Anniversary Post #7: My Favorites from 2016

From Dave Brigham:

This is the seventh installment celebrating the 7th anniversary of The Backside of America. This post covers my favorites from 2016; there will be an eighth post in which I will ramble on about the joys and frustrations of maintaining this blog, and yell at the children to get off my lawn. For links to the previous six installments, see the bottom of this post.

I need to mention that Joe Viger has contributed some amazing photos and fantastic write-ups over the years, but I'll be linking to very few of them in this series. Why? Because Joe -- an amazing photographer who has served as a mentor of sorts to me in that regard, and a great friend I've known for nearly 30 years -- has changed the security settings on his Flickr account so that many of his photos that have run on this blog show up as broken links now. I will instead direct you to his wonderful online portfolio.

This blog focuses a lot on the broken, the rusty, the abandoned and the forgotten. But there is always room for the resurrected, the renovated, the repurposed and the refurbished. On January 14, 2016, Mick Melvin shared a nice story about a traffic control tower in Meriden, Connecticut. "Traffic Stop" taught me, and probably many readers, about an old-school traffic management system.

(Traffic control tower in Meriden, CT.)

I love old mill towns, with their massive factory complexes, surplus of railroad tracks and bridges, practical homes and churches catering to immigrants. On January 27, 2016, I posted about the few hours I spent in Clinton, Massachusetts. In "Finding Hope, But Losing a Mainstay, in Clinton," I walked through an 1,100-foot, graffiti-covered former Central Mass. Railroad tunnel; snapped photos of ticket booths outside what locals claim is the oldest continuously used baseball field in the world; and captured the wonderful neon sign of a restaurant that closed not long after I visited the city.

(Exiting the abandoned tunnel in Clinton, Mass.)

On February 4, 2016, I posted about an adventure in my hometown of Simsbury, Connecticut. With some family members, I explored the remnants of a once-thriving village along an old stagecoach route, a place I'd never heard of growing up. "Stealing Back Into the Past of My Hometown" features photos of old wells, cellar holes and stone walls.

In "Bunker Buster" from February 17, 2016, I chronicled one of the coolest places I've ever explored: the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge. I've got two words for you: ammunition bunkers.

(World War II-era bunker at Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge.)

On February 23, 2016, in "A Slice of Heaven," Mick Melvin told the story of a park in Hartford that once featured b-ball courts and chess tables, and which now is called Heaven Skateboard Park.

On February 29, 2016, the blog took a leap into one of the most iconic Massachusetts suburbex locations: Medfield State Hospital. Courtesy of Derek Watts's "Shuttered Asylum," we got to see beautiful photos of the asylum, which was open from 1896-2003.

The year was front loaded with some great posts, including "Shakin' All Over," my account from March 5, 2016, about a former Shaker village in Harvard, Mass., and its unusual cemetery.

Wrapping up the first quarter of 2016 was "Big Walk in Littleton," one of several posts around this time in which I attempted to profile an entire town. In this March 30, 2016, post, I took on the former farming town of Littleton, Mass., and featured an old train station, an abandoned juice plant, a cool house built in 1673 and a chimney in the middle of the woods.

(Abandoned farm house in Littleton, Mass.)

The hit parade continued on April 7, 2016, with "Sweet and Junky," my chronicle of a visit to a chocolate factory cheek-by-jowl with a junkyard in Somerville, Mass.

In "No More Bell to Toll," from May 3, 2016, Kristen Smith shared gorgeous photos and the story behind the first Estonian Lutheran Church in the country, located in Wisconsin.

On May 7, 2016, in "Last Stop," Derek Watt shared some beautiful shots from a transportation graveyard in New England.

(Trains in the graveyard.)

We focus quite a bit on railroads here at the blog. I find it hard to believe how an industry that once was so vital and omnipresent across our country has become an afterthought in so many places. In "Station In Need of Preservation," from June 21, 2016, Mick Melvin told us about a train station in Windsor Locks, Conn., that may one day be preserved.

On July 19, 2016, I posted "Tobacco Road," about an adventure I enjoyed on many levels: I had my mother with me; I saw some cool old tobacco barns and a decrepit church; I did a bunch of research online and learned about this little plantation not far from where I grew up.

