October 2009
Monthly Archives3 of America’s Most Haunted
The fearsome reputations surrounding certain historic – and often abandoned – places mean it doesn’t need to be Halloween for ghosts and ghouls to come crawling out of the woodwork. These three venues, where the spirits of the dead reportedly run riot in a ghastly ghostly carnival, might offer the more supernaturally minded among you some ideas for where to explore – or to stay well away from…
Stalin’s “Railway of Bones”
It was doomed to be an unfinished project that would claim almost 15,000 lives. Today the remains of Stalin’s vast railway, which was set to run within the Arctic Circle from Salekhard to Igarka, can be found rusting in the icy tundra. History would later remember it as the “railway of bones”.
Abandon All Hope: 4 Derelict Lunatic Asylums
It isn’t long since “lunatic asylums” were common-place in the world’s more advanced societies. The taboo of mental illness combined with a lack of understanding of the issue meant sufferers were often isolated from society for long periods – sometimes indefinitely. Take into account the horrifying conditions within and the terrifyingly institutional look of the buildings themselves, and entering the asylum must have evoked the inscription from Dante’s Inferno: Abandon all hope ye who enter…
Abandoned Detroit: Incredible Images of a Lost City
We’ve all heard of the Lost City of Atlantis, but what about the Lost City of Detroit? It is staggering to think that the once proud Motor City could disintegrate into such total decay. But it is even more mind boggling to imagine how this dilapidated town could be such a treasure trove of glorious architecture from the Gilded Age of America.
Abandoned MiGs & Other Aircraft: Former Soviet Hardware From Iraq to Russia
“The Mig” and all the aircraft variants that name covers, has become a veritable icon of the Cold War. The vast number built by Russia over the last half century and heavily exported means that, while some remain airborne, others lie derelict or destroyed from Siberia to Iraq and beyond. Here are just a few that continue to languish on in various states of disrepair.
Waste Dump to Eco Living: Innovative Architectural Solutions
“Rag Flats” in Philadelphia is an awesome example of how a rundown industrial site can be turned into innovative eco-friendly living spaces. The experimental development explores the link between local urban dwelling and the need for greater energy efficiency.
Chernobyl Rescue Operation: The Vehicle Graveyard
The Chernobyl disaster is widely believed to be the worst of its kind in the history of nuclear power. The nearby city of Pripyat, which was built to house the plant’s workers, has become a well known ghost town in the wake of the catastrophe. But what became of the scores of military vehicles – helicopters, fire engines and tanks – that fought the burning nuclear fuel spewing out of the remains of the station’s fourth reactor?
Urban Decay: 7 Abandoned Swimming Pools
Urban decay is often at its most poignant in former recreational buildings, such as old cinemas. Abandoned swimming baths also have a unique character to them, often with ornate tiling and elaborate iron work decorating their balconies and staircases. Designed to offer a touch of elegance, stepping inside is like travelling through time.
Furniture Carved from the Timbers of “The Fighting Temeraire”
“The Fighting Temeraire” by JMW Turner is a symbolic painting depicting real life events. The work marks the passing of an epoch – the transition of sail to steam – as the old man-of-war and veteran of Trafalgar is towed to the breakers yard. But in all the pomp and ceremony surrounding the painting, it has gone almost unnoticed that parts of the warship can be seen today in the parish church of St Mary’s Rotherhithe.
Ghost Town of Bodie: Spectres, Curses and “Arrested Decay”
The old mining settlement at Bodie in California is arguably America’s best preserved ghost town. Dating back to around 1859, Bodie is frozen in a state of “arrested decay”, looked after as a historic park but not restored to its original condition. This makes the town both authentic and mysterious.