More Abandoned Wonders of America: From Deserted Breweries to Famous Auto Factories......

Much of America’s little-remembered history can be found in largely unknown structures scattered across the United States, some of which are silently falling apart. Many of these have amazing claims to fame and set records in their time – the world’s first auto assembly line or the largest brewery in the US – while others represent outdated building types that recall decades past or even generations before our time. 

Abandoned Beer Brewery Complex

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Once the largest brewer in America, the Pabst Brewery was opened in the mid-1800s and closed its doors over a century and a half later in the mid-1990s. Over the course of its existence the complex bottled millions of barrels’ worth of beer. For some time the city considered demolishing all associated structures though a compromise was reached and funding was found so renovation for new uses has begun on some of them.

Abandoned Mental Institution for Children

Waltham, Massachusetts: Perhaps the only thing more disturbing than the many abandoned insane asylums spread across the United States are those scattered few asylums dedicated to children. The Gaebler Children’s Center was opened in the 1950s as a place to separate children from adults in the mental health system. As mental hospitals closed down homelessness and incarceration increased in adult populations so too has this closure led to increased juvenile detention.

Abandoned Factory Town Housing Residences

Whittier, Alaska: The Buckner Building was once the largest building in all of Alaska and housed virtually the entire population of the area. In the 1960s an earthquake rendered it unsafe to occupy and it has been abandoned ever since. So why not demolish it? It is quite simply more effort than it would be worth: the only way to remove the debris would be by a very limited-capacity tunnel or by sea.

First Automobile Mass-Production Facility

Highland Park, Michigan: A little-known building on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, was once home the to the first automobile production facility in the world to feature an assembly line. Ford’s claim to fame began in the Highland Park Ford Plant in the early 1900s in this revolutionary building that now sits essentially abandoned. Currently the structure is used to house assorted documents and artifacts.

Abandoned Military Academy Complex

Augusta, Virginia: Founded at the end of the Confederacy in 1865, the Augusta Military Academy (originally the Augusta Male Academy) remained open for nearly one hundred years before closing its doors forever in 1954. The building remains relatively intact and was even used for an episode of Fear on MTV though the name of the school was changed to deter ghost hunters and urban explorers.

Abandoned Drive-In Movie Theater

Hartford, Connecticut: There is nothing like the demise of an entire building type to usher in a new form of ubiquitous urban abandonment – and the Hartford Drive-Through movie theater is no exception. With the slow decline of such establishments few have found ways to reuse large rural parking lots with small and awkward associated buildings and big outdoor screens so many, like this one, simply sit deserted.

Abandoned Church and Boarding School

Torresdale, Pennsylvania: Eden Hall was once a proud French Gothic Revival church developed in the mid-1800s as part of an early boarding school complex including classrooms, dormitories, a library and a gymnasium – most of which were destroyed in a fire in the late 1970s. Unlike other abandonments featured here this deserted building was unfortunately recently destroyed by fire just a few years back.

7 more abandoned wonders, amazing ones in New York, Pennsylvania, Cali...

Ever see an impressive derelict structure and wonder just how a building so elegant, sizable or centrally located could be abandoned? There are amazing abandonment's all over the world, but some may be closer than you think. Many are even located right in the heart of major cities like New York or Los Angeles and are decades or even centuries old. From zoos to steel mills, prisons to offices complexes and monasteries to cemeteries here are 7 abandoned wonders of the USA.

Abandoned Cemetery in New York

Rochester, New York: Built in the early 1800s, Mt. Hope Cemetery was the first municipal cemetery in the United States with graves older than the official graveyard itself. Such famous persons as Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas are among those buried there in everything from lawn crypts and columbariums to family mausoleums. It seems strange, then, that the chapel at such an historically significant location would be abandoned to the elements, though it remains elegant even in its disrepair.

Abandoned Prison in Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Western Penitentiary is over a century old and was finally abandoned a few years back, only to be reopened a few months ago. The site was, in a way, one of the world’s most temporary abandonments, left in pristine condition during its period of disuse and lending itself to the surreal experience of a recently working prison for visitors. Originally used in the 1800s to house Confederate Army war prisoners, it is now used for medium to low security containment of inmates requiring drug and alcohol treatment.

Abandoned Factory in New York

Lacawana, New York: The Bethlehem Steel Company was once the second largest steel mill in the United States. They manufactured everything from railroad cars and bridge and building parts to World War II battleships. After nearly 150 years in operation, the company finally declared bankruptcy less than a decade ago and has left behind a series of remarkably intact abandonments.

Abandoned Island in New York

North Brother Island, New York: This abandoned 20-acre island sits amazingly close to the bustling center of New York City yet is completely unused. It was home to a hospital in the 19th Century, then housed veterans after World War II before becoming one of the first drug treatment centers for teens in the 1950s. Corruption and failure caused the facility to close and the island has since been off limits to the public, though some urban explorers have made their way onto it anyway. The island was also the site of an infamous shipwreck in 1904 in which over 1,000 people drowned or burned to death.

