A Vermont gulf is a landlocked one found in our mountains. Photos from my last sojourn here. Arriving in South Fallsburg, I felt awkward driving around its deserted residential streets. What was/is Medburyville? Either way, I stopped my efforts. Abandoned since the 1970s. Since Hydes Hotel has been left empty, nature is slowly taking it back. Brattleboro Retreat has more than 500 employees working over there. There was a mill, several houses and a railroad line that ran through the area at one point. There was a tiny portion of this massive complex that was still an active business, J&L Metrology the last remaining morsel of the greater Jones and Lamson enterprise. Born on September 3, 1861 in Schenectady, New York, he already had experience from cutting his teeth working in machine shops in Connecticut since he was a lad, and used his know-how and indefatigable optimism to flip the company. Im talking entire floors filled with wall to collapsing wall of old records mummified in decay. Back in Springfield, the factories were sticking to their traditional course, and while they were still making quality reliable machines, they began to become outdated in the new frontier of the trends, and eventually, obsolete, as the market shifted to foreign products that were offering more convenience for a cheaper purchase. Social network for urban explorers. The fourth floor was nauseating. It typically takes 4 hours to complete hiking the Belvidere trail. Local lore has it that when the reservoir is low, a slimy church steeple from the former village is exposed, but I didnt see anything that day that looked out of place in a reservoir. Thanks for bringing up a great point. Theres still an existing and forgotten granite tri-point state marker erected by surveyors in the 1800s thats now lost in the thick forests of the hills some of those slopes still cooly contain colonial-era scrawlings on glacial deposited boulders of predecessing hikers and explorers just some of the many relics Im sure these hills contain. If so, what was it used for? I really needed this explore. Get more stories delivered right to your email. I have no idea what sort of place this was in its heyday, but finding all these signs made me assume that in its last days, it seemed like a drab, down on your luck sort of experience. Perhaps Pownal just needed to install a few witch windows? History. Well, thats a tumultuous conversation, because there isnt just one thing at play, a lot of circumstances kinda just started to materialize on the scene and began shaking hands with one another all contributing to Springfields ode to its fall-through. It gives you a scope of just how big the property was and some rad POVs that I couldnt capture. I find it interesting that this site may still be attracting modern day wizards, witches or spiritualists, or people that think they are these things, but when I visited, I had the beautiful place all to myself under the heat of the day, despite the fact that its a geocache location and the famous Appalachian Scenic Trail crosses Gulf Road near the glen, just east of there. 8 Staggering Photos Of An Abandoned Hotel Hiding In Vermont I also found this occurrence even more uncanny, because while the epoch of the infamous witch hysteria of Salem and southern New England occurred in the 1690s, Vermonts lone delirium happened sometime in the 1760s, probably after 1761 when the town was charted. Know of anything weird, wonderful, or abandoned? If you value, appreciate, and enjoy reading about my adventures please consider making a donation to my Paypal. Perhaps something is still there, just filled in with erosion or a rock slide over the years. If you value, appreciate, and enjoy reading about my adventures please consider making a donation to my new Gofundme account or Paypal. Did he have to run for his life? Dogtown Square is one of the more unique abandoned places in Massachusetts. A few old buildings, the rusted bones of an old lift line and a squint-to-make-out overgrown ski trail could still be traced. And I'm glad I did - it's since been demolished. Discover abandoned places, shipwrecks, mansions, ghost towns, and everything in between near you. The huge area holds ghost towns, a slew of trails and forest roads, man-made feats of engineering, and plenty of mysteries. Many believe this old dormitory is haunted, but it's still completely in use and most students don't think twice about it. Vermont Foreclosure Homes For Sale 24 results Sort: Homes for You 479 Jay Road, Richford, VT 05476 Listing provided by PrimeMLS $89,950 4 bds 3 ba 2,744 sqft - Active 2 days on Zillow 3 Jones Avenue, Essex Junction, VT 05452 Listing provided by PrimeMLS $247,999 2 bds 1 ba 1,105 sqft - Active 1 day on Zillow Loading. That, and cheap air travel could take people to other places for around the same price as a trip upstate. And if you are interested in dining at the oldest restaurant and tavern in all of Vermont, make a reservation at the Ye Olde Tavern, founded in 1790. Also, donations help keep me current with my photography gear, computer, and computer software so that I can deliver the best quality possible. Human beings are the real monsters. Abandoned buildings are mysterious. And yes, then they return to steal it and sell it! In typical Vermont tradition, the old farmhands never threw anything away, so the spaces were stuffed with antique furniture, busted farm equipment, and some unexpecteds like a collection of bowling pins. The obscure account was originally (and fortunately) recorded by lawyer and historian T.E. