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explore everywhere

Sometimes I go places, this is where you can read about my adventures. Road trips, cemeteries, abandoned places – they’re all here.

Knox County Poorhouse

by Kaylah Stroup February 29, 2016

If you’ve been reading a while, you might recall how after I got my license I took a lot of little day trips to silly places as often as possible. After moving to Cleveland I kind of fell out of the habit. I’ve been missing it a lot lately. For 2016 I made two goals that would be accomplished by getting back into the habit of taking these trips; to explore Ohio, and be brave and be alone.

I spent last Sunday night researching places I might want to stop at. While browsing all my regular sites, hoping something would spark my interest, I thought of the Knox County Poorhouse. It’s one of those buildings I had known about for a while but never made it a point to go and check out. On June 26, 2015 the poorhouse caught fire. I thought that I had missed my opportunity and that was a huge bummer. It was an insanely gorgeous building. I did a little research, and found some recent photos. It didn’t burn down completely, it had caught fire. While the building was obviously in very rough shape, from what I could find online it still looked like it might be worth a visit. I decided I was going to make the drive, what was there to lose?

Built in 1875, The Knox County Poorhouse was a place for the poor, and indigent. The mentally ill were sometimes left there by families who could not afford the proper treatment. Many other residents were elderly who had no other place to go. It didn’t take too long before rumors that something wasn’t right began to swirl. Horrible conditions led to more than a few deaths over the years. Supposedly remains were even found in shallow unmarked graves in more recent years. Eventually, 1953, the building was found structurally unstable by a county engineer and subsequently closed but not for too long… The Knox County Poorhouse reopened as a bible college in 1957. It was open for 31 years before closing yet again in 1988. Finally, in it’s last incarnation the poorhouse was used as a haunted house. In 2006 four of the floors collapsed. Since then it’s sat completely abandoned.

Monday morning I hopped in the car, equipped with multiple cameras, and headed off with a few spots mapped out. The drive was beautiful. The further I got from home the foggier it got. I absolutely LOVE shooting photos in fog so I nixed my other stops and headed straight to the poorhouse. Much to my dismay around ten minutes before arriving the fog had lifted, I was disappointed to say the least. I turned down the road and there she was. After a long drive, the feeling of seeing what you came for off in the distance is incredibly satisfying. It no longer mattered that it wasn’t foggy, I was just happy to be there. Even in the state the building was in, she was beautiful!! I couldn’t wait to get out of my car and take pictures.

Then I spotted a truck… Seeing that the property is clearly marked “NO TRESPASSING!” there’s no playing dumb and really the property isn’t that large so sneaking around wasn’t an option. Did I really just drive two hours only to see the building and leave with no photos?! I parked across the street, contemplated my options, did a bit of pouting then decided to put on my big girl pants and just go feel out whoever was parked over there. In case y’all need a reminder, I am insanely shy. Things like this, while no big deal to most people, are a huge deal to me. I rehearsed it a few times, “Hey, do you own this place? Would you mind if I took some photos?”, before actually working up the nerve.

I drove over, rolled down my window, and took a deep breath. “Hey!” I blurted out. “Hey!” the man mimicked back in the same tone. I stuttered out my rehearsed speech and to my surprise, he said yes! We traded introductions, and spoke briefly about the building. His name was Larry, he and his wife purchased the poorhouse in September of 2015, shortly after it caught fire. They had plans to turn it into a banquet hall but soon realized it would cost a lot more money than they had anticipated. The city was pressuring them to do something with the building immediately due to the dangerous conditions. The day I showed up to photograph it? Demolition day! What are the chances?! I gathered all my equipment and started off to photograph what was left of this incredible building before it was gone forever.

