I couldn't remember if I had posted a thread with updates to my web-site, but I'll keep them to this thread.

 

Abandoned late-January 2007 updates

 

Abandoned has underwent a small transformation, with a new front page, variable-width pages and a revamped forum! The new main page features recently posted forum replies and topics, the spotlight feature, new photo gallery and page updates, and new comments. The new forum offers an upgraded user interface and faster post times. Signatures have also been enabled as well.

 

But new information and photographs are online as well. The historical information regarding the AK Steel Ashland Works has been updated with more in-depth information, and the Sears Department Store in downtown Ashland, Kentucky has been refreshed with new, updated information regarding renovations.

 

And to top it off, I photographed a rural house in central Kentucky, posted under Blown Away.

 

Enjoy these late-January updates to Abandoned!

Intriguing stuff.

 

Ever been to Cass, WV? The site is now a state park featuring standard-gauge logging railroad with Shay locomotives that climb to the top of Bald Knob. Some of the company town has been preserved and restored, but the ruins of the burned lumber mill still stand pretty much unmolested on the property. I've only visited in summer and was afraid to go tromp through the weeds and brush to explore, for fear of rattlesnakes. I don't know if they're common there, but it looked like the place to find them if the area is in their habitat range.

 

There are a couple of lumber-mill town sites in that area where nothing remains but a few foundations.

I haven't been to Cass, but I've been to much of the region. I followed, for the most part, the old C&O Greenbrier Division from just west of Lewisburg along US 219. A beautiful region, unspoiled and serene. Sans a few new subdivisions for the suburbnites from Washington D.C. :(

 

I've seen photographs from Cass and it is quite beautiful - a place I'll check out in early spring when I do some mountain biking in the area.

Are there any plans for RSS/XML or Atom feeds?

 

Yes, I am trying to implement an RSS feed for the forums and for page updates. Since it's all dynamic, it shouldn't be hard to get the content in there.

 

February 2007 Updates to Abandoned

Notice: Abandonedonline.com will soon redirect to Abandonedonline.net on February 14. My former host for the domain, Sprintserve, is holding my domain name essentially hostage and is refusing to allow me access to my own domain. The .com will redirect until it expires later this year.

 

A new gallery containing 18 photographs was added to the Peter's Cartrdige Company - Surrounding Area page. Added by M.C. Flash, it contains photographs from an old ammunitions factory only minutes from King's Island. Also added were 8 new photographs regarding Heritage Park in New York state from Dougtone.

 

Trying to get over my winter blues, I began adding extensive content and history to several locations. The first update regards Mount Alburn, Cincinnati, Ohio page, also known as "The Hole." Commentary was added, along with additional history. Updates and additional information was added to the Sears Department Store in downtown Ashland, Kentucky, which will soon be undergoing renovations. Similarly, updates were provided to the Carlyle Labold Tile and Brick Company location, which was just recently demolished for an intermodal transfer center, and to the Best Western Gateway Hotel, where extensive history was added. Ditto to the Kyova Mall which went through a makeover. Cleanup work at the Stearns and Foster Company, Hotel West Virginian and Crestview Hills Mall pages brought them to a more readable format.

 

Enjoy these updates and keep watching! More content additions will be added soon.

Abandoned profiles three hospitals for February 2007!

 

Abandoned spotlights three significant hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic! The first is Metro General Hospital which formerly served many of the underprivilaged in Nashville, Tennessee, merged with George W. Hubbard Hospital due to a major glut of patient rooms in the region. Today, the former hospital site is undergoing revitalization. While much of the campus was demolished, three primary and historic buildings were spared the wrecking ball and are being gutted for repurposing. The Rolling Hill Mill development, so named for the corn mills that were once located in the area, will convert the former hospital site into a mixed use community on the banks of the Cumberland River. With the land being very close to downtown Nashville, it is hoped that this once landmark institution can continue to serve the city well into the 21st century. Read more about the hospital's history at the Metro General Hospital on Abandoned!

 

Speaking of repurposing, it seems as if Weston State Hospital is seeing some daylight at the end of its dark and rather stormy past. From a Civil War that held up construction to fires and extreme overcrowding, the once 'remote' asylum for the insane in West Virginia now stands essentially frozen in suspended animation. Recent renovations have stablized the roof and improvements are being considered to restore the large hospital into a 'National Museum of the Civil War', among other uses. You can find out more on the expanded Weston State Hospital page!

 

And last but not least, the Portland Marine Hospital is undergoing interior renovations in the Portland neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. The last of its kind of the nation, it once addressed the health needs of seaman on the Western inland waterways and was a prototype for others across the country. After many decades of disuse, its exterior was renovated to its 1900-era appearance. Work still continues on this grand three-story structure with the hope that it can become a museum and a place of 'medicine and health education'. Find out more on this at the freshened Portland Marine Hospital page!

 

--

 

Numerous features have been added to Abandoned. Under user profiles, you now have the option of updating your location seperated by city and state. You can also now search for other users with a similar city, state, interest or occupation. Other improvements were implemented as well, including location search by city or state. Keyword tagging will soon be placed on the site, so stay tuned!

 

--

 

Enjoy!