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Select a Numbered Object to Discover an Abandoned Place in the US
Highlighting the eerie work of reknowned photographer Johnny Joo, explore America's most fascinating abandoned spots with our travel experts.
IMAGE CREDITS
All featured abandoned location images in this series are licensed from the copyright owner, photographer Johnny Joo. The image above, the setting for the rotating photo gallery on subsequent pages, and the orange grunge buttons were generated using text-to-image Generative AI from Adobe Firefly. The black concrete wall seen above and on subsequent pages in this series: SEAN GLADWELL / Moment Collection via Getty Images. The ink drawing of the skeleton hand above: DanielVilleneuve / iStock / Getty Images Plus.
image credits
lisa frank factory
ARIZONA
Whimsy meets despair in the now hollow shell of the former Lisa Frank factory in Tucson, Arizona. Revel in the mark Franks left on this enormous 60,000 square-foot factory that now beckons both nostalgia and sorrow from passersby.
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Tragedy strikes. Industry crumbles. People move on. And so the remains are abandoned across America, from hotels to factories. Play the game again to choose another number or explore all of our eerie locations featured in 13 Of The Most Abandoned Places In America.
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Lisa Frank Factory
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Play the game again to choose another number or explore all 13 eerily abandoned locations in 13 Of The Most Abandoned Places In America.
The Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant crafted TNT, rockets, and other pyrotechnic-centric affairs during several American wars. Today, it is part of the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, with 6,000 acres deemed safe for visitors.
longarm ammunition plant
texas
South Carolina's Old Sheldon Church was rumored to be the country's first attempt to build a Greek-style temple. With roots in the American Revolutionary War era, the old church contains surprising history within its walls.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Old Sheldon Church
The United States Navy’s first hydrofoil research vessel, the USS Plainview, was built for $21 million and was in servise for ten years. On the Washington-Oregon border, it now sits abandoned on mudflats on private property.
uss Plainview
washington
WASHINGTON
USS Plainview
The oldest juvenile detention center in the entire United States is located in Ohio. It’s stood abandoned for over a decade now – but its halls still echo with the stories of young adults housed here thanks to a variety of offenses.
cuyahoga Co. Juvenile Detention Center
ohio
OHIO
Cuyahoga Juvenile Detention Center
The Monongahela Hotel was originally built back in 1911, with decades of good times before it finally closed. With rates as low as $4 per night, this hotel was a favorite place among weary travelers looking for respite.
monongahela hotel
pennsylvania
PENNSYLVANIA
Monongahela Hotel
When Forest Haven opened, there was nothing else like it, but in practice, budget cuts, staff shortages, and mistreatment led to lawsuits. If these walls could talk, they’d tell of the horrors that occured during its 66-year-history.
Forest Haven Asylum
maryland
MARYLAND
The Montgomery Mall was once an impressive retail destination, but today, is an eerie reminder of days gone by. With stores that look like they were vacated in minutes and overgrown floors, 15 years of disrepair has taken its toll.
montgomery mall
alabama
ALABAMA
Montgomery Mall
old sheldon church
south carolina
TEXAS
Longhorn Ammunition Plant
Situated within the industrial ruins of St. Louis' Rootwad Park is the now-defunct Cotton Belt Freight Depot. This five-story freight depot has been abandoned for decades stands out for its unique construction and eye-popping color.
old cotton belt freight depot
missouri
MISSOURI
Cotton Belt Freight Depot
Founded in 1905, Coalwood is a mining town with a unique history. You may have even heard of Coalwood before -- it's the location of NASA engineer Homer Hickam Jr.’s memoir, “October Sky,” originally published in 1998 as "Rocket Boys."
coalwood
west virginia
WEST VIRGINIA
Coalwood
In th 1990s, Great Smoky Mountains National Park was left with 70 historic cabins and sites with no one to take care of them. Deterioration began and many buildings were torn down, but 19 were preserved as the Elkmont Historic District.
resort cabins, great smoky mountains
tennessee
AD PLACEHOLDER 300 X 250
TENNESSEE
Resort Cabins Great Smoky Mountains
A mining town in Oklahoma, Picher suffered from decades of improper waste processes and storage. Attempts were made to reverse the posioning, but the town was eventually abandoned and is now considered the most toxic city in the U.S.
picher ghost town
oklahoma
OKLAHOMA
Picher Ghost Town
Located on the Canadian border, the Bonnie Castle Greens mini-golf course was a truly unique adventure – but those days are past. With two 18-hole courses, discover remnants of the quirky attraction it once was amid the overgrowth.
bonnie castle greens
new york
NEW YORK
Bonnie Castle Greens