I don’t know about you but there are just some people I instantly feel at ease with and Larry was definitely one of those people. He joined me after my first lap of the property and together we walked around discussing the building’s history and how sad we both were to see it go. Larry grabbed a flashlight from his vehicle and we both explored inside for the first time. “My wife wouldn’t let me come inside” he joked. It was really special to be able to experience that with a stranger, especially one who is from a totally different generation. To be able to find common ground like that is really awesome. We poked around inside where it was possible, and peeked in all the windows to see the spots we couldn’t otherwise access. My plans for the day were just to get some exterior photos so I definitely got more than I ever expected.

Larry searching for the perfect souvenir brick for me to keep.

I’m bummed I never got to see the poorhouse in all it’s glory before it burnt down but I guess it’s pretty darn cool to be able to say I was one of the very, very last people to explore and photograph it before it was torn down. I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a success I consider that little day trip to be. I conquered a fear of mine and was repaid enormously with a personal tour of an incredible piece of history.
xoxo

A million thanks to Larry for being so kind as to let me photograph his building and giving me a tour. Words cannot express how thankful I am! Part of me couldn’t imagine that it was actually being torn down that same day but a news report along with photos confirm the sad news, the poorhouse is gone forever.

life lately : polaroids

by Kaylah Stroup February 24, 2016

It’s been a while since I shared any film photos. It’s really just been a while since I shot any film at all. That’s how it seems to go with me. I shoot it obsessively, and almost exclusively for a period of time then I kind of forget about it. Well, I’m back in the swing of things. I’ve been breaking my back carrying around both of my Polaroid cameras, the 600 and my land camera, along with a myriad of other camera gear. Normally the land camera is my favorite but I’m pretty darn stoked about what I’ve been capturing with my Polaroid 600 and some Impossible Project color frame film. Plus the color frame is so fun I just had to share what I’ve been shooting lately.

polaroid, instant film, impossible project

The one in the lime green frame, from Mount Moriah Cemetery, is one of my favorites. Who am I kidding? I REALLY love all of these. If I were someone who believe in ghosts you’re darn right I’d be claiming “ORBS!”. I love that the film got all funky. It couldn’t have done that to a more fitting photo. It looks super mystical. I rather enjoy when something like that happens to my instant film. The shot of Cleveland? I feel like that little splotch in the corner makes the photo all the more interesting.

Ehhh, don’t mind me. Instant film just gets me all excited. I know compared to my fancy pants digital camera these photos are absolutely awful but there’s just something so special about instant photos, something that can’t be replicated. I love touching them. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve looked through these eleven photos in the past few days. The film is definitely expensive but it is so worth it.
xoxo

Mount Moriah Cemetery

by Kaylah Stroup February 23, 2016

After deciding to take a spur of the moment trip to Philadelphia for Valentine’s Day, we hit the internet for ideas of what to do. I guess unlike most like people we weren’t looking for museums, or delicious restaurants, although we obviously love both of those things. We were looking for abandoned buildings, accessible rooftops, and any other little interesting, yet often overlooked, nooks and crannies. I knew from my last, visit a few years back, that Philadelphia has some really great cemeteries. I was thinking we could swing by Laurel Hill Cemetery again. It was beautiful, my photography has definitely improved since then and I’d love to re-shoot it. Then we found it… Mount Moriah Cemetery, the cemetery of my dreams.

Mount Moriah Cemetery was established in 1855. It’s the final resting places for over 80,000 people. It spans 380 acres. You can read the full history of the cemetery here. The short version is that the cemetery was privately owned but in 2004 the last known member of the association passed away. Basically it was a big legal mess and the cemetery was essentially abandoned. It suffered from years and year of neglect. Large sections became completely overgrown with weeds. I even saw a tree growing straight out of an obelisk! By golly, this place is a sight to see!

I didn’t do too much research on the cemetery before visiting. I guess I didn’t want to get too excited in case we weren’t able to make it there. So my first though upon parking outside the cemetery was “Okay, this has to be trespassing…”* Jeff and I slipped in through the broken fence and made our way to the gatehouse, which was what initially caught our attention in the photos online. It was in A LOT worse shape than we had seen. I actually didn’t even mange get a decent shot of it, the sun was at a funny spot in the sky, and I was completely overwhelmed with everything else that surrounded me.

