This Dilapidated, Dangerous Structure In Ohio Belongs In A Stephen King Novel
By Beth|Published July 29, 2016
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Beth
Author
A lifelong Virginia resident, Beth loves exploring different parts of the world and currently resides in Charlottesville. She holds a degree in English Literature and one of her short stories has been featured in the Shenandoah Review. Other interests include hiking, songwriting, and spending time in the mountains.
At one point in time, this abandoned property was actually the largest building in Ohio. And how the mighty have fallen. Today, this multi-story Victorian house stands in a quiet area of Bangs, Ohio as little more than a shell of its former days. What started out as a facility to house the poor before was re-used as an infirmary. Some repair was performed on the structure when the Knox County Bible College took over operation of the building. But after 30 years, the building was abandoned yet again…and then twice more. Looking at the following pictures of this eerie site, it’s no wonder how the nickname “House of Nightmares” came to be.
Construction of the Knox County Poorhouse began in 1875 and was one of the most impressive buildings of its time. The 4-story structure took up 90,000 square feet and had a total of 90 rooms.
Many of its residents lived out their entire lives on the property. In 1953, the poorhouse was closed due to growing concerns about the building's stability.
By 1957, the building had been reclaimed as the campus to Mount Vernon Bible College. This ran only 30 years before the college relocated to Virginia and the poorhouse was once again left to deteriorate.
This empty and abandoned place gained quite a haunted reputation. Hoping to capitalize on this, "House of Nightmares" opened as a staged haunted house within the building. The property managers put much effort into staging this spooky attraction, but not much maintenance was performed on the building's structure.
In 2006, the site suffered from a drastic internal collapse and the haunted house was closed permanently. Today, the grounds are maintained by private ownership, although the building's appearance has not changed. The dilapidated structure is littered with remnants of each of the building's phases.
And the story doesn't end there either. Recently, the Knox County Poorhouse was listed for sale at just $59,000. Several bids were placed and plans were made for renovations, but the entire structure was gutted by fire. Conditions were so dangerous, in fact, that firefighters decided to let the building burn out rather than attempt to save it. What remains today is a barely-standing structure that is even more dangerous than it was at the time of its first abandonment.
What do you think of this fascinating and dangerous Ohio mansion? Will the Knox County Poorhouse ever see another renovation, or is it doomed to a fate of eternal abandonment?
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