Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirensong12
I'm fascinated with old buildings as well. Some years ago I worked at a bar in town that was attached to an old turn of the century hotel that had fallen into a state of disarray. It was beautiful in its heyday, I'm sure. Anyway, we would grab a flashlight and take people on tours (usually drunk people)...all the way up to the tiny servants quarters, looking over the ballroom, into the basement that supposedly connected every building on the block.
Finally, my town did something right and renovated it for public use. It's beautiful.
I find old abandoned things (whether they be amusement parks, hotels, factories) amazing (have visited the opacity site linked here): there's a "feeling" about them, a history.
I didn't see this site posted, but I'm looking hurriedly from work, so I apologize if it's been posted, but I like this site: (edit: it won't let me link since I'm such a newbie...google The Willard Suitcase Exhibit. Sorry)  |
Thanks for the info Sirensong, I was just browsing over the Willard Suitcase exhibit and I'd never heard of it before. But I have to say as fascinating as that building must be to walk through I would have given anything to be the guy that stumbled on the suitcases in the attic! Poking through all that, alone at night with a flashlight? Incredible!
I know very well what you mean about that "feeling", its very difficult to put words too, rather intangible. Its something in the scent, the dust and the thought of what it was like in its heyday, who lived or worked there. Its almost addictive when you start doing it.
I've been writing a lot about old military installations here but I love a good pre 20th century building. When I lived in Maine I used to visit the lighthouses that dotted the coast, and while not very big, it was fascinating wandering through them. Out on some of the island stations the houses remain virtually untouched since they were automated by the coast guard. There is just something surreal about looking at a tin of pipe tobacco sitting on a table that had been untouched for nearly 100 years.
Here in Tennessee I've enjoyed touring some of the old Civil War plantations, although not abandoned (most are museums now) it really gives you the same feeling. Carton Mansion for example served as a make shift hospital during the battle of Franklin (I wont go into details as they are pretty ghastly but look it up if you want to), in one of the bedrooms you can still see blood stains that had pooled under the surgeons feet while he was amputating limbs...I just can't put to words how it feels being so close to something like that.