(Church in the Floydville section of East Granby, Conn.)

July 26, 2016, was a great day on the blog, as we featured Derek Watts's fantastic shots of the inside of the old Victory Theatre in Holyoke, Mass. In "V for Victory," he posted photos of the theater's interior, taken with permission.

My post from August 1, 2016, found me alternately paranoid and ecstatic to be walking along some long-abandoned railroad tracks. "I Rail Against Trails (Not Really, But I Don't Want Every Abandoned Set of Train Tracks Converted for Cyclists and Roller Bladers)" is not only the longest headline the blog has ever published, but also a fantastic adventure, with a side trip to a graffiti-covered snack truck.

As regular readers of this blog know, I have a thing for churches and religious icons, even though I'm not at all a spiritual guy. On September 16, 2016, in "Like a Virgin," I wrote about and posted photos of the amazing Madonna, Queen of the Universe Shrine in East Boston, Mass.

Every so often I get one or both of my kids to accompany me a on a Backside jaunt. In "Rockin' in the Dungeon" from October 21, 2016, I chronicled a trip the three of us took to Dungeon Rock in Lynn, Mass.

Water towers in New York City caught Mick Melvin's eye in his November 15, 2016, post, "Water You Talking About."

(NYC water tower.)

On December 22, 2016, Derek Watt shared gorgeous photos of a historic home under renovation in Hudson, New York.

(Door detail from Dr. Oliver Bronson House, Hudson, NY.)

We wrapped up the year with "What's Auers is Yours" on December 29, 2016. I'm highlighting this post because it features an adventure that somebody else took me on, which is rare. My buddy Gary and his family hosted my family and me as we walked through the historic Auerfarm property in Bloomfield, Conn.

(Window from old apple barn at Auerfarm.)

Here are the previous six installments in this anniversary series:

"Anniversary Post #6: My Favorites from 2015"

"Anniversary Post #5: My Favorites from 2014"

"Anniversary Post #4: My Favorites from 2013"

"Anniversary Post #3: My Favorites from 2012"

"Anniversary Post #2: My Favorites from 2011"

"Anniversary Post #1: My Favorites from 2010"

Behind Bars

From Dave Brigham:

This foreboding building -- the prison at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, -- has been closed for 42 years. Wouldn't you just love to get in there? Poke around the cells and look for dungeons and rats and skeletons and ghosts? Scare yourself silly in the middle of the night?

Few people not wearing black-and-white striped jumpsuits or naval uniforms have seen the inside of this place since it was completed in 1908. The prison looms over the Piscataqua River just across from the bustling hipster-town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

My family and I recently went on a harbor cruise, which took us past beautiful old homes and sentry-like lighthouses and run-down forts. But the prison is the most impressive feature of the cruise, in my mind.

In addition to Navy and Marine offenders, the prison played host over the years to German U-boat crews near the end of World War II, according to this article.

There has been talk of redeveloping the massive prison -- at the time of its opening it was the largest poured concrete building in the world -- into apartments or condos, to no avail.

For a closer look at the outside of the prison, check out these two videos:

Bunker Down

From Dave Brigham:

While on a quick trip to Portland, Maine, at the end of the summer (see October 13, 2014, "Portlandia"), we spent a few hours on Peaks Island. Just a short ferry ride from Portland's Old Port, the island is a beautiful respite with wonderful old homes, a few shops and restaurants, an incredible beach filled with an amazing number of cairns, and much more.

Here are some of the cairns.

Along with our hosts, we spent quite a bit of time exploring the dozens and dozens of rock sculptures. We even built a few of our own.

From the beach, we headed to dinner using the golf carts that are ubiquitous on the island. As we passed one great house after another, each with fantastic views of the ocean, I was surprised to see an old military bunker in somebody's front yard.

I didn't get a very good shot, because I wasn't ready and because we were cruising along at a pretty good clip in the golf cart. There are other bunkers and installations around the island, as Peaks was fortified to some degree during World War II. Read this link to find out a bit more about the island's military past, and to see a few photos.

