Awesomely Abandoned

VW BUG IN CANCUN

A VW Bug sculpture on display under water in Cancun

This little VW Bug is part of an underwater museum in Cancun.  For those who don't have the courage or the ability to dive or snorkel, there is also the option of seeing it through glass bottom boats. 



Underwater, there are over 500 sculptures to view.  This VW sculpture is a life-sized replica of the Classic Volkswagen Beetle which houses marine life as well as being entertaining for divers.

RUSSIAN SHIPWRECK  IN THE RED SEA

Shipwreck in the Red Sea that may have been a spy ship

There were several shipwrecks in the Red Sea but this particular shipwreck looks like it may have been what is referred to as the "Russian Wreck."  It was discovered back in 1988 and treasure hunters think it is the fishing trawler named Khanka.  It is believed that the Russians used fishing trawlers for surveillance and communication.  There was a lot of communication equipment, electronic devices and batteries found on board, so it was most likely used as a spy ship.

The HMS Ontario sank in 1780

The HMS Ontario, a British warship that sank in 1780, is the oldest British warship to have been found in the Great Lakes.  It was discovered mostly intact between Niagara, New York and Rochester, New York in 2008.  The ship sank during a storm and about 130 men lost their lives.  


Jim Kennard started searching for the ship 35 years earlier but was not successful until he teamed up with Dan Scoville, another hunter who was searching for sunken vessels.  Together, it only took them three years to find this ship.

The SS America ran aground in the Canary Islands

Built in 1940, the SS America was mostly a passenger ship and had gone by several different names up until the wreck, which occurred in 1994.  



In 1941, during a period of time when the ship was used by the Navy, there were two Nazi spies aboard among the crew.  They were part of the Duquesne Spy Ring and were later convicted, along with 31 other agents when the FBI uncovered them.  It was the largest espionage conviction in United States History.  



In 1994, on what was supposed to be a 100-day journey, they ran into a storm and the ship went aground just off of the Canary Islands. It eventually broke in two.

The Dixon Cove Wreck is partially underwater in Honduras

The Dixon Cove Wreck occurred in the 1970s, and according to one of many rumors, it was partially caused by a storm that pushed it into the channel so it was stranded there.  


The ship was supposedly carrying wood. In an effort to save the ship, they tried unloading it. It was later retrieved by pillagers.  


Another rumor claims that they were carrying marble.  Still another rumor claims that both the Dixon Cove and another ship (that is also wrecked there)  caught on fire and were abandoned.  It has been said that both ships were part of the Nicaraguan Revolution.

1911 photo of abandoned mining town

In 1845, a large amount of silver was discovered in this little town of Silver Islet but efforts to mine the silver were near impossible due to weather conditions and the tumultuous waters of Lake Superior.  


They fought against storms, tidal waves, and ice surges all to no avail until decades later, the miners were finally able to retrieve the silver (worth about $3 million) by building a breakwater of rock and concrete that was able to hold back the raging water.  


In 1883, all operations ceased due to water-filled shafts and the lack of funds for fuel to keep the furnaces going.

Lucy The Elephant has been a tourist stop since the 1880's 

This enormous elephant-shaped building is named Lucy and originally had six stories when it was built back in 1881. It was called Elephant Bazaar and had winding stairs that led up to the howdah, the seat where you would ride an elephant.  


Lucy endured many disasters including a fire during a period of time when the building was used as a tavern.  During one of these disasters, Lucy's howdah got blown off.  By 1960, it had been so neglected that the city condemned it.  


When a new developer bought Lucy and wanted to have her removed, a committee formed to save and restore her.  After being abandoned for many years, today she is back in operation and fully restored. 

Once a luxury hotel, Halcyon Hall became part of Bennett College in New York
but was demolished in 2014

Built in 1890, Halcyon Hall started out as a luxury hotel for wealthy clientele with five stories and two hundred rooms.  Unfortunately, the hotel didn't do as well as planned and was closed down in 1901.  


In 1907, a school teacher from New York bought it and used it as a school for girls. More buildings were added, which eventually led to it becoming Bennett Junior College.  


By the 1970s, it began sinking into debt as more co-ed colleges were popping up.  In 1977, it went bankrupt and was abandoned shortly after.  


Despite being placed on the National Register for Historic Places, it was demolished in 2014.  

Sunken boats create a safe harbor for smaller boats

These ships look like they are sitting on the surface of the water of this beautiful island, but the truth is they were sunken there on purpose on Moreton Island in order to create a safe harbor for smaller boats on the island. That explains why they are lined up the way they are.  


These old boats dating back to 1963 were steam dredges and barges that were no longer in use.  At the request of a group of boat owners, these old wrecks were placed in the water.

Dome houses that were abandoned because of weather

Retired oil producer Bob Lee built these circular homes in 1980 in Cape Romano, located near Naples, Florida.  They were actually very beautiful when they were first built before hurricanes wreaked havoc on them.  


They used to have windows all around which gave a beautiful circular view of the beach.   The houses were fully solar-powered and self-sustaining.  


In 2005, they were sold to John Tosto right before Hurricane Wilma arrived which caused considerable damage not only to the dome houses but also washed away much of the coastline.  Now the sea has completely taken the houses over and the only way they can be reached is by boat.

An abandoned home in Oregon

An abandoned home in Boyd, Oregon is just one of the homes left empty after Boyd was un-incorporated in 1955.  Boyd is now a ghost town.  



The Great Depression had much to do with the demise of the town; especially since the town was already struggling from low wheat prices.  Businesses couldn't succeed without visitors coming into the area.  


The ghost town has many old dilapidated outhouses.  

Once the site of St Anne's Asylum, Atkins Hall Apartments are now mostly abandoned

Back in the mid-1800s, Atkins Hall Apartments was once St. Anne's mental asylum. It was originally three stories high and three blocks long, with men living on one side and women living on the other side.  



There were also other buildings such as a gate lodge and the Church of Ireland.  About half of this extremely long complex was renovated into apartments but the rest is still mostly abandoned.  Some people might find it creepy living in an apartment where mentally ill patients once resided.

Mir Diamond Mine in Eastern Siberia, Russia

The Mir Diamond Mine is an incredible treasure located in the city of Mirny, Eastern Siberia, Russia where diamonds were literally spilling out of the pit from 1957 to 2001.  The mine was finally closed down in 2011. 


Mir Diamond Mine is one of the World’s largest man-made holes and is referred to as the “Navel of the Earth.” 

What is amazing is how a place that looks so deserted could produce diamonds that made many miners rich beyond their wildest dreams. 

Abandoned theater inside Norwich State Hospital in Norwich Connecticut 

Norwich State Hospital treated both the criminally insane and patients who were mentally unstable.  It was new and innovative for its day when the hospital first opened in 1904 with only 95 patients. 

As new buildings were added on for dedicated recreation space, it grew to over 1,000 patients by 1915.  By 1955, there were 3,186 patients.  

The hospital was unlike any other. Recreation areas, like this theater, were added on, housed in separate buildings that were connected by underground tunnels.   

All good things come to an end. Investigations of the staff for reports of mistreating patients by starvation, prolonged confinements, beatings, and packing patients in ice led to the hospital finally being shut down in 1996. Many believe the buildings to be haunted.

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