Abandoned Tech Office in California

Palo Alto, California: During the dot-com bubble, Sun Microsystems experienced incredible growth and rapidly expanded in all areas including personnel, infrastructure and office space. Sun has since had ups and downs and has streamlined their operations and few people think twice about the amazing remnant abandonments they have left behind, save for a few intrepid urban explorers. Along with other things, the (above) adventurers found shotgun shells, cans of malt liquor, rows of servers and even working light fixtures.

Abandoned Monastery and School Complex

Staten Island, New York: St. Augistine’s Monastary sits atop Grymes Hill and was once a school but now has been closed for over a half a century. Originally built as a school for boys, it was later converted and then sat idle until purchased in the 1980s. Each new owner, though, has since fallen into debt and the school was eventually purchased by a local college to avoid unwanted development, yet even Wagner College apparently has no plans to develop the property.

Abandoned Los Angeles Zoo Site

Los Angeles, California: The Griffith Park Zoo in Los Angeles is neither the oldest nor the newest of L.A.’s massive animal habitats. Though this location was abandoned decades ago it is unusually available to visitors even today. It isn’t every day that a set of abandonments not only survives for generations but also remains available to the public as a kind of museum or window into the past.

I wanted to take a moment and say.....

HELLO to all the new readers sent over from Facts NOT Fairies!! I also wanted to say THANK you to the author of the blog for linking me and my story on their blog, I highly appreciate the blog traffic you have sent over, I am really interested in reading your blogs and the post! I haven't had too much time to yet because I've been extremley busy today and still have ONE more errand to make! But I really wanted to take a moment and say thank you, because I truly do appreciate it! Anywho, that is all for now, stay tuned for some more blogs I have quite a few in the making, & again thank you for visiting,would love if people would start leaving their thoughts & even suggestions (if they have any!)! So again thank you & happy blogging/surfing the net all!

The newest celebrity to have not 1 but "8" WAX FIGURES of her done is........

Lady Gaga of course..

Lady Gaga finally has her wax figures. She has eight different wax figures with eight different looks and will be displayed in eight different parts of world in the famous wax museum Madame Tussauds. This was also the most expensive wax figure launch in history.

London

Amsterdam

Hong Kong

Berlin

Shanghai

New York City

Las Vegas

 

Hollywood

 I think they do however look amazing, but really did she need 8? *Lol* She is also such a new *star it's shocking (to me at least) that she would have THAT many made for her at one time! However they did come out WONDERFUL as usual, and kinda creepy because they ACTUALLY look like SHE; herself is standing there and that it is NOT WAX, LOL!  & one thing I am sure of her Little Monsters will most definitely be pleased! I can hear their millions of fingers tapping away at the keyboard to get their parents the O' so promised CHEAPEST FLIGHT & Trip w/accommodations info! HA, beautiful world we live in now with the day and age of the internet! Back then it was back packing and Hitch hiking then grounded till your 22! But now it is permitted and approved, just proves how much times have changed.(But HEY, don't get me wrong I am not complaining! #JustSaying as you'd say on Twitter, lol) ☺  

I also find it very cool too see which "Gaga" each different part of the world best! I find it interesting such as Berlin I would have expected Hong Kong would have chosen, lol since it goes w/their culture style.But, anywho what are your thoughts on this & each of her Figures? Do you think they came out nice? Do you think she should have had 8 made all over the world? Does she deserve an acknowledgment like that?  Would love to hear some of your thoughts thanks......

Oh, Also the Source to the Pictures is connected to the picture itself, all you have to do is click it! Thank you for reading & please use the share options below.  

Also PLEASE the poll on my right side so far MOVIES is killing it in desired content here, can you please VOTE on the answers you wish to see more here, you may pick multiple (heck you can pick ALL, lol) just please vote I value ANYONE who reads/follows this blogs opinions and would really like to know what type of content is best desired, so if you all could do that for me I have I believe 9 votes so far! But, really that would be so awesome of you guys and only takes a moment! Also you don't have to be concerned about it redirecting you out of my page or anything that doesn't happen. It simply just logs your votes then shows you the results. Thanks again and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!! ♥

Some amazing natural events you probably haven’t ever seen...

1.Denmark Black Sun

 

During spring in Denmark, at approximately one half an hour before sunset, flocks of more than a million European starlings (sturnus vulgaris) gather from all corners to join in the incredible formations shown above. This phenomenon is called Black Sun (in Denmark), and can be witnessed in early spring throughout the marshlands of western Denmark, from March through to the middle of April. The starlings migrate from the south and spend the day in the meadows gathering food, sleeping in the reeds during the night. There are sometimes enough birds in the sky that they end up blocking out the sun, hence the term”Black Sun Phenomenon”� 

2.Venezuela Permanent Storm  
The mysterious “Relampago del Catatumbo”� (Catatumbo lightning) is a unique natural phenomenon in the world. Located on the mouth of the Catatumbo river at Lake Maracaibo (Venezuela), the phenomenon is a cloud-to-cloud lightning that forms a voltage arc more than five kilometer high during 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours a night, and as many as 280 times an hour. This almost permanent storm occurs over the marshlands where the Catatumbo River feeds into Lake Maracaibo and it is considered the greatest single generator of ozone in the planet, judging from the intensity of the cloud-to-cloud discharge and great frequency. 

