Vacant: Inside 13 Eerie and Fascinating Abandoned Locations Across America

Tragedy strikes. Industry crumbles. People move on. And so the remains of everything from shopping malls and hotels to institutions and industrial facilities are abandoned across the United States of America. Highlighting the beautifully eerie work of Johnny Joo, a Cleveland-based photographer specializing in photographing architectural remains, OnlyInYourState’s Vacant features 13 fascinating man-made structures that were left abandoned and are slowly being reclaimed by nature. Below, you will discover the most toxic city in America, the oldest detention center in the country, an abandoned Lisa Frank factory, and so much more.

Editor’s Note: Due to the nature of abandoned destinations, many of the places featured in this series are off-limits to visitors or have actually been demolished. We do not condone trespassing and other illegal activity but rather encourage readers to enjoy learning about these fascinating destinations.

Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

Throughout the years, many local malls have fallen on rough times, and today, vacant malls can be found across the United States, including this once-popular local mall in Alabama. Originally opened in the 1970s and closed for good in 2008, the Montgomery Mall is an eerie reminder of days gone by.

From the exterior, the Montgomery Mall still looks like an impressive retail destination, but time has taken its toll. Inside, the brightly lit atrium still keeps many of the hallways looking shiny, though 15 years of disrepair can be clearly seen in much of the mall, especially the overgrown floors.

Learn more about this once-thriving mall in Alabama.

Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

The United States Navy’s first hydrofoil research vessel, the USS Plainview, was built for $21 million and measured 210 feet in length and 320 tons. Placed into service in 1969, the ship had approximately 268 hours of traveling on its foils. This navy ship was used for nearly 10 years, but on September 22, 1978, in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the USS Plainview was decommissioned. Two days later, on September 30, 1978, it was struck from the Naval Vessel Register.

The ship was eventually sold to a Tacoma company for scrapping, and partial scrapping of the ship began in 2004. As of 2019, it sits on mudflats on private property near Astoria, Oregon, on the Washington side of the border. While you cannot visit the ship in person, simply viewing images of this large vessel is eerie and chilling.

Learn more about this 21-million-dollar ship in Washington.

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Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

If you grew up in the late ’80s and ’90s, you probably remember Lisa Frank, but did you know those items were once made in Tucson, Arizona? Long forgotten amidst the arid desert landscape is the abandoned Lisa Frank Factory. What was once a building with an exterior as whimsical and colorful as its products has faded over time.

Yet the allure remains. If you’ve never visited this abandoned place in Arizona, it’s certainly worth driving to just to bring back all those colorful neon memories of when Lisa Frank dominated the pop culture landscape of our childhoods. This factory is eerie, no doubt, but it is also easily the most colorful and nostalgic vacant destination on this list.

Learn more about this colorful and nostalgic factory.

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Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

Constructed in 1753 and influenced by the English Georgian style, the Old Sheldon Church in South Carolina was rumored to be the country's first attempt to build a Greek-style temple. The Old Sheldon Church has roots in the American Revolutionary War era and contains lots of surprising history within its walls.

The church was burned during an attack by British troops in the midst of the Revolutionary War in 1779, and although the church was later rebuilt in 1826, we have no record or photographs of what the original church looked like. Thereafter, the church was raided and gutted by Union troops during the Civil War. Details of what happened to the church in the subsequent years remain muddled and unclear, though it was left to decay for decades. In 1970, the site's delicate ruins were added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Learn more about this abandoned church in South Carolina.

Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

The old Monongahela Hotel was originally built back in 1911, and it had many decades of good times before it finally closed. At just $4 per night in some instances, this hotel was a favorite place among weary travelers looking to hang up their hats for the night.

It's dead quiet now, but once upon a time, this place was bustling. There was a men's furnishing store on the ground floor to the west side. There was a bar on the east side. The lobby was in the center, where everyone checked in for their (hopefully pleasant) stay. The hotel changed ownership many times throughout the years, but finally, during the 1990s, the building closed its doors for good. Today, the hotel sits quiet and alone in downtown Brownsville.

Learn more about this spooky hotel in Pennsylvania.

Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

In 1913, zinc and lead were discovered in the land of what would become Picher. By 1920, the town was a booming mining town, and its population peaked at 15,252. Mining ceased in 1967, and thanks to decades of improper waste processes, storage, flushing, and more, large piles of toxic waste known as chat piled up around the mines and on the edges of town.

In the 1980s, after more than 20 years of trying to reverse the poisonous damage, it was determined by the EPA that the contamination was simply too much to remedy, and the town would need to be evacuated. In 2008, nature decided to speed up the process of Picher's demise without any say in the matter by residents. By then, toxins had seeped into every crevice of every building, and the buildings left standing by a tornado were - and still are - in a state of utter disrepair, with nothing left but vague memories of a place that was.

Learn more about the most toxic city in America.

