THE LIVING NECROPOLIS

FLAGSTAFF "Dinosaurs attack in a freak Arizona snow storm"

2009-09-01T22:16:00.005-04:00

Visited: January 2008
I-40 , East of FLAGSTAFF, Arizona, USA

"Dinosaurs attack in a freak Arizona snow storm"

We were able to drive away before the predators could get us.

KING STREET Zen Statues

2009-08-18T21:31:00.002-04:00

Visited: March 2007
King Street, TORONTO Ontario

In front of the M5V Condo's. Their 'green' initiative.

DACRE HEIGHTS Abandoned Ski Lift

2009-08-11T23:20:00.005-04:00

Visited: August 2009
Near DACRE Ontario

Driving down the wrong road can produce exciting results. My exploration companion and I stumbled upon this abandoned ski lift, known as Dacre Heights Ski. It was adjacent to the abandoned house and after exploring the dwelling, we made our way back to the lonely machinery.

The chairs hang eerily in the sky, never to ride again.

I'm reminded of The Simpsons episode "Girly Edition" where reporter Kent Brockman is doing a segment called 'Kent Cares'. He stands on an old carousel:

"Hear that? It's the sound of children's laughter... silenced. That's because tomorrow, this old carousel, which has delighted young Americans for lo these past six years, will be torn down, to make way for the future: a store that sells designer mouse pads." Music cue: "Turn turn" by the Byrds.

The wiring looked like it was relatively recent (@ 2009). When was this place shut down? Why?

There is a larger, classier ski slopes in Calabogie - did they put Dacre Heights out of business? So many questions left un-answered. But we must keep asking.

THE CORNWALL JAIL - PART II

2009-08-11T22:40:00.010-04:00

Visited: October 2008
CORNWALL Ontario

UPPER LEVEL

Guards Office just off of the main cell block.

The 'modern' cell block.

There is a recreational section just outside the individual cells. Tables, TV's.

On the tables were board games printed directly on. RISK & MONOPOLY. Both have been scratched away by inmates.

A typical cell.

Privacy for the Loo: "STAY OUT When nobody is here".

Graffiti - "Mohawk Mafia" "L, Seguin" & Counting the Days.

LEVEL 1

Map of the First Floor.

THE female cell.

Graffiti in the female cell.

Medical Centre.

Tunnel to connect to the Courtroom Staircase.

This staircase led to the courtroom above. Prisoners could be sentenced quickly without ever leaving the building.

The Stairs to Justice.

The jail is an amazing piece of history. I love that they have preserved it as it was. It is also said to be haunted - strange sounds, voices, noises, etc. While I certainly saw nothing of the sort, one experiences, if only a fraction, of how terrible conditions were (even recently). There are many stories here and this is definitely worth exploring.

Back to PART I

THE CORNWALL JAIL - PART I

2009-08-11T22:08:00.011-04:00

Visited: October 2008
CORNWALL Ontario

The Cornwall Jail is a unique museum capturing the history that is often untold: the correctional system of Ontario. From the museum's website: "Built in 1834, the Jail operated until 2002 when the Ministry of Correctional Services closed the facility in favour of newer, larger facilities in major cities. "

It has been preserved as it was when the prisoners left. It has not been painted over. It has not been politically sanitized. It smells. It is fascinating. And it may be haunted.

Going inside was like stepping back in time. I felt black and white captured that mood.

The jail was intended for only 50-60 inmates. More than 100 were kept here at its height. There were never more than 3 guards on duty at one time. This meant activities like 1pm exercises in the courtyard frequently did not happen because inmates could not be controlled.

MAIN FLOOR

The Control Room.

Mannequin guard. Does he come to life at night?

Privileges inmates could buy from the past.

The visitation area.

Solitary Confinement. Notice the cement bed.

A standard cell. The hole at the foot of the bed was for the pot which was used as a toilet. It was not uncommon for the guard in the morning to have said pot thrown at him.

A communal toilet.

The communal shower. There was a hole in the shower so I poked my camera inside. It appeared the museum was using it for storage of shelves and paintings.

The graffiti has been left untouched to preserve history. Except for a few extremely offensive depictions.

There is a fan in this room that is quite loud. I was told that prisoners who have returned to visit still talk about how the sound haunts them and that they cannot forget it.