I don’t even know how to describe this cemetery to you right now, except that it was all of my cemetery dreams come true. I know, I’m sorry, thats awful to say. I don’t think it’s awesome that someone royally screwed up and let this happen to a cemetery but I would be lying to say that “abandoned cemetery” didn’t rank SUPER high on my list of things I’d like to photograph.

In 2011, Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery was formed, a group of clearly amazing volunteers dedicated to the preservation of the cemetery. Although the cemetery was definitely overgrown, and in the worst shape I have I ever seen a cemetery in, it was obvious that lots of hard work had been going into it recently. Trees growing up beside headstones and been cut down, and there were piles of brush waiting to be hauled away.

Right now FOMMCI has a gofundme running to raise the money needed to save the gatehouse. It will cost $35,000 to stabilize the structure. They currently have $24,500 from a grant and previous donations. They need another $10,500 to keep it from becoming a pile of rubble. Any donations over their goal (which they reached in two days!) will be used for additional Mount Moriah Cemetery capital improvements. You can read more and donate, if you feel so inclined, here!

We barely saw a fraction of the cemetery. It’s the largest in the state of Pennsylvania! Part of me is sad that it’ll no longer exist in this condition. I’ll never be able to experience it like I did on this day but I guess that’s why I feel photography is so important… The other part of me knows that’s obviously a really good thing that it’s now on the up and up. I’m sure returning this cemetery to it’s former glory will take a very, very long time but it’s definitely on it’s way. FOMMCI, you guys rule!
xoxo

*Just wanted to note that everything I’ve read says the cemetery is open and visitors are welcome.

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Philadelphia for 24 hours

by Kaylah Stroup February 18, 2016

Friday, the 12th of February, Jeff and I were laying in bed chit chatting about wanting to get away, to take a trip, to just see anything different. I had been hinting for… months(?!) that I wanted to take a Valentine’s Day trip, no matter how small, but no matter how big my hints he didn’t seem too interested in making plans. There are very few things about that man that drive me crazy but I think the big thing is that he’s not a planner. Not making plans makes me anxious. I like to at least have a general idea of what I’ll be doing on a certain day. He briefly mentioned how Philadelphia sounded fun, and I had been saying for a few weeks how I was thinking of taking a short trip there but I figured nothing would come of it. I got out of bed, started to blow dry my hair when, in the mirror, I see him lift his arm in a dramatic fashion and drop his phone onto the bed.

“Booked it!”
“Booked what?”
“A hotel. We’re going to Philadelphia!”

Jeff had a wedding to shoot on Saturday but since Monday was President’s Day he had the day off work. And that’s how at 2am on Sunday morning, after Jeff finished up his wedding, we started the seven hour drive to Philadelphia.

I drove the whole way so he could snooze and wake up in the city well rested. The drive was a breeze aside from a little bit of snow the first hour of the trip. (Hi Mom. Sorry, I lied. It wasn’t thaaat bad, and we survived.) I forgot just how much I love driving. I’m not huge on city driving but long distance driving is my jam. Music up, just belting out the words to all my favorite songs, cruising along. I love it!

So what the heck did we do in Philadelphia in that short amount of time? We visited the cemetery of my dreams. More on that another day because obviously I took about 40 billion photos I’m dying to share. Scoped out a bunch of abandoned buildings, but failed to gain entry to any of them. Did a little exploring underground in an abandoned tunnel where I nearly peed my pants and maybe, just maybe, burst into tears upon exiting.* Laughed at funny tags; some shown in this post, some I regrettably didn’t take photos of. Ate some of the best pierogies I’ve ever had. And most importantly, spent some quality time together. This was easily my favorite Valentine’s Day ever.

