Happy Halloween!

From Pete Zarria:

Creepy Garage

From Heidi Waugaman-Page:

Old garage in Sunapee, NH. Very creepy. I have visited it many times. Many of the buildings have been torn down since the property was sold last spring. I at least got to get into the garage for another visit.

These make me think of a Nine Inch Nails video or Brothers Quay-style videos. I had way too much fun.

A Church Worth Crowing About

From James M. Surprenant:

I was in Eden, NC, for the annual Argus Camera Collectors Group Gathering. It was Sunday morning and I was out around town taking photos with several vintage and toy cameras.

When I spotted the church, I pulled over and got out of the car with my cameras. As I walked along the sidewalk, taking photos as I approached the building, I was being "followed" by a very large crow on the power line.

The crow seemed upset that I was there because it was scolding me very loudly and it hopped along the wire following right behind me. When I stopped to shoot, it stopped.

When I got to the church walk, I took a few steps towards the church and knelt down to shoot. Then I heard something solid land behind me, like a rock or something. I turned and the crow flew away, and I didn't see what hit the path behind me.

Weird/creepy and yet oh so cool!

Window Dressing

From Dave Brigham:

I used to walk by the Dainty Dot Hosiery building a lot. I worked in the mail room of a small banking and real estate publishing company in Boston's Leather District, just a few blocks from the late 19th century building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

On occasion, I made deliveries on foot, walking through the Financial District, along the waterfront, through Chinatown and, quickly and with eyes in the back of my head, among the pimps and prostitutes of the Combat Zone (R.I.P.).

The Dainty Dot building was on the edge of Chinatown, facing Surface Road, which separated the ethnic enclave from the smaller Leather District. I loved the character of the building -- rich, brown bricks, nice details at the top, a real solid place of industry -- and of course I thrilled at the name on the side.

Unfortunately, the building was recently torn down. A developer has finally begun to realize a plan to build a 26-story residential tower after years of financing issues.

For more about the history of the Dainty Dot building, and the former Shreve, Crump & Low building in Boston's Back Bay, read this post from the Evolving Critic blog.

Found My Quarry

From Dave Brigham:

I'm becoming more attracted to Greater Boston's waterfront. I've enjoyed checking out the sights in the city, but I'm ready to branch out a bit. This is what brought me to Quincy's Rock Island Cove Salt Marsh.

Through a Google map search of the area just south of Boston, I found a bunch of places, and once I did a quick investigation into Rock Island Cove, and learned there used to be a quarry there, I knew I had to check it out.

The salt marsh, of course, is beautiful.

But my quarry was the quarry. Having read just a little online about the site, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was hoping for building remnants; what I found was some steep rock walls leading into what seems to be a fairly shallow pit.

And of course, there was graffiti.

The pit was filled with trees and grasses and trash.

I suspect if I'd ventured down there I would've found more interesting pieces of history. But drilled into a rock a good distance from the pit I found this pin:

I don't know anything about quarry operations, so I have no idea what was secured here. I assume a cable was strung through here that was perhaps used to hoist rock from the hole.

From two sources online, I learned that the company that quarried the stone was called the Tidewater Broken Stone company. Founded in 1906, the company owned 26 acres of "the best quality trap rock suitable for crushing purposes," according to "United States Investor, Volume 21, Part 2" by Frank P. Bennett and Company. I tell ya, Google documents is awesome.

According to the same source, Tidewater supplied "practically all the stone used in water front construction, both in government and city works."

It's no surprise this place is called Rock Island. The quarry seems fairly small, but there is certainly plenty of stone in the general area, so I imagine Tidewater had quite an operation in its day.

Watering Hole

From Pete Zarria:

Back alley watering hole in Amboy, Illinois.

State of Confusion

In 2005, through a federal grant, Massachusetts began putting into action a plan to close state facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities and to move those clients into home-based environments. Translation: the commonwealth wanted to deinstitutionalize some of its most vulnerable residents by moving them out of hospitals where they had received care for most or all of their lives.

As a result, more hulking, Gothic hospitals around Massachusetts joined the growing ranks of aging facilities that were already favorites of urban explorers.

