Abandoned School

After exploring an abandoned amusement park and motel on my recent trip back to Ohio, JMP and I drove to an abandoned greenhouse only to find that it had recently been demolished. As we sat in her car, soothing our disappointment with cupcakes, I told her that there was an abandoned school on our way back—with the caveat being that I knew next-to-nothing about it, other than its location.

The greenhouse had been my only "sure thing" of the day, and I had only been able to confirm that the school, 1. once existed and 2. had been abandoned—there was no guarantee that we could get in or that it would still be standing when we arrived. Luck was on our sides on both fronts, however, and not only was it still there, but we were able to get inside relatively easily. 

This was my first school, and despite looking as if it had just recently been abandoned and well-secured, it was pretty empty (we freaked out when we found one eraser)—even the chalk boards had been removed. I'm not sure exactly when the school closed, but a stone on the front of the building marks the build date as 1907 (an addition was added in 1922). 

The building was boarded up on the lower level, but the upper floors were so bright I actually thought the lights were on when we first entered. This was a real treat for us since we like exploring abandoned places to take photos and actually see things—it's no fun to creep around in the dark. The multiple layers of pale, peeling paint made for the most wonderful colors and textures, and despite being mostly devoid of stuff it was still a really visually interesting place.

Despite being an older, solid-looking building, the floors were surprisingly unstable. We were very careful, but it was still a bit unnerving. One good surprise, however, was the discovery of the gym/auditorium, with basketball hoops, a stage (creepy velvet curtain ✓ ) and a wrap-around walkway—from which someone presumably threw a cane that now dangles precariously on rusty stage rigging ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

We explored the school until it started to get dark, and it was a wonderful bonus on a day that was full of (mostly) successful creeps. I lament often that I didn't explore Ohio more while I actually lived there, but maybe I needed to leave to truly appreciate its virtues. New York City may have my heart, but it has nothing on Ohio in the abandoned building department.