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All along the watchtower Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants, too Well, uh, outside in the cold distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching And the wind began to howl, hey – All Along the Watchtower Once known as the Altraz of Ontario, Millbrook Correctional had an unsavoury reputation among prisoners, citizens, and guards. Millbrook was for the worst of the worst and for those other prisons didn’t want. Set up well outside any urban centre, this is a rare example of a mid-century jail with strange ideas on prison reform. I only made it insideRead More →

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I often mix up Tower Automotive with National Rubber, two former industrial locations in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto. Today, the Junction is home to galleries, craft breweries, condo lofts, and other gentrified options, and it once was Toronto’s hotbed for industry. Founded along a significant trade path for indigenous peoples and growing into a railway junction starting in 1884, what we know as the Junction was a town in its own right until amalgamation into the City of Toronto in 1909. The Tower building became part of the skyline. While it stands out as a beautiful example of early 20th-century architecture, it is farRead More →

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I love a good industrial location, but the former Metal Tech Foundry in Woodstock along the Canadian Pacific tracks was filthy. I always came out wishing I had brought coveralls. But that would have drawn too much attention to the surprisingly residential neighborhood and the semi-active train station near by. This massive location was mostly empty but offered something big and exciting in the city that didn’t involve a former police station or piles of tyres. Formed as the Eureka Planter Company in 1905, the founders took advantage of the offer of a free plot of land from the Canadian Pacific Railway near their stationRead More →

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The Bernarr MacFadden Physical Culture Hotel has gone by many names over its long history and the building that still stands in Dansville today is not even the original. Better known to the local exploration community as the Castle on the Hill, this certainly was an interesting spot to explore from the beautiful views to the strange books found scattered throughout the property. As a Canadian I still managed to get here three times, once in fancy dress, and always enjoyed the quiet easy nature of the trip despite being a local sore spot. Despite the name, the Castle on the Hill in Dansville hadRead More →

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After Edgar’s disappointment in exploring a radar station from the Cold War, it would be several years before I could check one out. It wasn’t for lack of trying; I did try and figure out a way to visit the former CFS Falconbridge location, but that never materialised. However, when planning the first MayPEX trip in 2009, one of the places on our hit list was the former CFS Ramore, an almost intact radar station that served on both the Pinetree and Mid-Canada lines during the Cold War. Located in northern Ontario in the mainly francophone town of Ramore, but unlike Edgar, it was initiallyRead More →

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My history with Consumer’s Glass starts somewhere other than Hamilton, but rather my hometown of Milton. One of the earliest abandoned locations I ‘discovered’ after getting a hot tip was the former Milton plant, but that was among the final Consumer’s Glass plants constructed and among the first to be torn down. The Milton works, completed in the late 1970s and became operational in 1980, was a local landmark, the tall silos standing over a small industrial section and easily seen when heading east on the 401 approaching Highway 25. The Hamilton works, however, were far more interesting, not only larger but older, much olderRead More →

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I love big empty industry, but add to that a spot with a long and unique history and a lot of antique computer parts and you have a winner. Sykes Datatonics is another amazing spot that was a draw to the Rochester Urban Exploration community. Seven stores of early 20th Century industrial that proved a rather chill and easy explore, even if you went in a decent sized group in broad daylight. While I only went here twice, I do regret not being able to check out some of the other former buildings in this once massive industrial complex with a rather interesting story. LongRead More →

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If you’ve been following my urban exploration adventures last year. In that case, you will know that in my adventures, I much prefer industrial abandonments, the big, empty, massive factories. At one point, North American Rayon was a sprawling industrial complex that dates back to the early 20th century. Today, only a single building is left, tucked away on the banks of the Watauga River. Thankfully, I checked out the original power station and the ruins of a surviving section before their demolition, the surviving building I checked out a couple of times. The part I never had the chance to check out was theRead More →

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The first thing that struck me about the Harding-Jones Paper Mill was the age of the building. Most of the buildings I had explored up to that point were mainly from the 20th century; this was presented as one from the Civil War era. Of course, now know that this is not true; while the company was founded in 1865, the mill that stood was from 1871. But still, getting the chance to explore something from the mid-19th century was a real treat. Plus, it is one that is easy to explore and, despite structural concerns, an easy mark with a lot of history tiedRead More →

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The local explorer scene called it George’s Funhouse; I’m not sure why or who George is or was, but one thing is for sure, the American Enka company in Lowland, TN, was a lot of fun. While INAAP was a much larger space to explore, it had nothing on the Lowland plant in terms of the amount left and the variety of items left. Lowland offered up everything in a smaller but much more densely packed location, as someone who loved the ample empty space, along with some exciting things to see and read. The American Enka Company traces itself back to the Netherlands andRead More →