Tag: Abandoned

October 19, 2016 / Appalachia

Coming fresh from a visit to Vermont, I ventured on the back roads around upstate New York. The country was far too beautiful to pass up with rolling, overcast skies for as far as the eye can see. Autumn colors were plentiful. Rounding the corner, I look over and out of the corner of my eye, I sighted derelict locomotives. I did a quick turnabout in the car and hurried back. This was too photogenic to pass up.

September 16, 2016 / Appalachia

The historic community of Sang Run is located along the Youghiogheny River in the mountains of western Maryland. The drive to this remote pocket of the state is not the easiest, with twisty blacktop roads alternating between forested hillsides and open valleys.

September 1, 2016 / Explorations

When the Dennison Hotel on Main Street in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio closed in 2011, it marked the end of a hoteling era. The single room occupancy extended stay facility once competed with the Browne Hotel, Fort Washington Hotel, Fountain Square Hotel, and others — all of which are long closed and demolished.

July 19, 2016 / Explorations

Several years ago, I was able to visit the former printing operation for the Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, once the world’s largest magazine publishing house, in Springfield, Ohio.

July 8, 2016 / Explorations

Before the completion of the Detroit Harbor Terminals complex along the Detroit River in Detroit, Michigan, most of the commodities and raw materials used in Detroit were shipped first by water to Cleveland, Chicago, or Toledo and sent to Detroit via the railroad.

July 6, 2016 / Explorations

The Fisher Body Company Plant No. 21, located in Detroit, Michigan, produced automobile bodies for General Motors (GM). The Albert Kahn-designed facility was constructed in 1919 to provide wooden automobile bodies for a variety of companies, later manufacturing exclusively for GM. As early as 1930, GM downgraded the status of Fisher Body’s Plant 21 as being inefficient. GM began moving body manufacturing from Plant 21 to other, more efficient locations. However, the limousine body assembly was moved to Plant 21 from GM’s Fleetwood plant in 1955 because its output was only about 1,000 cars annually. On November 29, 1982, GM…

June 21, 2016 / Explorations
June 14, 2016 / Appalachia
June 10, 2016 / Appalachia

Growing up in Raceland, Kentucky, I knew some of the significance behind the town’s name. It was named for the “Million Dollar Oval,” a horse racing track.

June 8, 2016 / Explorations
June 7, 2016 / Explorations

Once a strategically important city at the juncture of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, Cairo, Illinois, is in terminal decline after decades of racial turbulence.

May 11, 2016 / Explorations

National Acme, located in Cleveland, Ohio, was one of the largest manufacturers of machine tools in the United States. It began as the merger of two notable machine tool manufacturers, the Cleveland Twist Drill Company and the National Acme Company.

April 28, 2016 / Explorations
March 7, 2016 / Explorations
February 1, 2016 / Explorations

Yogi Berra once said to trust your instincts, keep trying, and, most importantly, act. For years, I have been traveling to the southeast corner of West Virginia, exploring its many one-lane roads and scenic byways and taking in all the Mountain State had to offer.  The desire for wanderlust was just too great.

December 4, 2015 / Explorations

My October journey through New York state, filled with autumn splendor, abandoned buildings, and vibrant landscapes, left me with a renewed sense of appreciation for the region’s natural beauty and history.

December 1, 2015 / Explorations

The Van Nattas Pumping Station, located in Ithaca, New York, was constructed by the Ithaca Light & Water Company in 1893. It was built on the site of the Van Natta & Jones Mill.

July 24, 2015 / Explorations

Molly Stark Sanatorium was a tuberculosis hospital in northeastern Ohio. Constructed during a time when the prevailing medical treatment for tuberculosis was sunlight, fresh air, and rudimentary medicines, the building was constructed with large windows, porches, balconies, and rooftop verandas.

July 14, 2015 / Explorations

A few weeks ago, I revisited the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant (IAAP). This facility, renowned for manufacturing smokeless gunpowder and other ordnance, held the distinction of being the largest of its kind worldwide upon its completion.