Old folks, Churches and Satan.

I would like to continue the story of our last big overnight trip here because we didn’t just sneak into an abandoned science lab and a mansion, that was just day one. On day two we were up early again and ready to hit the road for coffee and fresh asbestos heading to a spot we hand’t planned on thanks to a tip from a friend in the area. Up first was the nursing home, which would prove to have some spectacular finds waiting inside. From the outside you could tell it was impressive one of the larger buildings on the block, all covered in vines and beautiful overgrowth, the first few doors shut tight but a little luck and we found our way inside without too much effort. Once we got in the doors we were immediately taken back by how beautiful it looked, considering it was located in an inner-city with people all over the place I was shocked at how well it was preserved, typically places in the city get broken into and vandalized or taken over by people without warm homes of their own. (Side note I think it would be an incredible use of space to restore some of these giant old mansions that are not too far gone and make them shelters) On the first floor was room after room with pretty old wallpaper and furniture, the living room area set up by other explorers made a beautiful backdrop for our photos with the old couch and lamps and suitcases all put together, I loved the natural decay all over that room, we found a little beauty salon area where the old folks would get their hair done by staff or perhaps even hairdressers that came in for house calls, down long hallways were bathtubs with the assisted lifts attached and a chair that looked like it could launch the sitter into the next room. There were beautiful entryways and a staircase that led to the upper floors where all the extra special treasures were. I’m not sure how many people lived here at once but there were so many rooms set up mostly the same as they were left by the inhabits. Rooms full of books, a sewing station all set up with yarn perfect for our cat mask set because obviously, cats play with yarn, we found all sorts of old patterns for making clothes in several rooms suggesting a few of the folks enjoyed making clothes as a hobby during their retirement. My favorite thing that we came across was a scrapbook made by a resident with stories and newspaper articles about the home and the people who lived there, we found many photos of them in the house which is always so cool to find as you can see exactly how life used to be in this crumbling old forgotten home. I could spend forever telling you about all the little things we found but hopefully, the photos will do a good job of showing you all how much fun this spot was to explore.

Once we got all of our shots at the old folks’ home ( maybe two hours or spent wandering there) we headed out to spot number 2 which was also not planned but such a short drive from where we were, it had to be done. As you may or may not know I have a bit of a dislike for most forms of organized religions so the only time I enjoy church is when it’s crumbling and broken and smells like moldy unread bibles. So naturally, I had some fun because the next spot was a beautiful rotten old church. Some of the most spectacular architecture is wasted on churches, but lucky for me the decline of religion has left so many of these amazing buildings empty and boarded up. This one was another easy in and out location, not too many things to climb though which can be nice after a full day like the science lab. Most of us know how churches look, lots of pews, a grand piano stained glass, some of it shattered, often when churches close they take out the alter and a lot of the deity sculptures but this one still had the entire alter intact with I really enjoyed shooting climbing up the walls of to get upstairs (the real stairs were completely crumbled) Amber and I set up this heavy wooden cross we found for some cool shots and if you're easily offended by anti-religious imagery those shots might not be for you, and that’s okay the beauty of art is it dosen’t need to be liked or taken seriously, it’s all about perspective, our concept was a nun who gave up her vows and I think we accomplished that, I really enjoyed the color scheme and decay in this building as well, Amber went through a window and discovered there was another huge part of the building connected, some sort of daycare or school program, was obvious from the little auditorium, basketball court, and kids toys scattered about. This part of the building was way more decayed than the church itself.

The ending of this trip was without a doubt my favorite part, after all the big spots we ended the adventure at “The satan house”, nicknamed as such for the “satanic writing all over the walls of the upper floors. There was not much to this place at all a small house crumbling and tucked away in the woods, we initially walked right past it because it was so unassuming. The entire house was small two-story boarded up but still pretty easy to get inside, there was no furniture left except for a law chair which came in handy for shooting levitation, once you got up the stairs through every inch of the upper floor was covered in satanic graffiti which gave the most beautiful aesthetic I could have hoped for, I could shoot here all day and never get bored. I came to this spot with the intention of shooting a blood-soaked person in my pig mask, I did just that, Brandon shot some incredible levitation ideas which came out phenomenal. There are roomers that there is a local cult of some sort that uses this place for nefarious purposes, however, proof of that remains to be seen.

All in all, this was a fantastic trip with the A team as always and I have so many more adventures to tell you all about if I can keep up!

Be sure to check out the youtube channel and see some of these incredible places with your own eyes over at The Need For exploration, put that notification bell on so you don’t miss anything!!

I have updated the website so it is less cluttered the more galleries tab is gone but you can check out some of the shots from this adventure in the little gallery below

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@chaotiquephoto

@xurbanxxamberx

@theneedforexploration