This isn't quite my first post, but I thought I should make a proper introduction, and share some photos from my first location.
Having lived in upstate NY at a young age, I enjoyed some brief exposure to KPPC and Bennett College on the way to relative's houses. Since then, the idea of exploring urban areas and derelict structures has fascinated me. As I entered middle school I started getting out more, biking to the hidden corners of my industrial mill town. While I had plenty of fun poking around small drains and old abutments, I never really found the will to enter a building, and as high school began, my hours-long expeditions ceased. From this point on, I was more of an armchair explorer than anything, researching locations but never finding the time or will to leave the house. It wasn't until last November that my equally adventurous mother and I finally decided to check out a location in a nearby town.
The building I explored was once part of a tuberculosis sanatorium, one of three established in the state during the early 20th century. With its first structure built in 1914, the institution was eventually able to house 200 patients and staff. From what I have gathered, the sanatorium officially closed in 1970, and many of its buildings were promptly demolished. This building, the newest addition to the campus(1954), was quickly remodeled into a hospital for alcoholics, then became a nursing home.
The nursing home shut down in 2003, and while the building was put up for sale, it has sat empty ever since. Its current condition seems somewhat odd to me; while walls have been torn apart by scrappers, it has apparently not been discovered by the local delinquent population, as barely any graffiti exists inside or out. And, while the rooms have mostly been stripped clean, a few random artifacts remain. After my first visit on a dark and snowy day, I returned with a friend to get some better pictures.
Greetings
Unsanitary
Reception Bathroom
Up to the Second Floor
From the Day Room to the Hall
A Slice of Color
Pink or Grey
The Loneliest Chair (essentially, the only piece of furniture left in the place)
Roaming the Halls
While this place is not quite what UE dreams are made of, I will never forget how I felt when I first went in. The adrenaline rush, the distinct musty smell, the darkness, the sound of dripping water echoing through the halls, even the possibility of being caught; the experience was like nothing else, and it was all I could think about for days. Being here motivated me to learn more about urban exploration itself, but also to get out, find my own locations, and continue exploring to my heart's content.
With a new-found sense of adventure and a desire to meet like-minded Mainers, I am happy to be a member of UER!
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