First of all, I want anyone reading this blog to know I would never dream of walking here without an escort who has permission to be on the property. Anyone visiting The Abandoned without permission should be aware there are surveillance cameras in place. The property is regularly patrolled by local policemen, as well as watchful neighbors who won't hesitate to report illegal activity. There is also a full-time caretaker living on the premises. If you are caught trespassing, you will be arrested, jailed and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Dad died just before Thanksgiving, so we haven't had much spare time--even for a walk in The Abandoned. Since Dad left us, I have only visited here once. After so many months away, I found myself in awe of the great changes taking place. Though I am sad over the loss of these buildings, I find that I can hardly wait to see this area restored to its once natural beauty. However I am sure the idyllic meadows and old swamplands I remember from my childhood--a magical place where foxes came to leap and play--are likely a thing of the distant past.
As a girl, I remember feeling deep grief as dump trucks piled vast mountains of dirt and rock into the meadow, obliterating its former beauty. Where deer, foxes, wild birds and other forest animals played, there was a huge, barren hill which was used as a parking lot. My siblings and I were fascinated as we watched the building's walls grow tall as cement was poured into forms. Years later, as a single woman I walked my dog along those pathways. As a young wife and Mother, living in my grandmother's basement apartment, Mom and I took our morning walks there.
In Dad's twilight years, with the gracious permission of the new owners, we walked with Dad so he could get exercise on smooth ground. I still smile, remembering the tap tap of his old wooden cane and that funny little smile which played around his mouth as he walked through The Abandoned.
Over time, I've watched these rare, elegant buildings vandalized and gutted until only the option of demolition remained.
These photos are from the first and only time Sissy and I walked through The Abandoned since Dad died. It is startling to see light where darkness once held sway. The broken walls have let in the light to this area. Soon these hearts will be crunched into rubble. The rare architecture of this place will only be a memory.
Though the castle will soon be demolished, its guardian will still be there--watching from the mysterious woodlands--full of old growth trees, native plants and wild animals who live in the forests surrounding The Abandoned.
For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.
WARNING: With the demolition of these buildings, The Abandoned is especially dangerous. If you visit without permission, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.