As time goes on I’m becoming less and less dependent on plans and learning to just go with the flow better. It’s not always easy, especially since planning is so deeply ingrained in me. Compromise? It’s what makes a solid relationship. Spontaneity? As much as I hate to admit it, is what makes life fun. I’m glad we didn’t make plans until the very very last minute, it made everything all the more exciting. 24 hours in this city was not even close to enough time though. There is so much more I want to see still. We barely touched on our to-do list before running out of time. We will definitely be back. Hopefully for a little bit longer next time.
xoxo

*Long story short : being somewhere dark you’re not supposed to be and spotting someone else entering as well is terrifying, especially when you can tell your boyfriend is a little bit unnerved too. It’s been enough time now that I can admit, it was a pretty fun adventure.

Abandoned Rubber Bowl

by Kaylah Stroup January 27, 2016

The Rubber Bowl was one of those places I had known about for a little while but wasn’t all that concerned with actually getting to. I’m not interested in football at all, and I really didn’t see how an abandoned stadium could be all that cool. I had seen a few photos but wasn’t too impressed. I’m fully prepared to admit I was wrong, the Rubber Bowl was pretty darn awesome! I’m super pumped about my photos.

Let’s back up a second though. The Rubber Bowl is a, now abandoned, stadium in Akron, Ohio that was built in 1940. It was primarily used as a football field, both professional and high school, but also hosted concerts, and other events. Large names such as Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Alice Cooper, Tom Petty, The Grateful Dead, and Aretha Franklin, among many others, have all played here.

Since 2008, when the Rubber Bowl’s home team The Zips, moved to a new stadium this place has sat abandoned. In 2012, a marketing company with big hopes purchase the stadium for $38,000. They have yet to do anything with the property but claim that the stadium could be up and running within six to eight months if they wanted. Apparently, “most of the damage is cosmetic.”

While we were poking around two teenage boys showed up. Always a little bit skeptical of others, I kept my eye on them only to watch them change shoes and start playing catch down on the field. It was kind of unexpected but can you blame them? I mean, what could beat your own personal football field to practice on?

I sent my mom a photo that Jeff took of me on the steps. Apparently in 1972 she had seen the Rolling Stones here. It’s one thing to read the history the history of a place but thinking that forty-four years ago my mom was somewhere in these stands, probably dancing and screaming her head off, is just crazy! It’s things like that bring you right back down to reality. This is a real place, that A LOT of people have had special moments at. I don’t necessarily feel sad about abandoned places (yes, it’s a total waste!) but knowing that someone I know was here makes me feel something I can’t quite describe. If you recall, she had also visited this now abandoned amusement park I blogged about back in 2014.

After finishing up shooting, we ended up finding a football. Jeff, Jason, and Brandon tossed it around while I laid on the ground and soaked up the sunshine. Playing catch might be something totally normal for most dudes but these are three guys I have never seen show any interest in sports before so it was particularly amusing watching them throw the ball back and forth. There were a few random tires scattered across the field so they took turns trying to throw the ball through a rolling tire. We could have hung out a lot longer and I’d have been a happy gal. The sunshine, and blue skies were a nice change of pace from the constant gray Ohio has been. And the artificial turf? SO warm! For a brief moment it was easy to forget it was we’re smack dab in the middle of January.

xoxo

Exploring Akron

by Kaylah Stroup January 21, 2016

Last Saturday Jeff and I had plans to make a real nice lunch together, and get lots of work done. I just had to run a few errands first. About thirty minutes after he left my apartment I get a text “How are your errands going? FYI You, Jason, and I are going down to Akron when you’re ready.” Well, that was a change of plans but I didn’t mind. The cold weather has me feeling blue so any time I get the chance to get out and take photos I’m jumping on it! I hadn’t even left the house to start my errands yet. Instead I layered up, packed up my camera gear, and shortly after we were off!