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. Many think the Walloomsac Inn is abandoned, but this one is still inhabited. Route 7 turns into a limited access highway through most of Bennington County, until it reverts back to full access in Bennington and brings you right into its historic downtown district, the center of town being where it intersects with state route 9. But damn it, was there a tunnel? Subject to section 1469 of this title, the following property is presumed abandoned if it is unclaimed by the apparent owner during the period specified below: (1) a traveler's check, 15 years after issuance; . Other more sinister tales include the conjectured witch conjuring up a vast spectrum of malicious acts towards others she didnt like. Hogbacks highest elevation was about 2,400 feet (the base area being at around 1,900), which helped preserve the natural snowfall much better than lower area ski hills, which made it so beloved. The latest census says Vermont has 11,355 homes falling into an "other vacant" category. The facts seemed to be finally adding up here, but it seems my request for information was a few years too late. Like the atmosphere of a place you explore affecting you, we are imbibed by our weather, as are the people around us. Until now, dangerous waste affects the ecosystem through leakages into the rivers, air, and land. Japan had been studying American machine tool know-how and began to enter the market themselves and they did so by dramatically innovating their products. While Harry Barber's structures are on private property, 4 of the castles can be viewed from the road. Expenses range from internet fees to host the blog, to investing in research materials, to traveling expenses. Structurally, I think the only sensible move would be to demolish it. But while the crops were failing, Clark and his partner Joseph Boardman saw opportunity in the rich pine forests that covered most of Milton, and hired crews to harvest the fine timber. Hogbacks story is similar to most of Vermonts lost ski areas. There is said to be a house on Main Street where things literally go bump in the night, perhaps because itused to be a funeral parlor in the last century. She involuntarily cringed at the sensation and shot me a glare. However, a general impatient can stay for 5 to 15 days at the Retreat. You couldnt leave your house to go out and even have a nice barbecue because the odor was so bad, said an interviewed resident recalling how bad it was a few decades ago. Perhaps they were in a family estate and no one wants to take care of the house, or its stuck in a family dispute, OShea says. Why did they move? I know some people that hit a jackpot with their metal detectors around it. The continuously shape-shifting property grew to massive scales as the railroad industry became a future facing wonder, as growing mill towns and their populations created a ravenous market. As for Vermonts Corinth, though, a lot of other United States Corinths were said to come from this one! **To learn more, visit Preservation in Pink. I had been losing my wits underneath suffering some terrible anxiety the past weeks, and this was such a relief. The pool itself is a chaise lounge graveyard, tossed into some murky filth and curating rot that has collected in the Olympic-sized pools deep end. However, I dont want to deceive you folks. Some levels had entirely collapsed, while other wings were more hole than floor. I too like to look at old architecture and am fascinated by old homes & their history. . In atime period in America where a sizable roster of traditions and foundational history were sparked and now only largelyrecalled its main drag eventually became dressed up with handsome grand hotels that youd expect to see from that era, many rising above 4 stories and wearing broad porches and clapboard facades as its reputation swelled to anestimated 10,000 visitors coming in every summer, including the likes of the Vanderbilts, which is a name everyone loves to tote about if they had any relation to their area. The decaying book was scrawled with various notes and births/deaths of a family who used to live in his old house in Milton. The look she gave him tore at his heartstrings. The higher altitudes of Huntington Gorge are the most dangerous spot. At the 5:00 mark, the film showcases Springfield AND the Jones and Lamson Factory! By now, the Ely mine boasted the largest copper mining shaft dug in Vermont, unconfidently consideredto beanywhere between3,400 feet, to 4,000 feet deep. In Hogbacks case, the Vermont Land Trust and a group of adamant people worked pretty tirelessly over the years to secure the funds to purchase and secure the land to save it from becoming a condominium development with a marketed quintessential nature-esque type of name. We figured wed start in there via squeezing through a hole in the door, and work our way over to the main factory building after. The stately Joseph Clark mansion, perched on a slight rise above Route 7, used to be the town offices and library back in the 1990s, which was the time when I picked up on the story. Heres one of my favorites; a great urbex video by explorer Dark Exploration (who, in my opinion, got wayyy better