Posted in Wisconsin April 02, 2017 by

Hundreds Of People Used To Work At This Decaying Coffin Factory In Wisconsin

This abandoned factory in the midwest was once a bustling hive of activity. Today, its quietly decaying under the effects of years of cold Wisconsin winters. Photographers Ken Fager and Dan Turner captured these eerily beautiful photographs of the abandoned furniture plant.

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Buckstaff Furniture in Oshkosh Wisconsin was founded in 1850.
Flickr/Ken Fager
It produced home furniture, but was widely known as a casket and coffin company as well.
Dan Turner via SUBSTREET
Early in its history, fire threatened to destroy the growing company.
Flickr/Ken Fager
In 1886 and 1891, a pair of fires almost brought the Buckstaff plant to ruin. Luckily, the woodworking floors were saved and work could continue.
Flickr/Ken Fager
The factory officially closed in 2011 after 161 years of business.
Flickr/Ken Fager
The factory closed so suddenly that the last order was abandoned mid-production.
Flickr/Ken Fager
This means that materials and tools are still exactly where they would have been on a normal day of work.
Flickr/Ken Fager
Production targets and plans for February 17 still hang on the walls.
Photo Credit
Patterns for the coffins are still neatly filed away on the shelves.
Flickr/Ken Fager
Even though the plant has been abandoned for years, the smell of cedar and wood shavings is still in the air.
Flickr/Ken Fager
Well-worn paths between stations are cut into the floorboards from a century of workers' feet.
Flickr/Ken Fager
Buckstaff's biggest order came from the US Pentagon in 1951. They supplied the furniture throughout the Pentagon restaurant.
Flickr/Ken Fager
The last Buckstaff to run the company retired in 2007 after selling the enterprise to local businessman Martin Cowie.
Flickr/Ken Fager
Profits took a nosedive after the sale, and the town eventually cut the utilities to the Buckstaff Company in 2011.
Flickr/Ken Fager
After a century and a half of industry, Buckstaff Furniture quietly passed into memory.
Flickr/Ken Fager

Demolition of the Buckstaff plant was slated to begin in September 2016. The historic building was still in the midst of demolition as of February 2017.