On June 30 of this year, the Monson Developmental Center, which opened in Palmer in 1854, moved the last few remaining residents out. Most of the facility's buildings have been empty for years.

Peter Arnemann took these amazing pictures a few years back.

What will become of the Monson site? As with so many other similar facilities in the state, the answer is, "Who the hell knows?" There is no master plan for the site, according to Palmer town officials. -- DB.

Shoes Required

From Dave Brigham:

My daughter, Amelia, and I joined a fellow stay-at-home dad and his two girls for a trip to the USS Constitution in Charlestown, Mass., recently. I brought along my camera, of course, but wasn't expecting this advertising nugget:

I searched online and found photos of this great sign before it was restored, but I don't know when that was done. Some folks indicate that the sign dates to around World War II, but I don't know.

Fall On the Backside

Fall is my favorite season. I love the cool temps; the apples, pumpkins and cider at local farm stands; the porters and dark ales on tap at neighborhood bars; the soups and hearty meals on menus at my favorite restaurants; watching football and hockey on TV (especially after this latest dismal Red Sox season); Halloween and Thanksgiving; and, of course, the full palette of colors you witness as the foliage changes from its monochromatic green.

With the falling of the leaves (in New England and elsewhere, although unfortunately not everywhere across America), more of the Backside reveals itself. Buildings that during the spring and summer are hidden behind vines and overgrown trees, reappear during fall and winter.

And landscapes that look beautiful in lush greens become transformed in reds, yellows and oranges.

Below are some shots from various members of the Backside Gang that reflect the wonders of autumn, whether because of their subject, their colors or their feel -- DB.

(Photo by Dave Brigham: Abigail Draper Mann Woodland Worship Center, Dover Massachusetts)

(Photo by Kristen Smith: Abandoned camp site, Litchfield State Forest, New Hampshire)

(Photo by lostlosangeles: Mendocino County, California)

(Photo by Pete Zarria: Milan, Illinois)

(Photo by Dave Brigham: Watertown, Massachusetts)

(Photo by Pete Zarria: Tucson, Arizona)

(Photo by Joe Viger: Conway, New Hampshire)

(Photo by Kristen Smith: New Hampshire)

(Photo by Heidi Waugaman-Page: Antrim, New Hampshire)

Simple Beauty

From Pete Zarria:

Blairstown, Benton County, Iowa - Pop. 685. Many people simply do not realize all the beauty that is spread across the world. Even across just a flat old farm state known for corn and hogs. This scene is just a simple grain elevator in small Iowa town backed by nature's best light.

More Backside TV

From Dave Brigham:

I spent a lot of time over the summer watching the Food Network. I can't cook much, but I love to watch other people who do it well. I got really into "Chopped," "The Great Food Truck Race" and "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."

But I got a bit burned out on that stuff, so I was really happy when I saw a preview for National Geographic Channel's new reality series, "Abandoned."

To date I've watched three episodes, and have a few more waiting for me on my DVR. In the show, carpenter/antique collector/restoration expert Jay Chaikin, along with his buddies Dan and Mark, get permission to enter abandoned buildings looking to salvage antiques, collectibles and furniture.

They walk very carefully through old mills, churches, breweries, factories and banks, marveling at the architecture and the relics they find. Chaikin is an amiable host, and his friend Mark provides some comic relief.

I'm not an urbex guy -- I don't think getting arrested for trespassing would go over well with my wife, and it would be hard to pick up my kids at school if I were in jail. So I live vicariously through people who are bold enough to enter dilapidated buildings to see what's been left behind, and to behold the beauty of decay.

As I said, in "Abandoned," the hosts receive permission from property owners to enter the buildings. After they pick through the stuff, they haggle with the owners over items they want to restore and resell. Yes, the show is similar to History Channel's "American Pickers," but there's nothing wrong with that.

In some cases, the buildings are facing demolition; in other situations, they don't indicate what the fates are.

So if you find yourself looking to fill an hour to learn about endangered historic sites, urban exploration and antique collecting and restoration, check it out.

I also watch Travel Channel's "Off Limits," which used to focus more on old factories and abandoned mines. This season the host, Don Wildman, has changed the focus a bit to places like operational salt mines and Air Force base rocket launches, but it's still a cool show. I wrote a bit about the show in May 2011.