I'd love to explore this little gem in the future, as the island was also once known as the Coney Island of Maine.

Portlandia

From Dave Brigham:

Beth and I took the kids to Portland, Maine, recently via Amtrak's Downeaster train. It's a trip we'd been talking about for quite some time, and while we were only there overnight, we had a lot of fun. We didn't have a car, so we walked quite a bit around the Old Port, a great part of town filled with restaurants, bars, shops and cool buildings.

Here are some rotting pier pilings near the ferry terminal:

This is the former headquarters of the Grand Trunk Railroad (yes, I'll post a video below from Grand Funk Railroad). According to the web site for the Maine Irish Heritage Trail, this building was also once used by companies including H & A Allan Line Steamers, White Star-Dominion Line Steamers, International Mercantile Marine Co. and the Cunard Line.

I love this building, the former Workingmen's Club. According to the Maine Irish Heritage Trail web site, a club "was needed where the longshoremen and railroad workers (the vast majority were Irish) could gather to stay out of the cold and out of the saloons when not working. The Workingmen's Club's nature, it was said, was of temperance and total abstinence. It was built for the 'men of brawn, muscle and industry' who numbered a thousand in 1905, men employed by the Grand Trunk Railroad, the English steamers, and New York & Boston steamship lines."

I think it's great that this sign was kept when this building was rehabbed in 2000. According to Waymarking.com, the sign "was painted sometime after 1924, since a photo from that year shows a different style sign. (During the renovation) a request was made to the Historic Preservation Committee to create new window openings on this wall. The request was granted and the windows were placed to avoid a major impact to the sign."

Here's some Grand Funk Railroad:

Game Over

We cover a lot of ground here on the Backside, from abandoned train stations to old aqueducts, ghostly gas stations to dilapidated ski lodges.

Many of these places speak to lost jobs, broken lives and raise more questions than answers. But I find extra sadness in places where children once laughed and played that have been abandoned or forgotten. Below are photos from five members of the Backside Gang -- DB.

(Photo by Kristen Smith, Bedford Golfland, NH. For more of Kristen's photos, check out her blog.)

(Photos by Dave Brigham, Newton, MA)

(Photo by lostlosangeles, Los Angeles, CA)

(Photo by Mick Melvin, Simsbury, CT)

(Photo by Mick Melvin, New Britain, CT)

(Photo by Joe Viger, Stoneham, ME. For more of Joe's photos, check out his web site.)

Driving

From Joe Viger:

Back in February, I took the classic "Joe Vacation." I packed a bag and and all of my camera gear, updated my iPod and got in my car and drove. I had a general compass point in mind, but no firm plan and no reservations.

Speaking of "No Reservations"....I did hit a restaurant in Rockland, Maine, from Anthony Bourdain's TV show, called Conte's, and I highly recommend it. Talk about the backside, but I digress.

Anyway....I was the wind. Or at least as much of the wind as a guy my size driving an SUV can be. I'm sure I could be a long-haul trucker. Driving just feels good to me. Time alone helps clear my head and I always find interesting stuff.

Some of the most fulfilling experiences of my life have been had just like this...roaming. Besides, nobody wants to sit around while I make photos for hours, contemplating the virtues of 20 different camera angles or how the scene will look through an 11-16mm lens vs. the 80-200mm.

On this trip, I ultimately ended up in Acadia National Park, but avoided the interstate and stopped frequently to take in the backside of the great state of Maine. These images were made somewhere in Maine between Bucksport and Waterville.

To see more of Joe Viger's photography, see www.joeviger.com and follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JoeVigerPhotography.

Beach Town Ghosts

From Peter Arnemann:

With summer just around the bend, I wanted to feature these pictures that Peter took a few years back in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. The town has been a vacation destination for about 175 years, and remains a popular spot, but like any place these days, parts of the area have fallen into disrepair -- DB.

Check out Peter's pictures here.

School's Out Forever...

From Joe Viger:

...Or so it seems at the Sadie F. Adams School. Rehabbed into a great, funky private residence with a view of beautiful North and South Baldface Mountains, or torn down? Time will tell.

