I miss the January and Wood Company in Maysville, Kentucky. Dating to 1834, the firm was a cotton mill that diversified into synthetics. It closed in 2003.
Abandoned Posts
Waveland was constructed between 1797 and 1800 in Danville, Kentucky. After being abandoned for several decades, it is slated for restoration.
Nestled amidst the storied distilleries that comprise the Kentucky Bourbon Trail lies Old Crow Distillery, a once-proud producer of such esteemed whiskey brands as Old Grand Dad, Bourbon DeLuxe, and Sunny Brook. Alas, the distillery’s operations fell silent in 1987 when it succumbed to a buy-out from the formidable Jim Beam corporation, its competitor.
The historic and abandoned Crosley Building in the Camp Washington neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio could be reborn as 238 market-rate apartments.
Amidst the verdant hills and winding waterways of northeastern Kentucky, the Eastern Kentucky Railway (EK) once stood as a vital artery, its iron rails spanning 36 miles and connecting the communities of Riverton and Webbville.
The Windsor School, located in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood, opened in 1888 but closed in 2004 after years of decline.
Fairview School is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and was constructed from 1888-90 in the Romanesque Revival architectural style. It closed in 2008.
Fairview School is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and was constructed from 1888 to 1890 in the Romanesque Revival architectural style. A three-story addition, designed by local architect Edward J. Schulte, was built in 1957-58. The addition was meant to be expanded once the original structure was razed, but declining enrollment led to those plans never coming to light.
In 1982, Fairview became the Fairview German Bilingual School, which changed to the Fairview German Language School in 1994. It was the second magnet school for the city.
A 1976 report by the Cincinnati school board noted that Fairview should be abandoned or replaced due to unsatisfactory design or structural deterioration. Another proposal from 1999 called for Fairview to be replaced with a new kindergarten-through-8th grade German language magnet school. Fairview eventually closed in June 2008 as part of the Cincinnati Public School’s $1 billion, ten-year construction project to rehabilitate or rebuild nearly every facility within the city.
The complex was auctioned in July 2009 with Five Korners winning with a bid of $430,000. Five Korners was comprised of Mohammed and Rasheed Shamma who converted the 1888 building into luxury residences. In October 2010, both former Fairview school buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
School had been out for just a few months when this photograph was taken of the former Fairmont School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Linwood Public School is located in the Linwood neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio and was constructed in 1929. It was closed in 2005.
The Ohio State Reformatory, also referred to as the Mansfield Reformatory, is a historic prison located in Mansfield, Ohio. See what it’s like inside.
Dear fellas, I can’t believe how fast things move on the outside. I saw an automobile once when I was a kid, but now they’re everywhere. The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry. The parole board got me into this halfway house called “The Brewer” and a job bagging groceries at the Foodway. It’s hard work and I try to keep up, but my hands hurt most of the time. I don’t think the store manager likes me very much. Sometimes after work, I go to the park and feed the birds. I keep thinking Jake might just show up and say hello, but he never does. I hope wherever he is, he’s doin’ okay and makin’ new friends. I have trouble sleepin’ at night. I have bad dreams like I’m falling. I wake up scared. Sometimes it takes me a while to remember where I am. Maybe I should get me a gun and rob the Foodway so they’d send me home. I could shoot the manager while I was at it, sort of like a bonus. I guess I’m too old for that sort of nonsense any more. I don’t like it here. I’m tired of being afraid all the time. I’ve decided not to stay. I doubt they’ll kick up any fuss. Not for an old crook like me. P.S: Tell Heywood I’m sorry I put a knife to his throat. No hard feelings. Brooks.
The Baber Building, an imposing edifice with barred windows and sturdy brick construction, once formed an integral part of the Longview State Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The abandoned skeleton of Joseph & Feiss looms over the motorists along Interstate 90 in Cleveland, Ohio, a derelict that has only been a little more than a decade in the making.
On a melancholy February afternoon, I embarked on a sojourn through the knobs of Kentucky, meandering along the back roads that whisper of bygone eras.
The Penn-Lincoln Hotel is an abandoned hotel in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania that is scheduled for demolition.
In the face of nature’s relentless fury, humankind has long sought to erect bulwarks against the ravages of floodwaters, a testament to our indomitable spirit and ingenuity. One such endeavor, the Turtle Creek Flood Control Project, stands as a shining example of this ceaseless struggle.
The McGuffey Mall and adjoining Garland Plaza is a former shopping center in Youngstown, Ohio.
Years ago, I often went to the mammoth Huntington Mall in Barboursville, West Virginia. It was the largest shopping center in the largest in the state – and also its busiest. The mall was dated, coated with speckled brown tiles inside, ribbed paneling outside and other trendy lights and accessories that made this center a poster-child for the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.
When I visited an abandoned shopping center in Youngstown, Ohio, I saw much resemblance to the Huntington Mall, with its similar ribbed exterior paneling, light fixtures and even signage. I wondered if the two malls were developed by the same developer, and after some quick searches, my haunches were correct.
McGuffey Mall was constructed in 1954 >and was converted into an indoor center in the 1972, and was one of the first developments of William M. Cafaro, founder of the Cafaro Company, who went on to develop shopping malls across the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Pacific Northwest – including the Huntington Mall. The adjoining Garland Plaza was constructed in 1960.
The properties were the home of banks, supermarkets, a bowling alley, a post office. The Mahoning County Department of Job and Family Services rented space at Garland Plaza from 1988 until 2007 when it relocated to Oakhill Renaissance Place. After years of decline, Cafaro decided to sell the two complexes in 2012 but after no bids came through, opted to put them up for auction. Highway Contracting of Boardman was the successful bidder for the McGuffey Mall and Garland Plaza properties for $150,000 in October 25, 2013. The excavating and demolition contractor was the highest of the three bidders. Work on demolition of McGuffey Mall and most of Garland Plaza began in December.
The Cavanaugh Company was a hardware wholesale supply company in Youngstown, Ohio.
The Cavanaugh Company was a hardware wholesale supply company that supplied cast iron pipe, corrugated pipe, road machinery, metallic paints, terra cotta, windows and fireproof doors, among many other items in Youngstown, Ohio.
The Frank Sherman Company was a former scrap metal dealer in Youngstown, Ohio that incorporated in 1947 and closed in 2001 after it was discovered that fraudulent transactions were occurring between the company and a supplier.
The Frank Sherman Company was a former scrap metal dealer in Youngstown, Ohio that incorporated in 1947 and closed in 2001 after it was discovered that fraudulent transactions were occurring between the company and Valley Forge Inc. of Salem. Valley Forge had entered into an agreement to sell scrap metal produced from Valley Forge, which he was part owner, to the Frank Sherman Company for cash payments Swindell did not report as income. The Frank Sherman Company prepared false invoices, which did not bear the name of Swindell from Valley Forge.