122. Holland Island, Toddville, Maryland
Location: Toddville, Maryland
Year: 1600s
Cost: Unknown
A town can change quite a lot in just a century. This is certainly the case for Holland Island, a Maryland plot of land in the Chesapeake Bay. Holland didn’t just change—it disappeared. The Island was first settled in the 1600s, and, by 1910, it was a community of three hundred people.
Holland Island, Tddville, Maryland ©foter
On Holland were homes, a church, a schoolhouse, and a post office, and the majority of people living there were fishermen and their families. Alas, Holland was abandoned when erosion caused the Island’s west side to cave in. Sea levels forced the families out by 1918, and, now, all that remains are the ruins of one lone two-story house. Eventually, that will cave in under the Chesapeake Bay’s waters.
123. 18th Street Subway Station, Manhattan, New York
Location: Manhattan, New York City, New York
Year: 1904
Cost: $1-$5 billion to build*
The 18th Street Subway Station in Manhattan, New York City was part of the first NY subway. It opened in the early 1900s, and, though historically relevant, it was not really that important of a line. It had its platforms extended a few times, but, in the WWII era, the New York Board of Transportation decided to close this station.
18th Street Subway Station, Manhattan, New York @atlasobscura/Pinterest
The Board had been embarking on a platform extension program, but, when it came to the 18th Street Platform, they chose to close it rather than elongate it. That is why 18th Street still, to this day, has vintage double-short platforms, rather than one long one.
124. Rock-a-Hoola Waterpark, Newberry Springs, California
Location: Newberry Springs, San Bernardino, California
Year: 1962
Cost: $11 million* (2021 Asking Price)
In the 1960s, the Rock-a-Hula Waterpark was founded in San Bernardino, California. It was intended as a carnival-like oasis, but, now, it is just a reminder of why putting a waterpark in the middle of the desert is a bad idea. Rock-a-Hula did well during the 1960s and 1970s, but attendance dwindled in the 1980s. Finally, in 1990, Rock-a-Hula closed.
Rock-a-Hoola Waterpark, Newberry Springs, California @atlasobscura/Pinterest
But, in 1998, millions of dollars were invested into the park to turn it back into a new 1950s-themed park called Rock-a-Hoola. Rock-a-Hoola lasted one year until an employee went down a slide into a partially filled-up pool. That landing caused the employee to become paralyzed, and they sued the attraction for millions. Rock-a-Hoola never recovered from the tragic events, and the park officially shut down, again, in 2004.
125. Whirlwind Mansion, Clinton, Tennessee
Location: Clinton, Tennessee
Year: 1970s
Cost: $800,000* (2017 Pending Sale Price)
Located in Clinton, Tennessee, this 20,000-square-foot mansion was incredibly opulent, and, in its heyday in the seventies, it was palatial. It was found by Jake Butcher, a banker whose main source of income was fraud. Using these ill-gotten gains, he built Whirlwind Mansion, which had forty rooms and everything from a swim-up bar to a helipad.
Whirlwind Mansion, Clinton, Tennesse @atlasobscura/Pinterest
But, this opulence came at a price. The utilities alone cost Butcher tens of thousands of dollars a month. Butcher had no true wealth of his own, as his was all illegal, and he was unable to pay his bills. In the mid-eighties, he was arrested for fraud and sent to jail. Shortly after, Whirlwind was abandoned, as no one was interested in keeping up with its insane maintenance costs.
126. Centralia Ghost Town Church, Centralia, Pennsylvania
Location: Centralia, Pennsylvania
Year: 1986
Cost: $7 million to put out the fire*
Decades ago, a mine fire began in the small town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, and authorities spent around $7 million to put it out, to no avail. Local rumors suggested that the fire was caused by a pile of trash that lit coals aflame in the pit, but no one could be totally certain.
Centralia Ghost Town Church, Centralia, Pennsylvania @legendsamerica/Pinterest
The town was abandoned, as the fire was causing deadly gasses to enter peoples’ houses. Now, the only thing left in Centralia is its abandoned, white church, Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary. As it turns out, this Ukrainian Catholic Church was spared because it was built on solid rock instead of coal.
127. Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, New Jersey
Location: Ellis Island, New Jersey
Year: 1951
Cost: $53 for a tour*
As of August of 2022, one of the saddest, eeriest places in New Jersey is open to the public for tours. The hospital was the centerpiece of Ellis Island, a popular arrival point for immigrants during the early twentieth century. It was in operation from 1902 until 1951, and, now, the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital is part of the Statue of Liberty Monument.
Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, New Jersey ©legacy1995/Shutterstock
It treated thousands of immigrants for various diseases until it was closed down for good. Still, though it was abandoned for many years, this Hospital stood as a monument to those who worked so hard to try to make it to the American Dream.
128. Rose Island, Charlestown, Indiana
Location: Charlestown State Park, Indiana
Year: 1937
Cost: $2.4 million* (Bridge Cost)
The Rose Island Abandoned Theme Park is a popular urbex destination in Charlestown, Indiana. It is located on a peninsula in an Indiana State Park, and the area was first founded in the late 1800s as a church camp. In the 1920s, Rose Island opened as an amusement park, and families paid $7 a car to ride the rides and enjoy the fair food.
Rose Island, Charlestown, Indiana ©Gmiller123456/Wikimedia
In 1937, a massive flood destroyed Rose Island, washing away many of its structures and damaging others beyond repair. Covered in water, this former amusement park was abandoned, and you can hike through this century-old, eerie not-so-fun zone today if you’re brave. Indiana has embraced Rose Island, even building a $2.4 million bridge to connect tourists to the peninsula.
