I went here this past weekend. First off, the inside of the building is incredibly dark. All of the windows on the ground floor have been cemented over. The only light comes from the upstairs floor. I decided to start with the upstairs, as it was the easiest to see around on. There isn't really much left inside the building, lots of upturned desks and chairs. In one room upstairs, towards the left end of the hallway if you are standing at the stairs door, there were a few piles of burnt papers and books. At first, I figured it was just idiot kids trying to start a fire. Then I saw a desk draw that was pulled out, that also contained a bunch of burnt papers. That gave me the impression that someone could have been living there, yet I hadn't seen any other sings so I decided to keep looking around. I went back downstairs, and as I was going down the stairs, I thought I heard a noise from the basement. I asked the other person with me, but she didn't hear anything, so I dismissed it. We began to look around the main floor, with our flashlights. The only room that was really of any interest was what seemed to maybe have been a library. There were still some books and papers laying around that were untouched. As we were heading to the other side of the building, crossing the front door, I thought I heard someone step on glass behind me. Sure enough, there is a squatter, maybe five feet directly behind me coming up to us. Luckily, we were close enough to the front door to bolt out without any problems. I have some pictures of the inside, I just haven't had time to go through them and see if any are decent enough to post. I will do that soon.

Squatters are generally harmless.

Posted by DJ Craig Squatters are generally harmless.

And are also usually a wealth of info about entrances to other local abandoned buildings.

Or could hurt you for any reason if drunk. I find it so much better to carry when im exploring as long as its legal

Posted by Urbanphoto Or could hurt you for any reason if drunk. I find it so much better to carry when im exploring as long as its legal

I dont know where you explore, but carrying (guessing you mean a gun) is never legal when you're exploring...lol. Unless you're there with permission and in that case, you need permission from the actual owner. And i doubt there will be squatters living in a place somebody actively goes in.

Personally I just didn't like how he came up behind me, and how close he was. The other person and myself were by no means quite, so he clearly knew we where there, yet didn't say anything. Even yelling up from downstairs (where I think I first heard him) would have been better and let us know someone else was there.

On a side note, I haven't forgotten about the pictures! I'll post them tomorrow.

Posted by Rinzler I dont know where you explore, but carrying (guessing you mean a gun) is never legal when you're exploring...lol. Unless you're there with permission and in that case, you need permission from the actual owner. And i doubt there will be squatters living in a place somebody actively goes in.

Not only that, but if you happen to get arrested for trespassing, and then they find you have a firearm with you....well... yeah...

Posted by Rinzler I dont know where you explore, but carrying (guessing you mean a gun) is never legal when you're exploring...lol. Unless you're there with permission and in that case, you need permission from the actual owner. And i doubt there will be squatters living in a place somebody actively goes in.

This!

Yep.
Feed them, or better yet, PBR them ...

Posted by DJ Craig Squatters are generally harmless.

Posted by Urbanphoto Or could hurt you for any reason if drunk.

Yeah, I'm not so sure that happens very often. I've run into homeless people in Baltimore, Philly, Newark, DC, Irvington, NYC, and countless other cities. I get approached by homeless people in the Oranges on a daily basis since I live and work here. I've been berated and had racial epithets used towards me for not having any cash on me, but I've never been assaulted over it.

Posted by Urbanphoto I find it so much better to carry when im exploring as long as its legal

LOL good luck with that.

Posted by Urbanphoto Or could hurt you for any reason if drunk.

Indeed, even if drunk, I see no reason to think they're any more likely to hurt you than any random drunk stranger at a bar.

The biggest threat from a squatter is he follows you around chatting your ear off the whole time. Let me explore in peace!

its the scrappers you have to worry about.

Posted by Rinzler its the scrappers you have to worry about.

nicest scrappers I ever ran in to were at Overbrook. They were so nice.

Did they share their copper with you?