s Greenbrier Valley isn’t complete without a visit to a few abandoned or forgotten landmarks.
The Yeager Estate is one of those gems that you wish to see restored. Built by Yeager Benjamin in 1936, his mansion featured unique Spanish Revival styling paired with blonde brick with Art Deco patterns and a Mediterranean tile roof. Inside were 32 rooms spread between two floors featuring ornate plaster, fountains, and a basement swimming pool. The mansion was acquired by the Ahavath Israel Congregation in 1969 and then resold for use as the Respite Villa, a semi-independent home for mentally deficient adults. It was abandoned by 1978. Portions may have been used as an apartment later on, but…
Autumn swiftly descended upon the South Fork South Branch Potomac River valley in West Virginia’s Potomac Highlands. The season transformed the landscape into a stunning scene, with sprawling family farms, charming country churches, and idyllic homes set against a vibrant backdrop.
There was no better way than spending autumn driving the backroads and camping in the Potomac Highlands region of West Virginia, photographing forlorn houses, historic sites, covered bridges, and vast landscapes against a backdrop of golden hues.
The abandoned lime kilns at Eagle Rock, Virginia are all that remain of an operation that was operated by a series of entities between 1878 and 1954.
Earlier this year, I revisited the Lonaconing Silk Mill, a significant historical site as one of the last intact silk mills in the United States. This mill, operated by the Klotz Throwing Company and General Textile Mills Company, was in active use from 1901 until its closure in 1957.
Located along the Kentucky River Palisades is a unique but abandoned fluorspar mine turned speakeasy.
Today, Briceville, Tennessee, appears tranquil, but it played a pivotal role in the Coal Mine Wars of 1891-92.
Positioned prominently along Interstate 75 in Campbell County, Tennessee, two rusting Ferris wheels and a replica Titan rocket continue to draw the attention of drivers passing by.