129. The Marconi Conference Center, Marshall, California
Location: Marshall, California
Year: 1913
Cost: $1.95 million renovation cost in 2008*
The Marconi Conference Center, built in California, was created by the same Marconi who invented the radio. This abandoned hotel has housed a lot of people in the past, from radio employees to military men to a dangerous cult known as the Church of Synanon.
The Marconi Conference Center, Marshall, California @atlasobscura/Pinterest
The Church of Synanon took over in the sixties, and it had some wacky practices, including mandatory vasectomies and head-shaving for women. By 1980, Synanon was being investigated for weapon hoarding and its leader for attempted murder. The organization was shut down and the land was given to the state, who, after years of abandonment, renovated the Conference Center to put it on the path to a new, hopefully-brighter, future.
130. Fort Totten, Queens, New York
Location: Queens, New York City, New York
Year: 1862
Cost: $74 for a tour*
Fort Totten, located in Queens, New York City, is a former U.S. Army installation that is located on the north shore of Long Island. While much of this former Civil War Fort is open to the public, some of its structures are abandoned, full of decaying electronic instruments and stone arches.
Fort Totten, Queens, New York @atlasobscura/Pinterest
During the Civil War, Fort Totten suffered immense damage, and it required a lot of rebuilding to turn it into a proper military stronghold. Centuries later, Fort Totten was divided up. Some portions were converted to a public park, while others were sectioned for use by the U.S. Army Reserve, FDNY, and NYPD. The remaining structures, after that division, were all abandoned.
131. Jumieges Abbey, Jumieges, France
Location: Jumieges, France
Year: 654
Cost: $5 to visit*
French leader Clovis II and Bathild, his queen, received Jumieges Abbey as a gift in the year 654. They, in turn, gifted the land to a French nobleman, Filibertos, who was exiled shortly after. Jumieges Abbey changed hands several times, and it wasn’t until 1067 that it received consecration from William the Conqueror.
Jumiege Abbey, Jumieges, France ©Kamel15/Wikimedia
The Abbey survived Viking Invasions, English Invasions, the Wars of Religion, the Huguenots, and more, but it was, eventually, the French Revolution that did the Abbey in. The Revolutionaries destroyed Jumieges Abbey, leaving ruins in its place that have lasted for centuries.
132. Track 61, New York, New York
Location: Manhattan, New York City, New York
Year: 1910s
Cost: $500 million-$1 billion to build*
Track 61 is located underneath Manhattan in New York City on a private railroad platform. Track 61 is, technically, one of NYC’s many abandoned train stations, except for one specific use. It is, allegedly, used as a secret way to transport presidents in an emergency (though, Secret Service officials have not confirmed or denied this, for obvious reasons).
Track 61, New York, New York @atlasobscura/Pinterest
Track 61 wasn’t originally intended for use as a station, but its location made it ideal for people trying to get to the Waldorf Astoria, one of New York’s most famous hotels, in the early 1950s. Track 61 has been used by some famous names, including John J. Pershing and F.D.R.
133. Gunkanjima Island, Nagasaki, Japan
Location: Nagasaki, Japan
Year: 1974 (Year Abandoned)
Cost: $65 to visit*
Gunkanjima Island, also known as Hashima Island, is an abandoned mining facility off the coast of Japan. It is an eerie place to sightsee, and visitors to the island can tour its overgrown concrete and industrial sites, as well as the super-creepy “Stairway to Hell.” The James Bond movie Skyfall was partially-filmed on Hashima Island.
Gunkanjima Island, Nagaski, Japan @atlasobscura/Pinterest
At one point, Hashima/Gunkanjima was very highly populated, with 5,000 people living on just sixteen acres of land. When the coal reserves on the island were depleted in 1974, it was abandoned, becoming a barren, concrete-filled wasteland.
134. Cappadocia, Aksaray, Turkey
Location: Aksaray, Turkey
Year: 200s
Cost: $1,000-$3,000 cost to visit for a week*
Located in Turkey’s Central Anatolian region, Cappadocia is a region where whole cities have been carved into volcanic rock. The landscape looks like an abandoned alien desert, as its white rock formations were created millions of years ago. The human history of Cappadocia is just as intriguing as its geological one.
Cappadocia, Aksaray, Turkey @atlasobscura/Pinterest
Two-hundred underground structures have been found in this mostly-abandoned city, and these underground structures, which are built eleven stories beneath the ground, are completely empty. Cappadocia’s underground tunnels and buildings were, originally, constructed to help families flee in the event of an attack.
135. Abandoned Virginia Renaissance Faire, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Year: 1996
Cost: $5 million to build*
The Virginia Renaissance Faire attempted to create a medieval paradise in Fredericksburg, VA, only to have those plans fail, with the festival turning into an abandoned husk. The Renaissance Faire constructed several Medieval buildings on stilts within the forests of Fredericksburg, with the idea that this would become an oasis for people who want to LARP being in the Middle Ages.
Abandoned Virginia Renaissance Faire, Fredericksburg, Virginia @atlasobscura/Pinterest
Alas, the Faire had several bad seasons with no profits and few attendees, so it was forced to abandon its Medieval town in the woods. Now, the eerie buildings look like a random time warp amid the green woods, and people do visit now, though only to explore these lonesome structures.