Lancaster Stockyards

Bluecapriethan told us about the Lancaster Stockyards a few months ago -- and funny enough, I actually pass it every day going to work but never noticed it before. Some explorer I am!



The Stockyards was founded in 1895, and grew to be one of the bigger livestock operations in the eastern half of the country. It was the site of tremendous cruelty to its animals, and Gene Baur has provided some dramatic first-hand stories about the treatment cattle and sheep suffered at the Stockyards, and he's featured in this video on the subject.










We (that is to say I) decided not to go poking around inside, as Lancaster was kind of busy awaiting Barack Obama's speech at the train station (why he spoke at the train station is beyond me). It would've been perfect though, as the police were all tied up with security duties. The site is very open; a drive-by is quite easy, and there's still plenty to see.

Thanks again to Bluecapriethan for this one!

The Warehouse

A while ago, I think in November, Brian found this little critter. It wasn't something we could just walk into, as it's in the middle of a small neighborhood.






We're stumped on the second-floor garage doors. Any ideas?





Again, it's probably awesome on the inside but we may never know for sure.

Whitehall Parkway

One of Pennsylvania's least-known abandonments is also one of its most interesting (and enormous). A great guy named Shawn emailed me about this site in November, and Brian and I only got to it two weeks ago.

Part of the Ironton Rail Trail, the Whitehall Parkway is the site of some of America's earliest cement plants, and has dozens of stone and concrete ruins in varying states of decay -- in some, only a wall or two remain.









Easily the best part of this abandonment is that it's legal to visit. The surrounding townships turned the site into a hiking trail, and we saw at least a dozen people biking, jogging (and snapping photos) on a frosty January day.











This would've been nice and eerie if my jeans weren't so damn blue.