Monthly Archives: February 2012

Monthly Archives: February 2012

The Packard

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Sherman Cahal in Midwest | Leave a comment

The Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit, Michigan has long been on my list of abandonments to visit. Known for its extensive deterioration, brought about by decades of underutilization and neglect, and by scrappers, the Packard encompasses 3.5 million square feet that fills vistas from all directions. But how does one simply cover the Packard? It’s been gutted, scorched, written about, photographed, spray painted, scrapped, and adored for decades. It is often the sole subject of ruin porn, a newer terminology coined … →

The Auction of the McKinley School

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Sherman Cahal in Midwest | 1 Comment

Several years ago, nine schools in Cincinnati, Ohio were auctioned to the highest and most qualified bidder. The McKinley School, along Eastern Avenue in the Columbia-Tusculum neighborhood, was one of those selected properties, with the auctions being managed by Higgenbotham Auctioneers of Florida. The McKinley School was constructed in 1876 as a three-and-a-half story structure facing Tennyson Street in the Italianate/Jacobethan style, with red brick, vertical accentuation, pilasters, tall 12/12 windows and a gable roof. A two-story addition was constructed … →

A Trip to Cairo, Illinois

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Sherman Cahal in Midwest | 5 Comments

Spurred on by an impromptu excursion to photograph a collapsed bridge in western Kentucky, I decided to visit a part of the state that I had not yet fully explored. From Owensboro to Paducah, from the isolated Land Between the Lakes to dense streetscapes, I toured the back roads in hopes of finding something new to write about and to photograph. Then, I came across Cairo, Illinois. What the hell happened here?

Biggest Population Losses

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Sherman Cahal in Other | 1 Comment

After a recent drive through Cairo, Illinois (article forthcoming), and seeing the effects of decades of racial segregation and violence, and then economic decline and population loss, I wondered what other major and minor cities in the United States has experienced such steep and dramatic losses? Besides Cairo, Detroit and Wheeling, I asked my Facebook readers of other examples. Cairo, Illinois Peak Population: 15, 203 (1920) Recent Population: 2,831 (2010) % Change: -81% Timeframe: 90 years Detroit, Michigan Peak Population: … →

Pleasant Retreat Ridge School

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Sherman Cahal in Southeast | 4 Comments

While driving through Trimble County, Kentucky after photographing the Milton-Madison Bridge, I turned onto Kentucky State Route 625 and stumbled upon an old schoolhouse.