ABANDONED AMERICA - PART 01 - NORTHEAST
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- An Expansion Of The Forgotten Iowa Photography Project
- I have developed a deep love for old buildings and the historical significance of them. After exploring Pennsylvania a handful of times, I became absolutely fascinated at the architecture. Some buildings were older than the state of Iowa.
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The first town I photographed in Pennsylvania was a town called West Alexander. Though not exactly a ghost town, per say, there was indeed a wealth of amazing buildings and I spent a long time there photographing them all. I snagged images like this:
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And I momentarily lamented the fact that I only had a few days there to explore. I made it as far east as the now infamous ghost town Centrailia and spent my evening walking their spray-painted, dead roads and marveling at the town that used to be:
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What We Need & What You Get
There are a few major places of interest that I'd like to photograph. They include:
- Frick's Lock Abandoned Village, Pennsylvania
- Pithole, Pennsylvania
- Conashaugh, Pennsylvania
- Petroleum Center, Pennsylvania
- Whitewash Village, Pennsylvania
- Fire Creek, West Virginia
- Alum Springs, West Virginia
- Lignite, Virginia
- Warwick, Virginia
- Doodletown, New York
- Shavertown, New York
- Flagstaff, Maine
- Glenville, Delaware
- Woodland Beach, Delaware
- Carrigain, New Hampshire
- Zealand, New Hampsire
- Kilkenny, New Hampsire
- Catamount, Massachusetts
- Dogtown, Massachusetts
The plan is to stay at cheap fleabag motels and spend entire days in or near the ghost towns mentioned above. These aren't the only stops along the way, but they are the main ones.
The Impact
All photos and videos will be posted here. The journey will be documented and published as I make my way through and you'll be able to track the progress in real-time. Updates will be posted on the blog, on instagram, and on Snapchat.
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Risks & Challenges
As a mixed-media artist living in Nowhere, USA, I tend to live hand-to-mouth and this idea simply isn't feasible without the help of the fans and supporters of FORGOTTEN IOWA. There is two years and thousands of photos to showcase the kind of work I do and I think that the best is really yet to come.
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Really, it all boils down to capital. With the proper investment, I can take two months of my life and dedicate it solely to this. I can think of no better way to spend my early-winter than exploring the ghost towns and abandoned communities of Northeast America.
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Luck is on our side when it comes to finding places to sleep. Hotels in small towns tend to be much, much, much cheaper than the hotels you'd find in major metropolitan areas. The goal is modest and I think it's totally doable.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't help financially but live in the area and have a couch to crash on, that would be wonderful! If not that, just spread this link around and try to help me build some momentum as the next 30 days unfold!
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