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In southeast Texas there is a town treading water. Originally settled in the 1830s, the town was decimated by a hurricane, with the remaining residents dismantling their homes and relocating to another city. Around the turn of the 1900s, another settlement was developed with the grand goal of serving as a major port city. The Corps of Engineers even created a roughly 20 mile long island to facilitate the dream of this port. In time, oil was discovered in the area, leading to another economic boon for the city. For a short period of time the city even served as the center of the largest oil refinery network in the entire world. However, the town peaked in population and importance in the 1960's before steadily declining ever since. Currently over a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. The recent economic downturn and the continuing plummet of gasoline prices do not bode well for the town. As it stands right now, the main drag in town is anything but bustling. Doors to former businesses stand ajar, beckoning the intrepid explorer and opportunistic vandal alike. Many businesses with locked doors have OPEN signs hanging in the windows, as if the owners just threw in the towel one day, too apathetic to flip their signs. The largest abandonment in town, a ten-story hotel, sits directly adjacent to the police department. The police use the hotel's parking lot as overflow for their cruisers. Each time I have visited the city I have discovered new and unique abandonments. On the main streets of town there are at least ten I have counted so far. This is one of those.
Downtown was actually fairly vibrant up until the 1990's when the commercial center of the city began to move out. Businesses no longer were setting up shop in the central commercial district. As a result, many of the buildings on the main drag found themselves vacant and shuttered. As businesses took a toll, so did the economy. The local government and civic institutions followed. One of those buildings left to rot was the local museum. Since it's closure, the building has sat vacant, full of awards, banners, trophies, portraits and newspaper clippings from times long gone. It's something special to find a building devoted to the great moments, people, and times of a city that has fallen on hard times. It is sad that this memorabilia is not being preserved for the city, but instead being lost to time and the elements. I think the upstairs of the building was used as a shop for the purchase of trophies, ribbons, and other mementos. Store rooms sit filled with overflow statues and a conveyor belt runs to the outside, I assume for the easy movement and delivery of wares.
1.
Collapse by Anomalicious, on Flickr
The earliest date I could find in the building is for a contract paid in 1943, though I am sure there is plenty from earlier. The upstairs is littered with old files, paperwork, and contracts. The amount is overwhelming and the floor conditions are terrible, so I was not able to sift through too many of them. I really need to get back there and document some more.
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Contract by Anomalicious, on Flickr
The latest date I could find was on a Business Week from 1993 lauding the arrival and success of the laptop in modern society.
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Laptop by Anomalicious, on Flickr
A massive ledger still sits open upstairs documenting purchases and deliveries.
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Tome by Anomalicious, on Flickr
Upstairs also has the most structural damage to the building. Warped floors, collapsed ceiling, exposed plumbing. Weaknesses in the window panes now provide a means for the only life in the building, though a few rooms have evidence of squatter nests. However, I think any inhabitants have long moved on to better abandonments in which to reside.
5.
Reclamation by Anomalicious, on Flickr
The amount of artifacts and history in this place is staggering. Photographs of unknown players stare back at you, eager for another great season, or hopeful for the year to come. School banners lay covered in insulation and broken glass. It appears the Eagles are no longer as high as they used to be in town.
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Innocence Lost by Anomalicious, on Flickr
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Trophy Room by Anomalicious, on Flickr
The majority of the trophies date back to the 1990's. If you look closely, you can see a trophy for every year of the 1990's except 1997 and 1999.
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Trophies by Anomalicious, on Flickr
It is difficult to know whether the 1999 trophy and ribbon indicate the closure of the building or whether it was in storage for a future year's sales. I assume there used to be a much larger array of trophies, plaques, and awards but they have been pilfered. In fact, in a majority of the other abandonments down the road, you can spot trophies if you look hard enough. Their presence confused me the first couple times I visited town, until I located this place.
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Trophy Wall by Anomalicious, on Flickr
So many faces. So many young men that have since grown up and created lives for themselves, far from the court and gridiron. I would be interested to see where some of these men have gone since these young, bright days of summer. And I would interested to see what they would say of their pictures lying on the floor of a dilapidated old building, discarded artifacts of their youth and glory days.
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Portraits by Anomalicious, on Flickr
Bonus door because I thought it was artsy.
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Door by Anomalicious, on Flickr
I'll be posting more pictures from other locations in the Town Treading Water in the future, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading.
Every time you read this, I become more powerful.
https://www.flickr...tos/115873398@N03/ | |
This is pretty damn cool! At first I thought this was a bunch of shots from an abandoned school, but then I went back and read your text. Looking forward to seeing more from here.
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Very cool! I really like that first shot with the roof coming down. Amazing. And your arty door shot made me laugh, not because it isn't good (its really awesome!), just because I have that thought all the time when I'm shooting.
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It's good to see these! ...and how your photos have improved!
Flickr: https://www.flickr...9156858@N05/albums | |
You're actually not the only person to think that Punchy. I had people comment on my Flickr photos saying they were jealous I got to explore a school.
Thanks everyone!
Tiff, it's about time I got to uploading some of these. Thank goodness my photography has improved. I'm finally getting to a point where I don't spend all day setting up and taking five pictures.
Every time you read this, I become more powerful.
https://www.flickr...tos/115873398@N03/ | |
Posted by IndoAnomaly
Tiff, it's about time I got to uploading some of these. Thank goodness my photography has improved. I'm finally getting to a point where I don't spend all day setting up and taking five pictures.
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Hahaha. One day, one day we will race.
Flickr: https://www.flickr...9156858@N05/albums | |
Good history of the town IndoAnomaly. Would love to look through that huge Ledger. The only thing i know about the situation here is that there were 3 schools that consolidated...all with different names of their teams. When they all became one... they gave up the old and chose 1 new name. So all the past trophies and pics were great memories but no longer in use so was abandoned. The lady that was trying to make a memorial to the past schools died and the place went down. A lot of kids that played on the old teams took up the new name and didn't care as much about the past but only the present. I still think its a shame. These were good pics of a place that was abandoned in more ways than one.
[last edit 9/22/2015 5:02 PM by MisUnderstood! - edited 1 times]
A place of Mystery is Always worth a curiosity trip!
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Posted by IndoAnomaly
I'm finally getting to a point where I don't spend all day setting up and taking five pictures.
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You've got me beat then, because this is where I am (and if I'm with another person, it usually drives them crazy)!
I wandered till the stars went dim. | |
Posted by Dee Ashley
You've got me beat then, because this is where I am (and if I'm with another person, it usually drives them crazy)!
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I am fast, but I take HUNDREDS of pictures. ...so, Indo and I work well together. lol
Flickr: https://www.flickr...9156858@N05/albums |
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