I'm curious if anyone has been through Staunton, Virginia.
I'm from central NC (greensboro-ish area), but some years ago i developed a fascination with Staunton, and especially some of its older architecture.
It's a 4+ hour trek from where I go to school, but me and several friends have driven up there about a half dozen times, primarily to photographer the abandoned asylums.
That's what peaked my initial interest.
I stopped at a Sheetz while driving north up 81, and notice a large ominous and seemingly abandoned building on a hill nearby. I was lucky enough to be traveling with friends equally enthusiastic on exploring this location. And I've been in love with the place ever since.
It's only the last few visits that we've actually explored the town itself. And it's quite charming.
We still mainly go up to explore/photograph the abandoned Dejarnette Children's Asylum and the old Western State Hospital (adult asylum/prison).
Of course this is a very "enter at your own risk" kind of place, but we've never encountered any trouble visiting Dejarnette. The adult asylum is a bit riskier. It was being renovated and converted into condos when we last went. And it's been some time, so I would imagine they are being lived in by now. Though, the adult asylum is a large facility with several buildings, and only a few were being converted at that time.
The adult asylum can be seen mapped out here and the children's/Dejarnette asylum here. Some of mine and other's images are geo-tagged on the maps.
The adult asylum is more than a dozen buildings, including the main "campus" of seven or eight buildings, those towards the main entrance being renovated, a round automotive workshop off to the east, a large barn/slaughterhouse off to the south, a "yard", a few guard towers, nearby staff living corders, large "parking" on the southern side, and a very creepy cemetery on a hill off to the south full of evenly space unmarked gravestones. When we first visited it was also completely fenced-in with a few (large) openings. By now most of the fencing and probably a few other of my details are no longer there.
The Dejarnette Children's Asylum includes the two large main buildings, a newer constructed corridor connecting the two, a power building (a two boiler steam plant), a overseer's corders, a loading dock, and a small shed near the back road (where we usually park). It sits just off the highway at the top of a hill between a Sheetz gas station and the nearby Museum of Frontier Culture.
Some of my photos from Dejarnette (mostly 6x6 TMX):
Older digital shots:
First trip to Dejarnette
Second trip to Dejarnette
The adult asylum/prison
I'm from central NC (greensboro-ish area), but some years ago i developed a fascination with Staunton, and especially some of its older architecture.
It's a 4+ hour trek from where I go to school, but me and several friends have driven up there about a half dozen times, primarily to photographer the abandoned asylums.
That's what peaked my initial interest.
I stopped at a Sheetz while driving north up 81, and notice a large ominous and seemingly abandoned building on a hill nearby. I was lucky enough to be traveling with friends equally enthusiastic on exploring this location. And I've been in love with the place ever since.
It's only the last few visits that we've actually explored the town itself. And it's quite charming.
We still mainly go up to explore/photograph the abandoned Dejarnette Children's Asylum and the old Western State Hospital (adult asylum/prison).
Of course this is a very "enter at your own risk" kind of place, but we've never encountered any trouble visiting Dejarnette. The adult asylum is a bit riskier. It was being renovated and converted into condos when we last went. And it's been some time, so I would imagine they are being lived in by now. Though, the adult asylum is a large facility with several buildings, and only a few were being converted at that time.
The adult asylum can be seen mapped out here and the children's/Dejarnette asylum here. Some of mine and other's images are geo-tagged on the maps.
The adult asylum is more than a dozen buildings, including the main "campus" of seven or eight buildings, those towards the main entrance being renovated, a round automotive workshop off to the east, a large barn/slaughterhouse off to the south, a "yard", a few guard towers, nearby staff living corders, large "parking" on the southern side, and a very creepy cemetery on a hill off to the south full of evenly space unmarked gravestones. When we first visited it was also completely fenced-in with a few (large) openings. By now most of the fencing and probably a few other of my details are no longer there.
The Dejarnette Children's Asylum includes the two large main buildings, a newer constructed corridor connecting the two, a power building (a two boiler steam plant), a overseer's corders, a loading dock, and a small shed near the back road (where we usually park). It sits just off the highway at the top of a hill between a Sheetz gas station and the nearby Museum of Frontier Culture.
Some of my photos from Dejarnette (mostly 6x6 TMX):
Older digital shots:
First trip to Dejarnette
Second trip to Dejarnette
The adult asylum/prison
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