Whether you’re visiting sanctioned places or exploring more off-the-beaten-path terrain, it’s important to show respect. Van Rensbergen’s three rules of thumb are a good directive for anyone attempting to access an abandoned site: “Don’t break your way in. Don’t take anything, except photos. And don’t leave anything except footprints.” –Adam H. Graham
Abandoned Skunk Train, California
Staten Island’s Tugboat Graveyard has long intrigued–even frightened–local residents, including NYC-based photographer Chris Barreto, who grew up just a few miles away. “It took me years to build up the nerve to go,” he admits. “The immense size of the shipyard is unfathomable–row after row of ships, just waiting their turn to sink into the murky waters. The stench of rotting wood and oil is almost unbearable. It’s not a welcoming place.”
Barreto is just one of the many artists, photographers, travelers, and writers inspired by the act of human abandonment. “When any man-made structure is deserted and void of people, it leaves behind an unsettling energy,” he says.
But it’s that very energy that has made these creepy places a sort of dark-side passport stamp, complete with bragging rights. So young creatives have made a hobby out of photographing derelict and discarded buildings and uploading the images to sites like Abandoned-places.com and Weburbanist.com, along with Flickr’s numerous user groups, like Abandoned Motels, Abandoned Sweden, and Best of Abandoned. The most popular group, simply called Abandoned, has 20,000-plus members and remains a go-to source for those looking to find new terrain.
[…]
