Letchworth Village, part one

Letchworth Village Developmental Center, alternately named Home for the Feebleminded and Epileptics,  was an institution and residence for the developmentally and physically disabled.  Built in the 1908 using the cottage plan, the village housed patients ranging from infant to older adult, separating them according to functional ability, age, and sex.  The residents of the village would receive education and vocational training if able, in addition to working the farm that provided much of the food for the complex.  Typical of most institutions of the it's time, there was overcrowding. Letchworth was the site of the first polio vaccine trial in the 1950's when it was still acceptable to administer trial vaccines on the "feebleminded".  The village was closed in 1996, as the remaining patients were placed in group homes.  The buildings have not weathered time very well, as a series of fires have partially destroyed one of the main buildings while decay and nature take their course with the rest.

The Pines

Nestled into a corner of the woods in north NJ is The Pines, a once boarding house and lodge.  As it stands, Sussex County was once host to numerous camps and lodges as it was situated closer than the Borscht Belt in the Catskills for folks on a budget.  But as the vacation and travel patterns on the east coast changed, many of the lodges and getaways that once hosted people looking for a little breath of fresh air failed.  Beginning it's life as a lodge,  The Pines was converted to a boarding house following the decline in rural tourism, where it housed the infirm and people in need of some supervision before release into the populace.  There are still documents there detailing discharge of residents that include psychiatric medications and recommendations.  The Pines was shut down by the fire marshall for obvious fire code violations in the late 1990's.  Having climbed that wooden fire escape, I can see why.

There are actually three buildings to the property, although some others may be hidden by foliage at the time of shooting.  The main white building was the lodge proper, which had evidence of squats and hooligans partying.  The red building housed recreational activities at one point, now it houses rot and water damage.  The third building is over a garage, severely damaged by water and mold to the point the floor is perpetually softened.  The Pines is a testament to the past, both in the history of the building and the traces of inhabitants left behind.

St. Paul's Abbey

I remember the days when this was functional, tended and kept by the monks across the street.  Now, it just sits as an empty shell.  Part of the roof has collapsed in on a far section of the building, rendering it inaccessible.  The building is to be turned into low income housing.  The property is regularly patrolled by local police and trespassing charges will be pressed for intruders.  It's a shame that such a beautiful building should fall to the wayside.

Pennsylvania Farmstead

I don't really know a whole lot on this farmstead other than it's on state land and rather well preserved.  The house is boarded up, so lacking a proper light source(aka a better flash), I didn't enter the house even though it would have offered a nice reprieve from the August heat.  The state park service maintains the grounds and presumably, the buildings, as a historic site.  Rusted farm equipment lay scattered about and canning jars sit collecting dust on the shelves, helping to keep time in place for the farmstead.  In all, the property contains a machinery barn, a shed, a rather large corn crib, a partially collapsed barn, the house, a few coops, a stable, and an external ice house with original ice box.  Wandering about, it feels like entering another time while the rest of the world moves on around you.