188. Girl Scout Camp, Beechwood State Park, Sodus, New York

Location: Beechwood State Park, Sodus, New York
Year: Mid-1990s (Date Closed)
Cost: Undisclosed
It’s unclear when this eerie, abandoned Girl Scout Camp was opened, but it was closed in the 1990s, suggesting at least a few decades of hosting troops. The Girl Scout Camp is located at Beechwood State Park in Sodus, New York. When the camp closed, the state and the town both did not want it.

Girl Scount Camp, Beechwood State Park, Sodus, New York @atlasobscura/Pinterest
But, the state made the town take it, so Sodus turned it into a “state park” and immediately forgot it was there. The abandoned Girl Scout buildings include lean-tos, a mess hall, cabins, a swimming pool, a campfire ring, and a lot of disused vinyl curtains.

189. “Singing Runway”, Disney World Airport, Orlando, Florida

Location: Disney World Airport, Orlando, Florida
Year: 1970-1971
Cost: Undisclosed
Also called the Lake Buena Vista STOLPort Runway, the Singing Runway is located at Disney World Airport in good old Orlando, Florida. This runway was constructed in 1970 or 1971 (depending on who you ask), and it was only in operation for a couple years until it was shut down. It was used by Shawnee Airlines, the only line that flew directly into Magic Kingdom.

“Singing Runway”, Disney World Airport, Orlando, Florida @atlasobscura/Pinterest
Flights were discontinued, as the Singing Runway (called that name because the runaway played “When You Wish Upon A Star” as the plane drove over it) became non-feasible for legal and practical reasons. Now, it is used for storage, and, at one time, Disney bus drivers trained on the old runway.

190. Windber Trolley Graveyard, Windber, Pennsylvania

Location: Windber, Pennsylvania
Year: 1990s
Cost: $30 for a tour*
Ed Metka, a civil engineer, always had a love of urban transportation. When he retired from the Army, he was worried that a lot of trolley models were being destroyed or sold for scrap. So, he purchased fourteen trolly cars from the Massachusetts Transportation Authority and set them up for display in Windber, Pennsylvania.

Windber Trolley Graveyard, Windber, Pennsylvania @atlasobscura/Pinterest
To this day, the Trolley Graveyard, as it is known, is still there, and there is even a live-in security guard and caretaker there to make sure no one vandalizes this display. Metka’s lifelong passion remains, though he is currently seeking a buyer for the cars who will return them to their former glory.

191. UMore Park Abandoned Munitions Plant

Location: Rosemount, Minnesota
Year: 1943
Cost: $4 million to construct*
During World War II, the U.S. government declared eminent domain over 12,000 acres of farmland in rural Minnesota. They set up a factory to build smokeless gun powder, along with a host of other artillery by-products. The plant, named Gopher Ordnance Works, was up and running in 1945, but the War ended seven months after it opened.

UMore Park Abandoned Munitions Plant ©Tombennettt/Wikimedia Commons
Once Hitler surrendered, America’s need for huge quantities of gunpowder fizzled, and the plant was retired. The University of Minnesota took over the land in the 1950s, keeping the remains of the factory there. They turned the rest of the land into UMore Park, a place where they could conduct academic and agricultural research projects. Still, the eerie factory towers loom overhead, jutting above the Rosemount skyline.

193. Southwestern High School, Detroit, Michigan

Location: Detroit, Michigan
Year: 1922
Cost: $900,000 to demolish*
The Southwestern High School was once home to around 1,600 students in Detroit, Michigan, but this high school is now abandoned and slowly crumbling into ruin. The school opened in 1922, and it remained in operation until 2012, when parents were sent a letter announcing Southwestern’s closure.

Southwestern High School, Detroit, Michigan @atlasobscura/Pinterest
The number of students there had been declining yearly, and Southwestern was one of the state’s lowest-performing schools. Nearby schools were hesitant to absorb Southwestern’s students, as they feared overcrowding and fights, but, eventually, they had no choice, and Southwestern was closed and abandoned.

194. Letchworth Village, Thiells, New York

Location: Thiells, New York
Year: 1911
Cost: $2 million* (2022 Development Plan Cost)
Thiells, New York is a quiet hamlet with a bit of a dark history. In 1911, Thiells was established as the home of a utopian-village progressive experiment. The entire town was a home for the mentally ill, as 2,000 patients lived in 130 buildings spread across 2,000 acres. Called Letchworth Village, the sprawling complex segregated the mentally ill, though it was, at the time, progressive.

Letchworth Village, Thiells, New York @atlasobscura/Pinterest
Despite such good intentions, Letchworth eventually became overcrowded, and a majority of its patients were kids. The town was also short-staffed, and allegations of abuse and human rights violations abounded as time went on. Before its closure in 1996, Letchworth was even the site of experimental vaccine testing on its kids.