In case you’re not from Ohio, or even the US* – Akron is the next large-ish city over from where I live. It’s approximately a forty-five minute drive away and I’ve probably only been there a handful of times. There’s not quite as much as abandonment there as in Cleveland but that wasn’t all we were looking for. Put simply, we were just looking for something new. Jeff actually grew up right outside Akron so nothing is all that new for him but it’s at least a little bit less familiar than our surrounding area. We were out looking for tracks to walks, tunnels to explore, and anything worthy of a photograph.

Jeff telling us a story about a time he was frightened by a plastic bag in this same spot.

After walking the tracks for a while I was ready for something a bit more protected from the weather. I realize that it doesn’t actually look that cold out which is exactly why this winter is so depressing. It looks like it’s nice out, the sun might even be shining but as soon as you step outside you get smacked with reality. It’s freezing!

Jeff knew of an abandoned factory that we might be able to get. After a quick drive, a short walk, and use of some muscles I’d realize the next day that I apparently hadn’t used in a while we were inside.

There wasn’t much left in the factory at all, and, to be honest, I feel a little rusty shooting abandoned buildings. The whole time we were in there I just felt like I was shooting horribly. I was having trouble composing photos. When I got around to editing them the next day I was decently surprised with what I got. I wish I would have taken more photos!

After making our way out of the factory we were all ready for some grub. Something local, something kind of quick so we could get back out before it got too late. Jeff suggested Diamond Deli which… I don’t even have words for. Their website says their goal is to “make damn good sandwiches” which they are definitely doing. I don’t recall what I even ate except for the fact it had some sort of mustard/mayo combo on it which was just awesome. I truly regret not bringing my camera in so I could have a photo of my sandwich for this post.

We drove around a bit more after gorging ourselves, and spent some time around the tracks shooting photos of trains before eventually calling it a night. All in all, a successful day!
xoxo

* Sometimes people name cities in their posts but it literally means nothing to me because I have no idea where that place is, how far of a trip it is for them, etc. Just thought including a little reference there would be helpful!

the first snow

by Kaylah Stroup January 18, 2016

After an insanely strange start to our winter, we finally got our first snow last week. There was a fifty degree day where I was able to take Klaus on a walk wearing just a sweatshirt and jeans (me, not him obviously!) then the next morning I looked out the window to see it was completely white out. Since the weather had been so crazy I didn’t expect it to last for long, I had to get out and shoot. I’ve been chomping at the bit to shoot some snowy city scenes but clearly haven’t had the opportunity. I texted my friend Anthony “what are you doing right this second!?” hoping I could convince him to go out and shoot with me in this winter wonderland. He recently purchased a new lens and had mentioned a few days prior he was interested in shooting more stuff around the city so I knew he’d be game if he wasn’t already busy.

A hour or so later, and enough layers to make it hard for me to walk, we were on the train heading downtown. We had no real plan except to walk around and take pictures. It had stopped snowing like crazy but the wind had picked up. We decided to talk toward the lake where the wind was whipping so hard it was difficult to walk, especially since the sidewalks were a sheet of ice. It wasn’t as snowy as I had hoped but still beautiful nonetheless. Barely anyone else was outside. Although we did spot some tough guy wearing only a tshirt and jeans?! What even?! I was nearly knocked on my butt by the wind and this dude was like “Nah, I’m too cool for a coat today.”

We zigzagged back and forth across the city until it start to get dark. The sky turned a dark blue then a red haze took over. It was beautiful. My fingers were frozen but as we crossed the Lorain-Carnegie bridge I wanted to stop every few feet and take photos. I’ve crossed this bridge a million times but never actually taken any photos of the “Guardians of Traffic“. Seen below. I cursed myself for not dragging along my tripod still managed to get a few cool photos anyway.

