The Abandoned: Crackle Mud Heart -Guest Heart Thursday

Monday, April 21, 2014

Crackle Mud Heart -Guest Heart Thursday

Sissy and I went for a walk through The Abandoned last week. She was the one who found this heart for me. Who would have thought of looking for a heart in a crackly, dry mud puddle?

Here is the view of all that is left of the main building. You can't really tell it, but I am standing at the top of a very steep cliff. The tracks of big equipment are actually far below. Those piles of gravel are HUGE. One can find the most amazing agates and rocks here.

Above you see the main building which once stood here. They've done a very good job of reducing the entire complex to bits and pieces of gravel and rubble.

It still seems magical to me. Especially the forests which still surround this area.

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

1 comment:

Clytie said...: Tee hee - some of the best hearts are in the most unusual places, eh?

So strange to see the buildings demolished ... soon to be houses. Sigh.; April 21, 2014 at 3:57 PM

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The Abandoned

Years ago, I dedicated this blog to The Abandoned, a huge complex of abandoned buildings in rural Oregon.

Surrounded by wetlands and old growth timber, The Callahan Center was built in the 1970's by the State of Oregon as a rehabilitation center for people recovering from injuries on the job.

In 1992, the property was bought by a mega church. However, the Living Enrichment Center closed in 2004, amidst financial scandal and the property was abandoned.

The buildings stood empty for many years. Over that span the property was vandalized and looted. Yet the beauty of its rare architecture shone through the shambles of abuse and disrepair.

In the summer of 2013, the complex was completely demolished. We were all sad to see the buildings go, but because of trespassers and vandals, it was necessary to take them down.

The area where The Abandoned once stood is filled with $500,000 mushroom houses (homes built so fast they pop up like mushrooms) built on postage stamp lots. There are sidewalks and tall lamps where I once watched the foxes of the field leaping above the grass, hunting rodents.

The surrounding woodlands still survive. It is my prayer the wetlands and forests with their pristine creeks, native trees and flowers, as well as the wildlife which shelter there, will be protected.