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Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

Maryland has plenty of abandoned places with fascinating histories, but few can compare to the chilling history behind the Forest Haven Asylum. When it first opened in 1925, there was nothing else like it. The 200-acre campus had 22 buildings and housed more than 1,000 patients. Initially, the idea was to equip the residents with life skills so that they could return to society and be a part of the community.

On paper, it seemed like a great opportunity to help those in need of round-the-clock care. But in practice, things did not go as planned. Budget cuts, staff shortages, and mistreatment led to lawsuits, and eventually, the facility was closed for good in 1991. If these walls could talk, they’d tell you the horrors that went down during the 66 years this place was operational.

Learn more about this abandoned hospital in Maryland.

Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

Situated within the industrial ruins of St. Louis' Rootwad Park is the now-defunct Cotton Belt Freight Depot. It was built in 1911 for the purpose of handling the movement of freight for the St. Louis Southwestern Railway. This five-story freight depot stands out for its unique construction and eye-popping color amongst the otherwise drab and muted tones of the industrial park. The oddly proportioned depot is 750 feet long and 30 feet wide, and its support beams now bear the markings of vibrant graffiti art, though it's difficult to imagine these graffiti-laden walls housing the hustle and bustle of a once-booming cotton industry.

The cotton industry fell into decline and officially closed its doors in 1959, left to decay. Many see the value in preserving the relics from America's industrial past. As such, the Cotton Belt Freight Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 2004.

Learn more about this abandoned freight depot in Missouri.

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Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

Located on the Canadian border, the Bonnie Castle Greens mini-golf course in Alexandria Bay was a truly unique all-ages adventure – but those days are long past. Divided into two 18-hole courses dubbed the American Adventure and the Canadian Adventure, the Bonnie Castle Greens mini-golf course has fallen into disrepair, but many remnants of the quirky attraction it once was remain amid the overgrowth.

It feels frozen in time – a uniquely New York adventure whose day has come and gone. The entire area has a whimsical, nautical vibe to it, and many of the larger structures are still intact, albeit a little run down.

Learn more about this abandoned family attraction in New York.

Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

Sprawling 8,493 acres with more than 400 buildings at its peak, the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant crafted things like TNT, rockets, and other pyrotechnic-centric affairs. During World War II alone, this plant manufactured 393 million pounds of TNT, and in the late 1980s, the plant destroyed missile systems for the U.S. and the Soviets. Clean up began after the plant was closed for good in the 1990s.

In 2000, the grounds transferred ownership to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the kind folks there created the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. As of the time of this writing, about 6,000 acres of the former ammunition plant's land has been deemed safe for visitors, and in 2009, it officially opened to the public to explore with signs that warn you of the dangers – like stray explosives.

Learn more about this ammunition plant in Texas.

Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

Did you know that the oldest juvenile detention center in the entire United States is located in Ohio? No, it’s no longer in operation – it’s stood abandoned for over a decade now – but its halls still echo with the stories of young adults housed here thanks to a variety of offenses.

The Cuyahoga Juvenile Detention Center opened in 1931 in downtown Cleveland. Touring the building, one finds many remains: those of courtrooms and cells, offices and courtyards. Today, it is an eerie reminder of the darkness of our justice system, where complaints were ignored, and overcrowding was prevalent.

Learn more about the oldest detention center in the United States.

Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

An incorporated coal town in West Virginia's McDowell County, you may have heard of Coalwood before, as it's the location for NASA engineer Homer Hickam Jr.’s memoir, “October Sky,” which was originally published in 1998 as "Rocket Boys." Founded in 1905 around the Carter Coal Company, Coalwood was established with offices, homes, a company store, a church, and even a schoolhouse to draw people in.

At its peak, Coalwood had a population of more than 2,000 residents, but once coal demand declined, the town slowly crumbled. The now-combined Coalwood-Caretta mine continued to be successful until the Coalwood mine stopped coal mine production in 1982, and officially closed in 1986.

Learn more about this old mining town in West Virginia.

Johnny Joo/Odd World Studio, Contributed Photo

The story of Elkmont began in the 1840s, but it wasn't until the early 1900s that the community was established as a resort community. When the Great Smoky Mountain National Park opened in 1934, the residents of Elkmont had to make a choice: sell their homes for full value and relocate or sell their properties to the NPS at a discounted price and get to live in them.

Most leases on the properties expired in 1992, and as a result, the park was left with 70 historic cabins and sites with no one to take care of them. As a result, deterioration began. Many buildings were torn down, but 19 were preserved by the National Park Service as the Elkmont Historic District, where visitors can tour the abandoned and partially restored cabins to take a glimpse into what once was.

Learn more about these abandoned cabins in Tennessee.

Which one of these abandoned destinations intrigues you most? Special thanks to Cleveland-based photographer Johnny Joo of Odd World Studio for the photos used in this article. For more images, check out his website, Architectural Afterlife.