GHOST HUNTERS

abandoned islands are the stuff adventure movies are made up of. We think of "Castaway" or "Swiss Family Robinson," but there are islands that, for various reasons, are abandoned. And what's left behind can be quite intriguing to those of us who are interested in urban exploration. Hashima Island, Japan Hashima Island, Japan From 1887 until 1974, the island of Hashima (Battleship) Island in Japan was used for mining coal. Eventually in the 1970s, the island emptied out and remained that way until recently when they began some limited tours of the site.  Hirta St. Kilda, Scotland Add caption Hirta, St. Kilda, Scotland This isolated island was always inhabited, by no more than 180 people usually, and in 1930, it was emptied out. Today, the only people to go there are researchers and scientists.  Spinalonga, Crete, Greece Spinalonga, Crete, Greece This island once harvested salt and then was a leper colony.  Inishmurray, County Sligo, Ireland Inishmurray, County Sl...

There are tons of abandoned sites around the world, but some are in such remote or odd locations that they seem like some post-apocalyptic movie set. Let's have a look at some of them found around the world -  Maunsell Forts, UK There were built on the Thames during WWII to help defend the UK.   Battleship Island, Japan Battleship Island in Japan was once a coal mining operation with an entire town built to support it. Then, they closed the operation down, moved the people off the island and it remained for 40 years. South Georgia Island, Antarctica This Norwegian whaling station on this island was established in 1904 and closed in 1966 .  Takakanonuma Greenland, Japan Built in the 1970s and closed in the mid 80s. Interestingly, the place is often shrouded in fog for some reason. Very "Silent Hill."  Mirny Diamond Mine, Russia Lots of mines go under, but some are more impressive in both the scar they leave in the earth and the towns that support their growth. Stalin ...

I had my taser at the ready in case he was a fast runner.  The squatter set up homestead above the abandoned barn and hung a pirate flag to establish his territory. This was just one of many unusual and unexpected finds at this particular site.... I had been to this location many times over several years. This photo above was the place months before the encounter with the angry squatter with the pirate flag.  At this point, he had put up the sign, hoping to scare folks off and was living out of his truck as he constructed the nest up in the barn. (see the top picture to see the nest floor he built and the outline of him angrily shaking his fist) We avoided exploring the house nearby because it was obvious desert pirate man was keeping an eye on the land.  One thing about urban exploring, there can be homeless people trying to seek shelter, but often you can run into drug dens, wild animals, asbestos, or illegal aliens hiding out. You have to be ready when you do this and...

It's rare that people leave a home with belongings intact. It takes a special set of circumstances for this to occur. Let's have a look at what it's like to perform urban archaeology. It makes one wonder about the people who lived there, the dreams they had, the reasons they left... .

  I'm ushering in the spooky season with some photos of abandoned places and short flash fiction beneath to give my readers an afternoon thrill. Enjoy! Church of Purgatory  Along a dusty untraveled road sat the decaying skeleton of a once grand church. The curious wanderer stopped at the entrance to squint into the darkness. "Come in," spoke a disembodied voice. "Come, boy, don't be afraid. We have cast out all the sinners. Repent boy and join our legion in the ether of this cathedral." The mental ward shut down and the exhausted and financially strapped owner opened the doors and let the patients free.  They wandered the marshes around the bay, some finding shelter under a suspension bridge, others being captured by the townsfolk and sent to other facilities.  But, the stubborn ones remained in the facility's pantry, determined to stay no matter what.  One day, months later, the bank sent someone to slap a sign on the door. The curious worker entered a...

There are so many types of abandoned buildings in America, but there is something so vulnerable and sad about an abandoned church. In perhaps one of the most "divine" interventions, Julie Ferguson and I were working on our book Abandoned Places: Abandoned Memories (Appalachian Edition) and we wanted to include a church. We were driving around West Virginia and I saw an exit for a town called "Sharon." I said,  "we gotta stop here!"  We exited and turned and there on the hill was a church. A man was on a ladder, taking down the letters. We asked him about it and he said they were taking a wrecking ball to it next week.  He got his wife, who showed us the rectory house and then the church, allowing us to photograph for the book. If that wasn't enough irony, it was Methodist - the religion I was raised in.  Then, on our way from Charleston up to Point Pleasant, we passed this abandoned church in the middle of nowhere with a creepy abandoned cemetery acro...