Exploring America State by State

Category Archives: Ruins

The Locks in Ohio

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Near Piqua, Ohio is the small town of Lockington. Here you will find a series of stone structures that look like medieval walls. The name of the town gives a hint as to what they were used for. The Miami and Erie Canal went from Lake Erie in Toledo to the Ohio River near Cincinnati. The two hundred seventy four foot long canal cut through the Ohio countryside and had to traverse several elevations with the highest summit being near Lockington. The stone structures are what remains of the seven locks used to cross over Loramie Summit.

The locks were used to raise and lower boats sixty-seven feet. They consisted of a pair of enormous gates. Boats would be situated between them and then they were closed. The water inside could then be raised or lowered to match the surrounding elevation. It was like a giant water elevator since water does not flow uphill. Construction on the locks began in 1833, and they went into use in 1845 when the Miami and Erie Canal was opened for boat traffic. It was not much longer after the canal was completed that the railroad began running tracks across Ohio. The railroads diminished the need for canals and a devastating flood in 1913 destroyed part of the canal, putting an end to the waterway. Not much remains of the Miami and Erie Canal today, but the remains of the old locks can still be seen in Lockington.

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The Windsor Ruins

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The Windsor Plantation, a grand testament to antebellum wealth and ambition, was constructed between 1859 and 1861 for the affluent planter Smith Coffee Daniell II. This opulent mansion, once one of the largest private residences in Mississippi, was designed in an eclectic mix of Greek, Italianate, and Gothic architectural styles by David Shroder. Skilled artisans from New England and Europe, along with the labor of enslaved people, contributed to its construction.

The mansion’s imposing facade featured twenty-nine Corinthian columns, and its interior was equally impressive, boasting spacious rooms, high ceilings, and elegant furnishings. However, Smith Daniell’s enjoyment of his opulent home was tragically short-lived. He passed away just weeks after moving in.

During the Civil War, Windsor Plantation played a significant role. The mansion was utilized as a Union hospital and observation post, sparing it from the destruction that befell many other plantations. Despite its wartime service, the plantation’s fate was sealed by a tragic accident. In 1890, a careless guest left a lit cigar on the upper balcony, igniting a devastating fire that consumed the entire structure.

Today, all that remains of the once-magnificent Windsor Plantation are twenty-three of its original columns, along with fragments of balustrades and iron stairs. These remnants stand as a poignant reminder of the plantation’s grandeur and its untimely demise. The ruins are now a popular tourist destination and a powerful symbol of the region’s rich history.

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The Disappointment of Capones Hideout

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Notorious gangster Al Capone sought refuge from the heat of Chicago summers and the relentless pursuit of law enforcement in the tranquil northern Wisconsin wilderness. One of his favorite hideouts was Pike Lake. Intrigued by this historical connection, I ventured down backroads to the site, only to be met with a discouraging “No Trespassing” sign. Once a popular tourist attraction, the hideout is now closed to the public.

Feeling a pang of disappointment akin to Geraldo Rivera’s frustration with Scarface’s safe, I continued my journey south to the town of Couderay. There, I stumbled upon the ruins of an old stone building. I couldn’t help but wonder if Capone himself had ever visited this mysterious structure. Now, it stands as a relic of a bygone era.

While I may not have reached my original destination, I found unexpected intrigue in the remnants of the past. I have learned that I might not get to where I wanted to go, but I will sometimes end up where I was meant to go.

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Stoney Baynard Plantation Ruins

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These ruins stand in the private Sea Pines Community on South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island. They are the remains of the Stoney-Baynard Plantation.  The plantation was built in 1793 by Revolutionary War hero Captain Jack Stoney.  It was 1,885 square feet, built of timber and a mixture of oyster shells, lime, and sand. In 1873  the Baynard family came into possession of the plantation. It is lost to history as to how cotton farmer William Baynard acquired the home but two stories exist. Some people believed that a Stoney heir bet the home during a late-night poker game and lost. The other prevailing story is that the Stoneys declared bankruptcy and William Baynard acquired the estate from the bank. After William Baynard’s death, the plantation was raided during the Civil War by Union forces and housed soldiers. Shortly after the war ended, the home was burned and some of the lime and oyster shell walls are all that remain.

If you want to see the historic ruins you need to stop and get a visitors pass a the gate for the Sea Pines. They also have a wonderful shopping district for guests to visit.

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Nuttallburg

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The New River Gorge in West Virginia is one of the United States most recent National Parks. At the bottom of the gorge along the New River is the abandoned coal mining town of Nuttlallburg. In the 1870s John Nuttall began purchasing land and developing it along the gorge with plans of mining the coal that was abundant in the area. In 1873 the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway laid tracks along the river making it possible for the mine to ship the coal out to the rest of the country.

