Sunday, September 29, 2013

Abandoned House, Rural Kentucky



On a recent drive through the country, we stumbled past this lovely house.  Its a bit of a fixer-upper, needing some paint here and there.  Most people would drive right by, never stopping.  We decided otherwise, and this is what we found....


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Amtrak Train Car, converted into office, Louisville, Kentucky



Located in downtown Louisville, this Amtrak car is hidden amongst vines and industrial buildings.  Little known, it has been preserved and converted into office space, invisible to those who don't know where to look.


Sunday, September 22, 2013

Powder Plant Igloo Explosion on April 27, 1966 at INAAP, Charlestown, Indiana

Igloo 5186 Q, sibling of the now missing Igloo 5185 Q.
 At about 9:00 on April 27, 1966, the earth near Charlestown Indiana erupted in a volcano like explosion.  In one instant, 175,000 pounds of gunpowder exploded, ending three lives and shattering windows three miles away.  This is the story of what happened that morning, and what is left today.



Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Abandoned World War Two Bailey Bridge, Shelbyville, Kentucky




Located in downtown Shelbyville, Kentucky, this abandoned bridge is hidden amidst trees and terrain.  Hiding with it is a strange secret, that it is unlike any other bridge in the state of Kentucky.  How so?  Its a relic of World War Two, a portable Bailey Bridge, designed to be installed by combat engineers in the middle of a battle.  How it got here is unclear, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.


Sunday, September 15, 2013

Abandoned Knightridge Space Observatory, Bloomington, Indiana


 Abandoned in the woods near Bloomington Indiana, this old space observatory is slowly fading into ruin.  Long since abandoned because of its location, this strange relic stands guard in an empty lot outside town.


Thursday, September 12, 2013

Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial, Jeffersonville Indiana


Memorial, along with two flag poles.  The monument weighs more than ten tons.

Installed in October 2012 along the waterfront in Jeffersonville, Indiana, this is probably one of the first permanent public commemorations of America's recent wars.  How a society remembers its conflicts is an interesting subject, one we can only scratch the surface of here.  Early war memorials focus largely on largess, with themes of glory and patriotism.  More recently, a toned down scheme has taken over, with the goal being reflection upon those who served.  Regardless, here is a photo spread of this interesting memorial along the river.



Monday, September 9, 2013

Demolished Iron Front Facades on Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky


Louisville has several claims to fame, most involving athletics.  An outlier, perhaps, is Louisville's pride in its iron front buildings along main street.  Much effort is put into preserving them, even if that means that only their facades survive, as is the case along part of West Main Street.  Join us today as we look at these strange structures.


Saturday, September 7, 2013

Forgotten Graveyard under a Baseball Field, Jeffersonville, Indiana

In the midst of construction work for a new pedestrian bridge in Jeffersonville Indiana, a Civil War Cemetery was rediscovered.  While its existence wasn't a mystery, its exact location was.  As it turns out, children had been playing baseball on top of a graveyard for the better part of a century.


Monday, September 2, 2013

Abandoned bridges on River Road, Louisville, Kentucky


Tracing the Ohio River along the northern boundary of Jefferson County, Kentucky, River Road has a large number of abandoned and bypassed bridges.  Today we will explore a few, starting with this vintage stone structure crossing Goose Creek.