Abandoned Connecticut : Abandoned

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Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Hearthstone Castle

A 19th century castle fit for a king, must be in Europe right? Wrong... Hearthstone Castle which was completed in 1899 sits nestled deep in the woods of Danbury, CT. This three story castle designed by Ernest G.W. Dietrich once boasted over 17 rooms complimented with imported Italian woodwork and 8 stone fireplaces. All the stone used to build this marvel was quarried entirely on site and transported by a small railway system. E Starr Sanford who was said to be a noted photographer at the time was the castles first owner, using it as a "summer cottage". Sanford and his wife spent only five years at Hearthstone before selling to new owners. Ownership of the castle changed hands over the years with its final residents being"The Jennings" moving out in 1987, the same year the castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Soon after changing hands to city ownership the castle took a turn for the worse, it sat and deteriorating through the 1990's and into the 2000's. In 2004 the roof of the castle had collapsed and the castle from that moment on was literally a shell of its former self... The inside is completely destroyed and just a pile of rubble with small traces of what it once was lying under old floor boards. As of 2017 all attempts to renovate this once proud castle have been abandoned and plans to demolish the site are underway.

Explorers beware this site is extremely deteriorated and dangerous. Going inside the castle is not recommended.

UPDATE 03/27/18: Reports that the castle is in the beginning phases of demolition, trees are marked to be removed.

UPDATE: 07/15/20: A local radio station reports the grounds will be cleaned up. The castle still stands in its deteriorated state.

Photo by Lewis Zurlo - 1995

1985

Photo courtesy of "Friends of Tarrywile Park"

Workers transporting stone on railway - 1896

Photo courtesy of "National Park Service"

Have you ever been to or heard of Hearthstone Castle?

Tell us your experience

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

East Hartford Family Drive-In

Drive-In Movie Theaters are a beloved thing of the past, and in Connecticut at least have a track record of being named for towns they aren't even in. The "East Hartford Family Drive-In" in South Windsor fits the mold. This once 600 car family drive-in opened its doors to first dates and everlasting memories in 1954 nestled between Chapel Road and John Fitch Blvd. The theater had a 30 year run meeting its fate as many others in 1984, leaving only memories and an empty screen behind. The shell of what it once was still remains to this day uncertain of a future.

Tickets and Entrance

Projection Building

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Sunday, September 13, 2015

Elmcrest Mental Hospital

Mental Hospitals are creepy to say the least, as you probably have saw in the feature film Shutter Island. But what if I said this one was for children. Elmcrest Mental hospital was opened in Portland, CT in 1942 and was built around the historic childhood mansion of Elizabeth Jarvis Colt. Not only did this site host In-Patient help but also an on campus school for the youth patients. In 1998 a patient was killed while being restrained by an employee and the final chapter on this historic location ended in 2003. Today the campus remains untouched but be warned is patrolled heavily by security.

One way mirror interigation room

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Aerosol Factory

Out of sight out of mind, but never the less extremely interesting. This 176,000 square foot factory sits hidden behind the trees in the heart of Milford's industrial district, adjacent to the once famous and now demolished Milford Jai Alai. Once inside this outrageously creepy building you are surrounded by amazing pieces of graffiti work and the irony of it all is that it used to be an aerosol factory... As seen in the video bellow you cant take 2 steps without running into a can of spray paint. Today the building sits as a canvas for "taggers" and the massive aerosol tanks sit intact. Out back you can even see the old train tracks that came through to the shipping and receiving building.

The building has been abandoned since the mid 1990's

Saturday, May 2, 2015

I-84 Stack Interchange

Hidden in plain view towering over Interstates 84 in Farmington, CT sits a multi-stack highway interchange never used by the public. If you thought CT Route 11 was cool you are going to love this. It was planned to be the first four stack interchange in Connecticut's history and plans reached there final details in the 60's and by 1969 when man landed on the moon the construction began. While the highway was almost completed, in 1973 issues with the MDC reservoirs in West Hartford halted all further work and the interchange was left for dead.

As of 2015 there are no plans to open the interchange that has sit dormant for more then 20 years although one of the ramps has since opened.