shots than I did! In October of 1874, Thomas Paddock, a well-respected farmer with an amicable character, suddenly found his property under a maelstrom from poltergeist-like activity. Huntington Gorge Abandoned Place in Vermont, 4. worked the interior, from the top down. The town allegedly got its name when one of the last residents died, her dogs became feral and overran the town. Their really utilitarian and ugly wing appeared to be added on much later and it was something that I made a note of as we pulled into town hours earlier. Six Abandoned Places - New England Historical Society Its geographical area is unassuminglylarge, ranking10th largest in land area and 8th in population (10,352 bodies at the 2010 census). However, some of them get abandoned as they might be a danger to health and well-being due to unavoidable events witnessed in the area. I think I might! Lavish homes with famous owners sometimes end up abandoned. Only, he was just dumping them at Ely, which was already considered a Superfund site that the time, and was somehow caught and penalized. During the initial days, the medical staff hoped that the patients would feel better after getting some treatments, exercises, and being outside. Back on the road, the forests occasionally break up a little and you got a positioning glimpse that you were right in the middle of the green mountain chain. I live in Vermonts largest city, and dig the scene there, but sometimes my hometown is just too oversaturated with people for my taste. Theyre the only company making optical comparators today in the United States, and are still headquartered in Springfield attached to the ruins of the rest of the J&L empire (well, after moving to South Carolina for a stint but then coming back)! There was a strange beauty to the landscape though that also helped to establish the aura of mystery that tends to surround these sites. Between not enough natural snow to ski on, rising costs of operation and increasing competition from bigger resorts that were becoming more common on the scene in Vermont mountains, the small mom and pop ski hill eventually couldnt compete. Who knows what else can still be found within the southern Green Mountains? **Id especially recommend my favorite of his photos, a set of slimy and disused rails still can be found underground in the Ely mines. As Obscure Vermont has grown, Ive been growing with it, and the developing attention is keeping me earnest and pushing me harder to be more introspective and going further into seeking out the strange. I realize that in the past few years, a larger amount of people have been using my blog to add places to their exploration checklists, and Ive been really re-evaluating my responsibilities as a preservationist and a local weird worker, what I post, and how I write about it. Also, donations help keep me current with my photography gear, computer, and computer software so that I can deliver the best quality possible. The Jones and Lamson factory had been abandoned since 1986, and for decades, its ruins became a conspicuous landmark that marked one of the main entry points into town. We used to cut 4 wheeler trails through the growth and explore the old farm roads and examine artifacts from yesteryear wed come across, like old barbed wire fences, a neon green AMC Hornet pushed into a ravine, and the prime find the grimy miscellany of the old farmers junkyard. On his first day on the job, he decided that manufacturing so many different things was stupid, and declared that from that point onwards, J&L would only manufacture one thing; the eponymous Hartness Flatbed Turret Lathe, which he invented himself the machine could shape wood, metal, or other materials by means of a rotating drive which turns the piece being worked on against changeable cutting tools. Though the electricity was shut off decades ago, the atriums great design ensured the place was nicely lit up by plenty of skylights in-between some strikingstarburst chandelier style light fixtures from the 1950s that were still shockingly preserved . In 1789, Elisha Ashley would survey the first east-west road in the Milton Falls section of town, by running a straight line from the Westford/East Road intersection, to a stump on the Lamoille River. I guess I can cross off walking around a toxic waste site off my bucket list, regardless of the fact it wasnt on my list. Today, the regionislittered with abandoned properties fantasies of blight whose visages bearslovenly expressions that welcome vandals, explorers, arsonists, scrappers and teenagers who are excited by the prospect of a paintball game or a place to drink cheap beer. That's where abandoned homes would be counted, but that number also includes homes under . From a large wooden deck with coin functioning viewing apparatuses for the tourist crowd, you can see whats left of southern Vermont before it transitions into the Berkshire Hills, and the bumps of southern New Hampshire, including Mount Monadnock. Realtor Comments Own a piece of Vermont's NEK with this 780 sq. Some spaces were more or less original to their inaugural construction at the turn of the last century, and in the throes of the shifty ways of time, more were accommodated. Some of the shaft rooves had already collapsed, tearing open new holes in the ground. This Fascinating Vermont Tower Has Been Abandoned And Reclaimed By Nature For Decades