The coal was sent down into the gorge on a large coal cute and loaded into railroad cars.  In 1920 Henry Ford leased the town’s mines to provide coal for his company steel mills. Because Henry was at the mercy of the railroad he abandoned his interest in the mine. It continued to mine coal until 1958 when it closed down. Without the mine for work, it was not long and the town was abandoned.

In 1998 the Nuttall family transferred ownership of Nuttallburg to the National Park Service which stabilized the remaining structures and foundations. Today it is considered one of the most intact examples of a coal mining complex in West Virginia and one of the most complete coal related industrial sites in the United States. The cute and building are still standing for visitors to explore.  It was an adventure to drive down the winding road to see it but the road was not as difficult as the park service makes it out to be, especially if you are used to driving down forest roads and trails.

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The Carhartt Ruins

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The ruins of an old mansion stand in the woods along a mountain bike path in northern South Carolina. The town of Rock Hill, South Carolina is south of Charlotte, North Carolina. A century ago it was a booming textile town and was the reason why this mansion was built. It was constructed in 1930s by Hamilton Carhartt. He founded Carhartt in 1889 in Dearborn, Michigan. The company grew rapidly and became the leading supplier in work wear.

Hamilton decided to build a home in Rock Hill because the company had a cotton mill in the town. Shortly after the opulent mansion was finished Hamilton and his wife were killed in an automobile accident in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. In the depths of the Great Depression the mansion was abandoned and left to decay. The stone and concrete work are all that remains of the once wonderful home.

The ruins sit on public property and can be accessed from the mountain bike trail or the Riverwalk along the Catawba River.

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The Tabby House Ruins

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Fort George Island sits in the north eastern corner of Florida north of Jacksonville. The ruins sit along the road that lead to the Kingsley Plantation ( a post for a different day ) Charles Thomson purchased the island in 1854 and sent fifty slaves to it to build a house for his daughter Charlotte and her husband. A year after construction started Charles died and building stopped.  The ruins of the partially constructed home are created using tabby. It is made with lime from burned oyster shells mixed with sand, water, ash, and other seashells. It is sometimes called costal concrete.

P.S. For me it is not sad that the house was never finished or that Charles Thompson died. It is sad that the ruins were constructed by slaves. They stand as a reminder of a dark and evil time in our nation’s history.

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The Cross Florida Barge Canal

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A section of Highway 301 runs between Ocala and Belleview Florida. There is a spot where the highway has a large median and a sheriff’s office and behind it is a park called “The Island”. Massive concrete structures stand towering among the trees. They look like something from an ancient civilization but in fact they are rather modern.

They are the remnants of the Cross Florida Barge Canal. During the 1800s there was always a wish by some to have a canal that cut thru central Florida to the Gulf Of Mexico. During president Roosevelt’s New Deal an attempt at a canal was made but funding for it ran out after three years. After World War II and shipping being threatened by German U-boats, interest in building the canal gained in popularity.  Construction resumed in 1964, with President Lyndon B. Johnson presiding at the groundbreaking in Palatka, Florida.

Environmentalists protested the building of the canal saying it will damage the Sunshine State’s ecosystem. Activist Marjorie Harris Carr appealed to President Richard Nixon and he stopped the project in 1971 and congress officially defunded it in 1990. The concrete supports for a bridge over the canal still stand as a reminder of the ill fated project. The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway follows the proposed path of the canal and is maintained by the Florida State Parks.

If you want to check out the old concrete bridge supports you can park at the sheriff’s office and there is a hiking path that takes you past them with signage about the canal.

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The Old Sheldon Church Ruins

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North west of Beaufort South Carolina are brick walls and pillars standing among the trees near the small town of Sheldon. They are the remains of an old church originally known as Prince William’s Parish Church. Today they are known as the Old Sheldon Church. The church was  built sometime between 1745 and 1753. It was burned by the British in 1779 during the Revolutionary War, rebuilt in 1826, and then burned again in 1865 during the Civil War by the Union Army under General William T. Sherman. The ruins of the old church still stand as a reminder of the challenging times in on nations history.

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The Crystal Mill

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Crystal Mill: Wikipedia cc

The Crystal Mill sits along the Crystal River in Colorado. It was built in 1892, and although it is now called a mill it was actually built as a powerhouse. The fast moving river would turn turbines for air compressors to run pneumatic drills for the nearby Sheep Mountain Mine. The mine closed in 1917 and the powerhouse was left abandoned.

Crystal Mill (powerhouse) circa 1890s

The old building remains a popular landmark in Colorado attracting tourists and photographers to this remote place every year. It is in the mountains southwest of Aspen near the small town of Marble. The road to this scenic spot is a long, rocky and narrow requiring a four wheel drive vehicle or horse. You can see it on Google Maps HERE

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