 

The area sees an estimated 1,176,000 electrical discharges per year, with an intensity of up to 400,000 amperes, and visible up to 400 km away. This is the reason why the storm is also known as the Maracaibo Beacon as light has been used for navigation by ships for ages.The collision with the winds coming from the Andes Mountains causes the storms and associated lightning, a result of electrical discharges through ionized gases, specifically the methane created by the decomposition of organic matter in the marshes. Being lighter than air, the gas rises up to the clouds, feeding the storms. Some local environmentalists hope to put the area under the protection of UNESCO, as it is an exceptional phenomenon, the greatest source of its type for regenerating the planet’s ozone layer. 

3.Morocco Climbing Goats  

Goats on trees are found mostly only in Morocco. The goats climb them because they like to eat the fruit of the argan tree, which is similar to an olive. Farmers actually follow the herds of goats as they move from tree to tree. Not because it is so strange to see goats in trees and the farmers like to point and stare, but because the fruit of the tree has a nut inside, which the goats can’t digest, so they spit it up or excrete it which the farmers collect. The nut contains 1-3 kernels, which can be ground to make argan oil used in cooking and cosmetics. This oil has been collected by the people of the region for hundreds of years, but like many wild and useful things these days, the argan tree is slowly disappearing due to over-harvesting for the trees wood and overgrazing by goats.As a result a group of people and organizations have banded together to try to save the tree. To do so one of the primary locations where the trees grow has been declared a biosphere preserve. It was also decided that by making the world aware of the oil, it’s great taste and supposed anti-aging properties, would create a demand for it.

 

However, the people who planned to market the oil could not envision people wanting to put an oil on their food or their face that was collected from goat excrement. As a result, a campaign is being led to ban grazing on the trees by goats during certain parts of the year to allow the fruit to ripen and fall off on its own. The fruit is then collected and turned into oil by oil cooperatives. So far, this arrangement seems to be working. 

4.Honduras Rain of Fishes

The Rain of Fish is common in Honduran Folklore. It occurs in the Departamento de Yoro, between the months of May and July. Witnesses of this phenomenon state that it begins with a dark cloud in the sky followed by lightning, thunder, strong winds and heavy rain for 2 to 3 hours. 

Once the rain has stopped, hundreds of living fish are found on the ground. People take the fish home to cook and eat them. Since 1998 a festival known as “Festival de la Lluvia de Peces”� (Rain of Fish Festival) is celebrated every year in the city of Yoro, Departamento de Yoro, Honduras. 

5. Kerala Red Rain

From 25 July to 23 September 2001, red rain sporadically fell on the southern Indian state of Kerala. Heavy downpours occurred in which the rain was colored red, staining clothes with an appearance similar to that of blood. Yellow, green, and black rain was also reported.It was initially suspected that the rains were colored by fallout from a hypothetical meteor burst, but a study commissioned by the Government of India found that the rains had been colored by airborne spores from a locally prolific terrestrial alga. 

 

Then in early 2006, the coloured rains of Kerala suddenly rose to worldwide attention after media reports of a conjecture that the coloured particles were extraterrestrial cells, proposed by Godfrey Louis and Santhosh Kumar of the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam. The terrestrial origins of the solid material in the red rain were supported by an investigation into the isotopic ratios of nitrogen and carbon. 

6.Brazilian longest wave on the Earth

 

Twice a year, between the months of February and March, the Atlantic Ocean waters roll up the Amazon river, in , generating the longest wave on the Earth. The phenomenon, known as the Pororoca, is caused by the tides of the Atlantic Ocean wich meet the mouth of the river. This tidal bore generates waves up to 12 feet high which can last for over half an hour.The name “Pororoca”� comes from the indigenous Tupi language, where it translates into great destructive noises�. The wave can be heard about 30 minutes before its arrival, and it’s so powerful that it can destroy anything, including trees, local houses and all kind of animals.The wave has become popular with surfers. Since 1999, an annual championship has been held in  Domingos do Capim. However, surfing the Pororoca is especially dangerous, as the water contains a significant amount of debris from the margins of the river (often, entire trees). The record that we could find for surfing the longest distance on the Pororoca was set by Picuruta Salazar, a Brazilian surfer who, in 2003, managed to ride the wave for 37 minutes and travel 12.5 kilometers. A surfers dream: riding an almost never-ending wave. 

7.Idaho Fire Rainbow

The atmospheric phenomenon known as a circumhorizon(tal) arc, or “Fire rainbow”, appears when the sun is high in the sky, and its light passes through diaphanous, high-altitude cirrus clouds made up of hexagonal plate crystals. 

 

Sunlight entering the crystals vertical side faces and leaving through their bottom faces is refracted (as through a prism) and separated into an array of visible colors. When the plate crystals in cirrus clouds are aligned optimally (i.e., with their faces parallel to the ground), the resulting display is a brilliant spectrum of colors reminiscent of a rainbow. The example shown above was captured on camera as it hung for about an hour across a several-hundred square mile area of sky above northern Idaho (near the Washington border) on 3 June 2006.