Historic Structures - Urban Exploration of Historic Properties

Central Vermont Railway Depot, Northfield Vermont

Central Vermont Railway Depot, Northfield Vermont

The Central Vermont Railway Depot at Northfield is one of the last extant structures of the great Railroad Shops complex which formed the first headquarters of the then Vermont Central Railroad from 1848-1860. The building, according to current research, is the oldest surviving railroad station in Vermont and is representative of the first generation of railroad passenger facilities built by the Vermont Central. The structure serves as the visual focus of Northfield's downtown business district and symbolizes the village's former importance as a railroad center. The fact that a bank has been a continuous tenant in the building since 1866 documents the past and future potential of railroad stations for commercial as well as transportation activity. The original depot at Northfield

Schade Brewery - Antique Mall, Spokane Washington

Schade Brewery - Antique Mall, Spokane Washington

The old Schade Brewery provides a prominent physical reminder of past social, industrial, and architectural eras. It is a striking landmark, and a local manifestation of national trends. The building takes its name from Bernhardt Schade, the brew master who had the building erected in 1903. Schade served as assistant brew master at another Spokane brewery, the New York Brewery, for a decade prior to the creation of his own brewing operation. In 1903 he bought the entire oversized city block on East Trent from a Mr. Frost. Included in the purchase was a cold storage building Frost was constructing on the site. Schade hired the architect Lewis Stritesky, designer of the prominent Westminster Apartments at 2301 West Pacific in Spokane,

Oakland Cemetery, Fort Dodge Iowa

Oakland Cemetery, Fort Dodge Iowa

Set aside as a cemetery in 1859, Oakland Cemetery is a good and rare example, in north central Iowa, of the influence of the Rural Cemetery Movement of the mid-1800s. It was laid out in 1859 by an architect and civil engineer named Egbert Bagg, from Utica, New York. Its picturesque setting, including the highest point in Fort Dodge and overlooking Soldier Creek; it's park-like landscape architecture accommodating the natural contours and vegetation of the land; and the great variety of Victorian styles in grave markers and monuments typify the movement. Oakland Cemetery has a close association of its establishment and development with the settlement and development of the City of Fort Dodge, and its ongoing reflections of the community's intense

Mabton High School, Mabton Washington

Mabton High School, Mabton Washington

Built in 1911 during a period of local growth and prosperity, Mabton High School was the city's first and, for more than fifty years, only high school building. The scale and cost of the school reflect the civic optimism of Mabton's early years and, although community fortunes declined after the 1920s, the school remains an imposing symbol from an era when Mabton was a leading trade center in the Yakima Valley. Mabton was established as Mabelton Station in 1892, a stop along the route of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The site was located in a rich agricultural region, and stores, warehouses, hotels, and a depot were constructed almost immediately in anticipation of coming trade. Reflecting this initial growth, the town's first

Union Depot, Pueblo Colorado

Union Depot, Pueblo Colorado

Pueblo Union Depot was built in 1889-1890 and the contract for operation was signed on August 1^st, 1889 by representatives of five railroads: Denver & Rio Grande; Denver, Texas & Fort Worth; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; and the Missouri Pacific. Prior to that time, each of the five railroads managed their respective stations. Articles of incorporation were filed on December 23^rd, 1887, at the offices of James Rice, Secretary of State. The incorporators were: David H. Moffat, Walter S. Chesman, Andrew S. Hughes, P. J. Flynn, and C. F. Meek. The board of directors consisted of M. D. Thatcher, C. W. Smith, S. H. H. Clark, C. F. Meek, and David Moffat. Mr. Moffat served

Union Pacific Railroad Julesburg Depot, Julesburg Colorado

Union Pacific Railroad Julesburg Depot, Julesburg Colorado

The 1930 Union Pacific Railroad Julesburg Depot played a critical role in the development and growth of Julesburg and of northeastern Colorado. Rail service moved passengers, agricultural products, cattle and locally manufactured items to points east and west. The main line connects Julesburg with both the east and the west coasts. The Denver spur was very important for local citizens traveling to and from Denver and for area merchants to get their goods to market. The brick structure, now the Depot Museum, has been moved approximately 110 feet north in order to save it from demolition. The building is a standard Union Pacific architectural plan of its time for a combination-type depot. Julesburg has a mobile past. Originally founded in the

Kinne Cemetery, Griswold Connecticut

Kinne Cemetery, Griswold Connecticut

The Old Kinne Burying Ground is a family cemetery in the southeastern corner of the Town of Griswold. Initially, Griswold was the North Society of the larger Town of Preston, until 1815 when the Town of Griswold was split off as a separate municipality. In 1711 Samuel Coy erected a corn mill at the falls in the Pachaug River. In due course, a dam created Glasgo Pond, which is visible from the Old Kinne Burying Ground. By the time of the Revolutionary War, the population of the area that was to become the Town of Griswold was 1,000, with agriculture the leading industry, augmented by water-powered mills. The Old Kinne Burying Ground, one of 18 family cemeteries in Griswold, was established

