albion

The first thing you notice is the cats. There are some many, and all feral, but not so nervous that they scatter on approach.

No, these cats have seen things. Done things they’re not proud of.

I heard a story about this place. A friend from work misplaced his iPhone, and Find My iPhone placed in here – dead-center in the middle of this abandoned plant.

“Don’t go in there,” a police officer advised him. “Not even we go in there.”

The silly, destructive side of me wants to slip through the fence to get a look. But there’s just enough caution in me to steer clear.

So I walk around a bit, and grab some shots. The caved-in wall. The brick work.

The cats.


Albion, Michigan is one of those towns that was hit hard by the flight of rust belt industry. One big employer leaves and the whole town gasps.

There’s the college. And a few taverns to grab a bite to eat. A few manufacturers here and there.

But there’s also quite a few of abandoned spots in town – a glimpse at what this place used to look like, not so long ago.

Abandoned Albion: Wood and Brick

Some of these structures were built to last. Strong brick and wood. It probably means they’ll last for decades.

They’ll probably outlast their original owners.

Abandoned Albion: Peeling Away

But others? The paint’s peeling. The wood is splintering. The glass is shattering.

It’s all going to hell, fading in the sun and the seasons.

Abandoned Albion: Shattered

There’s that old adage about one broken window in a neighborhood can’t be tolerated, or else more will appear. Here, though, people just drive past.

Abandoned Albion: For Sale

Jesus fading in the window. Boards protecting the inside from the sun’s rays and onlookers’ curiosity.

I don’t see this stuff as ruin porn or a fetishization of the Rust Belt Economy that’s dying (or in some places, dead). For me, it’s cool history.

Some of these places have a story, and lives attached to them. Who were they? What did they do here? How long did they hold out? Where are they now?