Now, The Creepiest Hike In Vermont Takes You Through The Ruins Of A Ghost Town, This Abandoned Radar Base In Vermont Is Dangerously Creepy, The Countrys Largest Abandoned Asbestos Mine Is Right Here In Vermont, A Haunted Theater In Vermont, The Welden Theatre Used To Be A Jail, This Creepy Ghost Town In Vermont Could Haunt Your Dreams Tonight, The Legend Of This Town Center In Vermont May Send Chills Down Your Spine, The Haunted Tunnels At The Hartness House Inn In Vermont Are Creepy And Fascinating. Over the years, Milton would be a place where I would begin to shake hands with a lot of ghosts. Though my lead at The Vector was a bit of a disappointment, I soon found out about other caves in the gorge with their own lore. A good portion of the old Fellows Gear Shaper factory compound still exists too, and its been thoughtfully renovated into mixed commercial and industrial spaces which is absolutely a preservation win! The first building for hotel of 100 acres was built in 1865. I needed to get revved up about something and be underneath a spell that only the intoxication of an adventure can bring my way. The mansion was regarded as one of the finest feats of architecture in otherwise hardscrabble orange county, and soon became a place where grand parties would be held where Ely-Goddards rich friends from New York, Newport RI and as far away as Paris would come and have nights of debauchery while the miners whose dwellings encircled the mansion enclave were close tostarving. He would build a gristmill in Milton Falls, then move intothe brick mansion on Main Street that now bears his name. rained down on his house and outbuildings, but neighboring properties were completely unaffected. The large size of these homes, combined with very high heating costs, can lead to their abandonment. The property was also inaugurated into the Superfund family of sites and underwent a massive clean up in 2010, which also cleared out an awesome collection of buildings that looked like a Klondike ghost town. I observed some older trail maps, and discovered that Hogback had a unique layout. Especially in recent years, where Ive gained the opportunity to interact with and befriend more oddity lovers and outside the box thinkers around Vermont and New England. Its just not as exciting.. Or, she could face trial by water which meant that a group of townsfolk cut a hole through the ice of the Hoosic River, bound her, and then tossed the poor woman into the frigid current. As the committee resolutely said afterward; If the widow Kreigger had been a witch, the powers infernal would have supported her. Vermont Archives - Old Houses Under $50K His next act would be to make himself more at home, by constructing himself a lavish vanity projectin the middle of the village; a mansion which he named Elysium(pictured in the photo above, the white building with the central copula), a reference to the ancient Greek concept of the afterlife, and perhaps demonstrating some of his exaggerated swagger with aplay on his last name. When Hartness hired Fred Lovejoy to replace Bryant at J&L, Lovejoy became an expert in small-tool design, and he eventually created interchangeable cutters that could be swapped in and out of machines. The hotel was sold in 1962, and it was closed down for good in 1973. The Most Haunted Places in Vermont | Haunted Rooms America Shown Here: Introduced in Senate (02/15/2023) Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act. But upon closer and intimate inspection, I was actually more and more surprised at just how many rooms and levels there were, packed in by a labyrinth ofconfusing staircases and elevated runways. I think that the Green Mountain Racetrack was uniquely special. Though the paved thoroughfare was named after a farming family, my friend once joked to me as he was reading the directions I wrote down sohe could find my house; I noticed that your neighborhood was off Hobbs Roaddid you know that Hobbs is an old name for the devil?. I figured Id include them in this post as well. I spend countless hours researching, writing, and traveling to keep this blog going. Maybe I should invest in one of these. And as for that tunnel or cave near the Vector, I wasnt successfully able to find that either. However, that enticing theory was disappointingly proven false. Ive always been someone that has loved human ingenuity and the magic of camaraderie, so this post was a lot of fun to research and write. while they do not welcome visitors, they were hospitable and generous to the neighborhood on Halloween. Hornets seemed to have colonized the upper levels, coming through structuralinstability and its broken wooden windows. Vermont For Sale by Owner 77 results Sort: Homes for You 608 Acorn Dr, Unit, VT 05676 $229,000 2 bds 1 ba 720 sqft - For sale by owner 3 hours ago 1086 Mad Tom Rd, East Dorset, VT 05253 $1,350,000 6 bds 6 ba 5,244 sqft - For sale by owner 1 day on Zillow Loading. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Actually, the answer is pretty straight forward according to what I was told anyways. But it was the so-called 100-mile view in Marlboro that was the most impressive. Bryan Sansivero in front of an abandoned home. Expenses range from hosting fees to keep the blog live, investing in research materials, travel expenses and the required planning, and updating/maintaining vital tools such as my camera and my computer.