Bannerman Plantation, Tallahassee Florida

Bannerman Plantation, Tallahassee Florida

The house was constructed by planter Charles Bannerman in 1852. The plantation house and remaining acreage represent a mid-sized planter's home, and agricultural operations during the antebellum period. It is a fine example of vernacular southern architecture with Greek Revival elements. It is also one of few remaining antebellum residences in rural Leon County, a county once dominated economically, politically, and socially by its cotton planters. The house and its surrounding land are the remnants of over 1549 acres amassed by Charles Bannerman from 1827 until his death in 1866. The property retains visible cultural remains of the antebellum period agricultural complex, including the house itself, the sites of former outbuildings, a slave cemetery, fields, and three plantation roads. The Bannerman

Beech Grove Cemetery, Muncie Indiana

Beech Grove Cemetery, Muncie Indiana

Muncie, or Munseytown as it was then known, was founded in the mid-1820s on land donated by Goldsmith C. Gilbert, Lemuel Jackson and William Brown. Although it was named the Delaware County seat soon thereafter, the new settlement grew slowly in its early years and was not incorporated as a town until 1854. Eleven years later, in 1865, Muncie was incorporated as a city. In 1876 an area farmer drilling a well encountered a foul smell and a strange rumbling sound. The hole, popularly believed to lead to Hell, was quickly covered and virtually forgotten. Ten years later, however, it was realized that the hole had actually contained natural gas, and east central Indiana's gas boom was underway. For the next

Boone Santa Fe Railroad Depot, Boone Colorado

Boone Santa Fe Railroad Depot, Boone Colorado

Many communities in Colorado owe their birth and initial development to the railroads. In contrast, Boone, located twenty miles east of Pueblo and about a mile north of the Arkansas River, had a pre-railroad history. The area was one of the earliest settled communities in Pueblo County with some sources citing settlers in the region by 1854. A.G. Boone, a grandson of Daniel Boone, came to Colorado in 1860 and two years later was operating a general merchandise store in Pueblo. He acquired land in the area and was an early Indian Agent on the Arkansas. The Barlow and Sanderson Stage Company ran a stage line from Independence to Santa Fe and established a branch line in 1862 that followed the

Bowen Mansion, Pueblo Colorado

Bowen Mansion, Pueblo Colorado

Designed by the prominent local architect, F.W. Cooper, the Bowen Mansion is representative of the unique architectural style found in Colorado toward the turn of the century. The distinctive style of the Bowen Mansion represents an interesting cross between the well loved Queen Anne style and the well-known Richardsonian Romanesque, which were popularized in the late 1800s. The irregularity of house shape, variety of color, and texture, so characteristic of the Queen Anne style, well portrayed in the Bowen Mansion. The decorative shingles, Pennsylvania brick, and rusticated stone result in a complex and unique massing, especially on the front facade. The Bowen Mansion also is composed of windows of various forms, quarter round, rectangular, eyebrow, square, and circular, another major characteristic

University Junior High School, Austin Texas

University Junior High School, Austin Texas

The University Junior High School, a joint project of the University of Texas and the Austin Public School System, opened in late September 1933. Situated on the southeast corner of the UT campus, the school served a dual purpose, benefiting the University as a facility for practice teachers, and accommodating the growing school-age population in Austin. George Dahl of the firm of Herbert M. Greene, LaRoche, and Dahl served as the architect, with the aid of the consulting architect, Paul Philippe Cret. The University of Texas celebrated its Semi-Centennial anniversary during the construction of the University Junior High School in 1933. In 1876 the constitution of the state of Texas was adopted, ordering the legislature to establish a university of the

Snoma Finnish Cemetery, Fruitdale South Dakota

Snoma Finnish Cemetery, Fruitdale South Dakota

The Snoma Cemetery is the only surviving site associated with the community of Snoma and therefore it is the only site to reveal the history of this small village. In 1887 (although another source indicates that the date was 1885, 1887 is the more commonly accepted date) the community of Snoma was established by a group of Scandinavians, most of whom belonged to a sect of the Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church which had splintered from the church in Lead. These Finns, Danes and Norwegians came to this area of Butte County in 1887 looking for farm land. Most had been miners in Lead and would return to the mines during the winter months for seasonal employment. The congregation was led by

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Passenger Depot, Colorado Springs Colorado

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Passenger Depot, Colorado Springs Colorado

In 1915 the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, a major carrier in Colorado since the 1870s, decided to build a large railway station in Colorado Springs. E.A. Harrison of Chicago designed the structure; and his drawings, dated June 5^th, 1916, are now on file in the Pike's Peak Regional Library in Colorado Springs. Construction went forward despite the nation's slow drift into World War I; and on September 15^th, 1917, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported that the railroad company will be occupying the finest station in the entire west devoted exclusively to passenger traffic. The edifice had cost $325,000. For the next half-century the Depot served its purpose as the point of arrival and departure for travelers, but after World

