On a windy, rainy November day, my friend and I set out to explore several locations in north central Ohio. Our final stop of the day was an abandoned school way out in the middle of nowhere. Although the land is entirely flat as far as you can see, you'd still be hard-pressed to spot another building from this property even on a perfect day weather-wise. It was built in 1916, serving its township as an elementary school. A gymnasium and a few classrooms were added onto the rear in 1948 and an entire new classroom wing was constructed in 1956. The final bell rang in 1990 and the building was briefly used as a karate academy before its subsequent abandonment. Despite its location, it is heavily scrapped and vandalized. Small portions of the original structure have collapsed and more are soon to follow if their current condition is any indication.
1. The two-story school sits on a small, slightly overgrown property surrounded by farmers' fields.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
2. This was the classroom wing added on in 1956. It added three extra classrooms plus a restroom.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
3. Inside the front doors, two choices of stairway are now narrowed to one.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
4. A large part of a first-floor classroom has collapsed into the basement.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
5. Another first floor classroom.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
6. After we visited the two first-floor classrooms in the original structure, we braved the shaky-looking stairway without incident.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
7. Between the first and second floors was a small room that may have been the office.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
8. Door to a second-story classroom.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
9. Scrappers' removal of a second-story window allows an unobstructed view of traffic on the state route across the fields.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
10. A frame still hangs where a chalkboard once rested.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
11. The floors in this room have suffered from the lack of window glass.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
12. A closet hangs in midair where a section of flooring has collapsed.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
13. Now we move to the 1948 addition where we look back on the original structure from the hallway.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
14. The stage was included in the gymnasium.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
15. Lonely basketball hoop in the gym.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
16.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
17. Classroom in the 1956 wing.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
18. Another of the 1956 classrooms.
DSC08660 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
19. The explore is never complete without seeing the creepy basement.
DSC08663 by
KMD1720, on Flickr
20.
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KMD1720, on Flickr
21. So long. Hope you enjoyed the tour.
DSC08657 by
KMD1720, on Flickr