Think about the town you live in. Now, if you can, recall how many new construction sites you passed on your way to work or to the grocery store today. Chances are, you have passed at least one. Now, what would you say if I were to tell you that right now, as you drive by that new house being built or the new shopping center going up, there are entire cities in America that have been abandoned and left for nature to reclaim them? Seems like a plot for a movie or a video game doesn’t it? I agree and I’m completely fascinated by this. In this monthly series, I will explore and introduce places across this great nation that have long since been forgotten.
1. Atomic Survival Town; Yucca Flat, Nevada
Built in 1955, at the height of the Cold War, the purpose of “Operation Teapot” (the official government name for the project) was to test the impact of atomic weapons on towns and structures. Creepy even when in use, “Doom Town”, as it has come to be called, was equipped with houses, stores, schools, and even mannequins who were posed in place as if they were real citizens going about their daily lives. Today, some of these structures still remain largely intact even after being repeated pummeled by weapons of mass destruction, some twice as strong as the bombs dropped on Nagasaki, Japan during World War II. The Nevada Department of Energy conducts regular tours there to this day so if you’re ever interested in seeing what nuclear fallout would look like, feel free to take a road trip and book a tour.
2.Toy Loft; Danielson Borough; Windham County, Connecticut
Built in an old mill, the Toy Loft in its heyday, housed a booming toy factory, a store, and even an arcade park with mini golf and laser tag, among other attractions. Once a popular go to destination for residents of Windham County, the Toy Loft was forced to close once city officials deemed the mill it was housed in structurally unsafe and a potential fire hazard. The owner was actually reportedly slapped with more than a few citations for these safety violations. Toy Loft has been left abandoned, still full of merchandise as well as arcade machines, since 2007. It’s actually very eerie when you take a look at photos. It looks as those people were shopping and had to evacuate for some reason and just never came back. The only hint of activity in this abandoned fantasy world are menacing notes left by the owner himself warning local teenagers to stop vandalizing and breaking his arcade machines or they’ll be sorry.
3. Holland Island; Chesapeake Bay; Maryland
Settled in the 1600’s, Holland Island used to be home to a thriving population of fisherman and their families. By the year 1910, Holland Island housed about 360 year round residents, making it the largest inhabited island in the Chesapeake Bay. At the peak of its popularity, the island boasted 70 homes, several stores, a two room school house, a post office, a church, and even a community center. By the year 1920, coastal erosion from wind and salt water waves had taken its toll on the island which was primarily made of clay and silt rather than bedrock. A tropical storm in 1918 pummeled the tiny town and many residents decided to leave for good. By 1922, the island was largely deserted and the structures abandoned. Slowly, over time, the bay has reclaimed the island and due to sea level rise caused by global warming, Holland Island has all but vanished beneath the waves. The last house on the island held strong and resolute until 2010, but it too has crumbled leaving behind nothing but bits of rubble and memories of times long passed.
4. Tillamook Rock Lighthouse; Cannon Beach, Oregon
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, or “Terrible Tilly” as she is affectionately called by locals, was built in 1881. Due to her remote location almost one and a half miles off the Oregon coast and the dangerous ocean currents which swirl around her, the mere existence of Tillamook Rock Light is an amazing feat of engineering. “Terrible Tilly” is one of the most weather exposed lighthouses in the United States. The storms and waves that pound against the rock are legendary. In its earliest years of usage, the light was kept burning due to kerosene which would have to be carried up to the light tower every couple of hours and refilled. After her deactivation and decommissioning in 1957, Tilly stood abandoned for twenty years. In an odd twist of fate (especially given the numerous fatalities linked to the dangers associated with Tillamook Light) “Terrible Tilly” was purchased privately in 1980 and renovated to become a columbarium cemetery. Simply put, the lighthouse and the rock she sits upon are now only inhabited by the ashes of the dead and a few protected species of wildlife. While the Tillamook Lighthouse is indeed closed to the public, she is visible from the Oregon coast, so feel free to take a road trip and pay your respects. Just be mindful of the punishing waves during any approaching storm.