I love getting out on days like this. The city is so quiet, so peaceful.
Sometimes I still have a hard time believing I live here. It’s weird
growing up an hour away from the city, and never ever visiting to now living
walking distance from a train station that will get me downtown in a
matter of minutes. This country mouse is probably always going to be a little bit in awe of city life. Glimpses of the city like this make me appreciate it so much more.
xoxo

favorite 10 abandoned spots in 2015

by Kaylah Stroup January 7, 2016

motel

Finally, the last of my 2015 recaps! The year before last I shared my 10 favorite abandoned spots of the year and couldn’t resist choosing my favorites from 2015. I didn’t get out as much last year as I did the previous year but regardless I still had some really amazing adventures. Factories, multiple trailer parks, a greenhouse, and even a stretch of highway that hasn’t been driven on in years. My favorite had to be the massive abandoned hospital though. I’ve honestly had multiple dreams about that place since. I’m chomping at the bit to go back!

party supply company

trailer park

greenhouse (in the winter without snow, in the spring, and in the fall.)

abandoned around Cleveland

hospital

school

factory

rubber duck factory

highway

Here’s to another year of great adventures!

xoxo

You can find the rest of my posts on abandoned places under the “abandoned” tag.

playing in the rain

by Kaylah Stroup December 29, 2015

For Christmas I bought myself a present. …A really, really nice present, the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L lens. I had been planning and saving for months. It was the last thing I “needed” to complete my camera gear. I bought it the day before Christmas Eve, and the day after Christmas it showed up in my PO Box. I stalked the tracking, finally got the notice in my box, then waited around nearly a half hour while the post office folks looked this package they had apparently misplaced. Of all the packages to lose it had to be this one, right? Hah!

I wanted to try her out immediately. Jeff agreed to do something fun with me for my lens’ maiden voyage but when he showed up that evening saying it was raining and we were going out to take some photos I wasn’t too stoked. Earlier in the day I had started rearranging my whole apartment (more on this soon!) and finishing that up sounded way more fun than traipsing around in the rain with brand new camera equipment. I reluctantly packed up my bag and off we went.

I borrowed one of Jeff’s camera rain covers ($8.99 for two. They’re super simple, and take the worry out of shooting in the rain. I am definitely getting myself some!) and wouldn’t you know it, I had an absolute blast. Shooting in the rain was so much fun. Sometimes you just need someone to drag you out of the house to experience something new. The rain created a few different interesting elements to the photos; bokeh caused by rain drops on my lens, and reflections in puddles.

I’m never really all that confident shooting at night. I understand how to take the photos but it’s very easy to get frustrated when you’re spending up to 30 seconds per exposure, and not getting exactly what you imagined. It’s especially frustrating for me when I’m with a larger group of friends. You want to take your time, set up the perfect shot but I hate holding people up. Even though I know my friends don’t mind waiting I feel like a pain. Since it was just Jeff, and I, and I was shooting with a fancy new lens, I felt completely as ease! I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so excited about the shots I got at night. It was obvious I was having a blast. I never really show Jeff my photos until after I’ve edited but I couldn’t help but shove my camera in his face “LOOK AT THIS PICTURE!” I was all “the only thing that could make this night better is if I got some drinking chocolate*!” thinking it was too late in the night to get some but it wasn’t! Winter plays tricks on ya like that. Basically, it was best day ever.

Verdict on my new lens? I’m totally in love! It’s always scary spending a big chunk of money but it was definitely worth it. The wide angle lens I owned before this one, the 10-22mm, was a great lens but you can’t beat good glass. L series lenses are where it’s at! I’m so looking forward to shooting more with it.
xoxo

*Let me tell you about drinking chocolate! When I first met Jeff I didn’t like any coffee drinks or anything. I basically only liked hot chocolate. He claimed to know of the best hot chocolate ever, so he took me to Lilly Chocolates. It was love at first sip. It’s basically like drinking liquid chocolate but somehow it’s acceptable? I don’t even know. There’s a little bit of a kick when it hits the back of your throat. It’s incredible. They don’t have a webstore, but they do ship if you contact them…and seriously, it’d totally be worth it. Or just come visit Cleveland.

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