Fotomoto

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Memorial Mound

This location was a real surprise. We expected an abandoned, empty funeral home. Turns out it was much, much worse than that.

The owner, Clyde Booth, dreamed of a place of rest that would never be forgotten, and never fall into disrepair, like so many cemeteries do. His business model was based off of low cost burial and perpetual care, under the promise that the mound would continue to expand and never fall to decay and neglect. Obviously, very few people bought into the idea, and the mound was forced to close due to lack of funds. Everything about the place is off. The way the "mausoleum" section was designed, as an open room with racks, the way the caskets were simply placed onto the racks. At the time of Mr. Booth's passing, the mound was sealed and in good condition. The government took ownership of the property after his passing, due to lapsed tax payments. It seems they never bothered to go inspect their new property.

Today, the Mound has been broken into and scrapped. It appears that human remains were left behind when the building was abandoned. When we discovered the caskets with human remains, we got out of there pretty quick and filed an anonymous tip with the police. According to others in the exploration community, many others have also filed reports to police and new outlets. Despite this, nothing has been done.

Update : According to a friend in the exploration community, the FBI is now involved in this case, though that may not be true. One would hope that efforts to clean up the place, or at least secure it, are under way.
Update two : The Bessemer Police have sealed this location, and an investigation has begun. A skull was stolen from one of the coffins
Update three : The remains left behind have been identified and relocated. Who knows how many more years the remains would have been left behind, were it not for the efforts of explorers who exposed this location.

Memorial Mound

Enter the Forgotten

Priced to Sit

Open Casket

Faux

Imbalm Me

Fright

Monday, October 13, 2014

Atop Ruffner Mountain

Atop Birmingham's Ruffner Mountain sits the abandoned Wharton Fire Tower.The tower, built in 1941, fell into disuse in the '70s once increased development and cheap aircraft fire spotting obsoleted the tower.

During its time of use, one or two men would climb the tower and stand vigil, looking for fires in the forests. If one was spotted, they used a rangefinding device to relay the location of the fire to the proper authorities. The tower also served as a mounting point for a radio navigation beacon, aiding pilots on their way to the Birmingham Municipal Airport. Today, the tower is used for a Birmingham School educational program, and possibly for some other radio services. The hum of electrical equipment can be heard coming from the locked doors of the building at the base of the tower. Entry to the top of the tower requires a tall ladder, as the stairs leading to ground level have been removed, climbing safety equipment, and a strong nerve. Many of the wooden stairs are rotted or missing altogether. The doors to the transmitter building have bullet holes in them.

Whatron Tower Afar

The Hike

Radio Warnings

Shot Up

Big Guy

Dangerous Fields

Wharton Fire Tower Below

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

The Cave Tour

This small cave was once open for tours, and featured a small boat dock at the bottom so you could paddle out on the underground lake. The tour business fell victim to the recession, and is now closed.
We turned on the breakers, and surprisingly, the location still has power. Some of the lights left behind in the cave came to life. Whoever owns this property is still paying the power bill.

Shadows and Highlights

Cave Lights

Shine From Beyond

1916

Crystalline Entity

Detail Dirt

Yellow Light

Flow and Curtains

Rocky Substance

Cave Falls

The docks now float randomly inside the cave's lake. The boats have either sunk, or been removed.

Abandoned Dock

Above and Below

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Republic Steel

A quick pass through Republic Steel.

The Machine

Pipe Mess

Pod Spinner Gas Thing

Spinner

Grease Trap

Red Gray Silver

Turn This

Turbine Blades

Pipe Up

Chained

Screwed

Green Turbine

Pipe City

Industrial Peel

PSI

The Coke Gas Passage

The Valve

Switches

Koppers

The Tether

Grinder

White Stack

40 Year Old Things

Growth and Decay

Brick Stack

Turns Up

The Windings

Power Systems

Power House

Kilowatts

Timer

Power House Logs

The Turbine


Strange things were stored inside the Admin Building!

If You Build It, They Will Come

Old Coke

A shooting range, complete with a steel bullet trap, can be found in the basement. They used .22 short.

Shooting Range

Stare Down

The Beast