A re-creation of the gallows. 10 people were hung and many more died in the jail. Many were buried in this courtyard. When the newer section was added to this courtyard in the 1960's, they found 3 'cells' that were laid flat in the ground like coffins where prisoners were lowered down as punishment. There had been no record of these cells.

ON TO PART II

Abandoned House near DACRE

2009-08-11T14:45:00.008-04:00

August 2009
Near DACRE Ontario

While exploring the back roads West of Ottawa, taking a slightly wrong path, we stumbled upon an abandoned house, next to an abandoned ski lift (another post another day). There was no driveway, but we made our way along an old lane, hiking through the bush, and fighting tall weeds. The house has been stripped and left to rot for many years.

The windows have all been smashed.

Garage/Backroom/Bathroom.

The living room.

Nature is reclaiming the house.

A view of the ski lift.

Upstairs.

Horror movie ideas were flashing through my head. I half-expected to climb the stairs and find a half rotted corpse of a hippie/squatter in the bedroom, and her decapitated boyfriend in the yard. We did find a dead mouse and a dead bird. Cause of death . . . unknown.

A very interesting find. Long abandoned, and no hope for a future. Who lived here and why did they leave?

Grinning Face

2009-08-11T14:41:00.003-04:00

April 2008

Major's Hill Park

Ottawa, On

October 2008

Scott Street

Ottawa

Same graffiti artist making his way around the Capital.

Leave of Absence

2009-08-10T23:10:00.002-04:00

I have been away from the vaults of the Living Necropolis for too long.

I stopped posting, but the stories and the history are still out there.

I have returned. I will write again. I will post the photos.

WW

BALACLAVA Ontario

2008-11-18T22:17:00.014-05:00

Nov 2007
Balaclava Ontario

A so-called ghost town, Balaclava is a village of only a few buildings. Two are inhabited, but the rest have been abandoned. A saw mill, blacksmith shop and a few houses all sit vacant, empty. Although first started in the 1850's, about 100 years later the mill was all but finished.

A fellow explorer told me of the site, and we knew we had to check it out. The prospect of exploring a real ghost town created feelings of excitement and curiosity, but the fact that the town still has residents, a busy but small highway, and many "No Trespassing" signs took away from the feelings of our 'discovery'.

However, seeing the buildings still standing over 50 years after they were used is a good site. I hate to see old things torn down, and it gives a certain creepy charm to what would normally be just another hamlet on the way to somewhere else.

Parliament on Fire

2008-11-15T09:42:00.004-05:00

MAY 2008
Ottawa

Driving by and seeing the sky and the sunset at work.

National Remembrance Day

2008-11-11T20:14:00.007-05:00

November 11th, 2008

Ottawa, On

A Sacred Day ~ Lest We Forget

Veterans on the march led by the feather

More veterans - they sacrificed so much

And the band played on

Protecting the crowd

Masses rush to the monument

Thank You Vets

The Goblin Thinker

2008-11-07T02:00:00.003-05:00

What thoughts be yours under your tree?
Be it good or it evil be?

All Hallows Eve

2008-10-31T01:13:00.002-04:00

See the pumpkin fat and round

Lying on the cold wet ground.

Now look up in the moonlit sky

And you will see the bats that fly.

Look oh so careful- ghosts can be seen

Because this night is Halloween!

*Author Unknown

THE LIVING NECROPOLIS ~ In the Beginning

2008-09-10T00:12:00.008-04:00

liv·ing [liv-ing]
1] Having life; being alive; not dead

ne·crop·o·lis [nuh-krop-uh-lis, ne-]
1] A cemetery, esp. one of large size and usually of an ancient city.
2] A historic or prehistoric burial ground.

What is The Living Necropolis?

A living city of the dead? A contradiction in terms? Crazy nonsense?

Perhaps. But for our purposes, The Living Necropolis is the documentation of my journeys through our towns and cities, country sides and tombs.

It is looking at a world that most have forgotten. People, buildings and life overlooked.

And it is right in our backyards, our streets, and even our homes.

I want to show you the world that I see. Abandoned buildings, cemeteries and anything else that changes our perspective.

Because our past isn't dead, it's just sometimes forgotten.

THE DEAD COME ALIVE
YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHERE TO LOOK