Hillside Cemetery, Anniston Alabama

Hillside Cemetery, Anniston Alabama

Samuel Noble led the town council in appointing a cemetery committee in early 1876 composed of the mayor Charles O'Rourke, council members John Loyd, J. B. McCain, and himself. The committee made provisions for planting shade trees and grass, grading the paths, and fencing the area. (Town council minutes in 1876-77 reflect the council's continuing interest in the progress of the cemetery.) Later in the development of the model city Samuel Noble invited the famous landscape architect N. F. Barrett (who had worked on Pullman, Illinois) to devise a plan of beautification for Anniston in the 1880s. Barrett's plans, which reportedly cost $50,000, included the town's parks and cemetery, the Tyler and Noble estates, and other large estates. The 1890 city

Holly Santa Fe Railroad Depot, Holly Colorado

Holly Santa Fe Railroad Depot, Holly Colorado

The Holly Santa Fe Depot is one of only four remaining county seat depots built by the Santa Fe Railroad in the state. Most of the communities in eastern Colorado owe their birth and initial development to the railroads. In 1873, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe laid railroad tracks across western Kansas into Colorado. Construction of a main line from Dodge City to El Paso would take nine years, from 1873 to 1881. In 1881, the Holly station first appeared in the Santa Fe employee timetables. Not too far south from this depot stands the ranch headquarters established by Hiram S. Holly (also spelled Holleys or Holley). By 1882, the ranch had blossomed into a community that provided services and

Lakeport Plantation, Shives Arkansas

Lakeport Plantation, Shives Arkansas

The Lakeport Plantation originated in the first half of the 19^th century, and throughout that century was owned by a single family. The two-story cypress frame house faces the Mississippi River in the southeast corner of Arkansas, and is probably the best example of an antebellum plantation house in the state. Built circa 1850, Lakeport Plantation is of classical design with an imposing two-story portico centered on the entry facade. Two brick accessory buildings complement the main structure. Chicot County tax records indicate that Joel Johnson, a native of Kentucky, was farming on the area now known as Lakeport Plantation in 1831. At that time the estimated value of his house was $100.00, so it can be safely assumed that this

Little Rock National Cemetery, Little Rock Arkansas

Little Rock National Cemetery, Little Rock Arkansas

The Civil War dramatically altered the course of the future of the City of Little Rock. Confederate leaders in Arkansas had long feared that the fall of Vicksburg would have dire consequences for the capital. These fears proved to be well-founded. General Ulysses S. Grant's capture of the Confederate stronghold freed thousands of Union troops for other campaigns, including the re-establishment of Federal control in Arkansas. Before the month of July 1863 was out, Major General Frederick Steele had arrived at Helena to take command of all Federal forces in the state. Steele's superiors recognized that control of the Arkansas River was necessary to secure Missouri and northern Arkansas against future Rebel incursions and as a base for operations against the

Victory Heights Elementary School, Winchester Kentucky

Victory Heights Elementary School, Winchester Kentucky

The Victory Heights Elementary School was constructed in 1939 with funding from the Public Works Administration. The construction of Victory Heights was one in a series of large projects undertaken by the City of Winchester and Clark County School Systems. The objective was to upgrade older city school buildings and consolidate the inefficient one and two-room, graded facilities serving the Clark County rural districts. Beginning in the fall of 1939, Victory Heights became the first consolidated school in Clark County to bus its students to school. Works Progress Administration projects within the county, ranging from a very small undertaking (painting the schools in 1935 at a cost of $1,500) to the very large (reconstruction of the streets in the City of

Llenroc Mansion, Ithaca New York

Llenroc Mansion, Ithaca New York

The elegant stone mansion known as Llenroc is the last extant building associated with the personal life of Ezra Cornell, inventor, industrialist, philanthropist and founder of the world-renowned Cornell University. Regarded as Ithaca, New York's finest post-Civil War Gothic residence, it is an outstanding and exceptionally well-preserved example of high-style masonry Gothic Revival architecture. Inside and out, the building displays an unusually high level of craftsmanship and meticulous attention to details, a tribute to the lofty ideals of Ezra Cornell, who supervised much of the building's construction himself. Ithaca, New York, the chief beneficiary of Ezra Cornell's philanthropy and the town he chose as the site for his home and the university he founded, is nestled in an amphitheater of hills,

Book Title Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences (Jonglez photo books)

Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences (Jonglez photo books)

Book Title Abandoned Train Stations: Rail Stations, Yards, Signalboxes and Tracks that the World Left Behind

Abandoned Train Stations: Rail Stations, Yards, Signalboxes and Tracks that the World Left Behind

Book Title Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

Book Title Abandoned Palaces: Great Houses, Mansions, Estates and Hotels Suspended in Time

Abandoned Palaces: Great Houses, Mansions, Estates and Hotels Suspended in Time

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.