195. Año Nuevo Island, Pescadero, California

Location: Pescadero, California
Year: 1868
Cost: N/A
Ano Nuevo, a relatively young island, was once connected to the northern coast of California via a narrow land bridge. As water levels rose, causing a channel to form between the island and mainland, Ano Nuevo was cut off from the state. Its buildings were abandoned, but only by humans.

Ano Nuevo Island, Pescadero, California @atlasobscura/Pinterest
Thousands of sea lions and seals have now taken residence on Ano Nuevo, using the old grounds as a place to repopulate their species. Northern Elephant Seals, as well as Steller Sea Lions, are Ano Nuevo’s most frequent guests, and it is nice to see this formerly manmade structure become a wildlife haven. The area around the island is strictly protected, but you wouldn’t want to take a swim there anyway, as the waters around Ano Nuevo are heavily shark-infested.

199. Secret Manor, Litchfield, California

Location: Litchfield, California
Year: Late 1800s
Cost: Undisclosed
Secret Manor is a house that is full of legends, the most haunting of which are, reportedly, the ghosts of the women who used to work in the manor’s brothel. The Secret Manor is tucked into the sagebrush of Litchfield, California, and it was once part of a bustling, rowdy railroad town. Now, Secret Manor is in the middle of a ghost town.

Secret Manor, Litchfield, California @atlasobscura/Pinterest
The grand, sprawling manor home was once a house of ill repute in the late 1800s, catering to rail workers. When the rail declined, Secret Manor declined as well, becoming isolated and hard to find. It shuttered for good in the 1900s, but, rumor has it you can still hear the echoes of bawdy nights there. Some say there are still women’s spirits lurking through the former Manor.

200. William Vanderbilt’s Saltwater Pool, Centerport, New York

Location: Centerport, New York
Year: 1910-1936
Cost: $72.08 million to build*
Located in Centerport, New York, this saltwater pool once belonged to William Vanderbilt, a member of one of America’s most-distinguished, wealthiest families. Vanderbilt’s sprawling mansion (and its pool) were built by Warren and Wetmore, the same company that designed the Grand Central Station, which was also owned by Vanderbilt.

William Vanderbilt’s Salt Water Pool, Centerport, New York @atlasobscura/Pinterest
William, somewhat of a playboy, built himself a luxurious castle that included a 70,000-gallon saltwater pool, consisting of water drawn from the sound. There, William entertained famous celebrities such as Coco Chanel, Samuel Goldwyn, and Irving Berlin, though, now, the sounds of lawn parties around the pool have long-since faded.

207. Cynthia Beck’s Malibu Mansion

Location: Malibu
Year: 1979
Cost: $12 million*
The mansion is located on Paradise Cove, one of the most stunning beaches in Malibu, laced with homes of some of the wealthiest people in the world, such as Steve Jobs’ widow, Laurene Powell, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Among the beautiful houses stands one whose aesthetic looks quite out of place and which has been abandoned for many years.

Cynthia Beck’s Malibu Mansion ©Associated Press /Alamy
What adds to the intrigue is that the house was abandoned with belongings such as children’s toys and artwork inside it, which no one can understand why. It belonged to Cynthia Beck, who bought it from Gordon Getty in 1999. Nobody knows why she has continued to allow this property to decay in this manner, but it is worth noting that she allegedly owns at least twenty homes in the LA area, many of which are left vacant and neglected.

208. Boomers! Park

Location: Florida
Year: 1972
Cost: Undisclosed
The downfall of the Boomers! Park started with The Hurricane (not an actual one, just the rollercoaster). Despite officially being a part of the park, the rollercoaster operated independently and was considered the largest one in Florida since it opened in 2000. Unfortunately, it had to be shut down in 2011 due to ‘business reasons,’ and many thought that the humid climate in Florida made it difficult to operate a ride like this.

Boomers! Park /10best.com
The park itself remained open until 2015 when it shut down for development purposes, but sadly, that was the end of it. Soon vegetation started taking over, and eventually, any plans to reopen the amusement park went out the window. The space is now called Dania Pointe and is filled with luxury offices, restaurants, and retail stores.

210. Joyland Amusement Park

Location: Kansas
Year: 1949
Cost: Undisclosed
Joyland Amusement Park remained a principal attraction in central Kansas for many decades since 1949. It had over 20 interesting rides and was visited by locals and tourists alike, all of them leaving with a plethora of memories. But the success of the park lasted until 2004, when an unfortunate accident occurred.

Joyland Amusement Park @Stanley & Margaret Nelson/commons.wikimedia.org
A teenager was injured after falling from the Ferris wheel. The incident eventually closed down the park and resulted in its ultimate demise. Several acts of vandalism, looting, and arson started taking place on the location, with severe windstorms damaging it even further. In 2015, the authorities decided that it was better to now demolish the park. Many locals who had visited the park with multiple locations were seen stopping by to get their last picture of a cherished location.