North Fryeburg, Maine

See more of Joe Viger's photography at www.joeviger.com. Follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JoeVigerPhotography.

Lazarus

From Peter Arnemann:

Looking at the pictures Peter took of a burned-out house in Standish, ME, it's hard to believe this place could be saved. But Peter tells me place has been rehabbed and now houses several business -- Ed.

Check out his pics here.

The High Life

From Joe Viger:

This sign reminded me of when beer was a simple proposition. My dad was fond of Schlitz and Budweiser. The corner store cooler didn't stock much more than those two brews, Miller, Pabst and Schaefer. Some nights you let it be Lowenbrau, but rarely Heineken...at least not where I grew up.

Somewhere on some road in Maine

Down East Hollywood

From Joe Viger:

Roaming Bar Harbor, Maine's Cottage Street on an off-season Tuesday in March, you might suspect The Criterion Theatre is another unfortunate story of a forgotten landmark that needs saving. The marquee seemed to have some style, but otherwise, the facade was pretty unremarkable and the entrance was filled with outdoor seating. I wasn't sure if The Criterion was closed for the season or closed for good, but I made this photo because it seemed to have the melancholy feeling a lot of Backside subjects have.

The Criterion Theatre Bar Harbor, Maine (iPhone 4s)

Weeks later through the wonders of the Inter-tube, I've come learn that The Criterion Theatre first opened its doors on June 6, 1932 and was hailed as one of the finest movie houses in Maine and the nation. It was built in five months by local George P. McKay for around $200,000 and is rumored to have been funded, at least in part, by bootlegging Prohibition-era liquor.

This seems out of context for small town Maine. But, let's not forget the Rockefellers, Morgans, Fords, Vanderbilts, Carnegies and Astors are all noted past summer residents of Mount Desert Island.

The exterior of the 875-seat theater on this drab off-season morning didn't do The Criterion justice. Photographs of the interior show the rest of the story to be told in Art Deco glass, velvet and silk. The main hall chandelier centers the ornate theater with a painted ceiling that radiates outward.

The unique "floating," free-hanging balcony has a front rail painted pink and is still separated into sections by red velvet curtains that were formerly bought as private boxes by wealthy residents. It was said that The Criterion would draw a line of chauffeur driven Lincolns and Cadillacs on movie night.

The Criterion has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now operated as a non-profit. The theater will open back up for movies in June and will also feature music and other performances this summer. I guess I know what I'll be doing next time I'm in town.

Check out more of Joe Viger's photographs at www.joeviger.com.

Sawed-off Mill

From Peter Arnemann:

A lot of the pictures I take in the Greater Boston area are of simple subjects: an old barn with graffiti, a fire tower rising majestically over small hills, an outdoor worship center. So I find it a nice change of pace to post a link to pictures that Peter took of a much more complicated scene.

A few years ago, he found an old saw mill located "somewhere in rural Maine." The scope of this place, both inside and out, is incredible. And the pictures are terrific. Enjoy! -- Dave Brigham.

Check it out.

Favorite Pastime, Reborn

From Dave Brigham:

I met Peter Arnemann on Facebook. We've never met in person, but a mutual friend suggested we become friends because we share interests in urban exploration and photography. He's signed on as an adjunct member of the Backside Gang. As such, we'll be posting links to photos of his that he's posted on the excellent Opacity site.

Peter visited an abandoned baseball stadium in Old Orchard Beach, ME, in 2008 and took these pictures. Peter told me that while the park is no longer used for minor league ball, it has been rehabbed for local use.

Through a quick Google search, I discovered that after sitting vacant for almost a decade, the park has indeed reopened after thousands of hours spent by community members to refurbish the stadium. Last December, the Futures Collegiate Baseball League announced that it has added a sixth franchise, to be based at Old Orchard Beach Ballpark.

For a brief history of the park, read this article from the park's official web site.

And for more pictures, from the park's heyday, through a fire and its resurrection, check this out.

Kezar Noir

From Joe Viger:

Friday night 10:23 pm in Kezar Falls, Maine

A Room With a Shower and a Movie, Too

From Joe Viger:

A few weeks ago I went to see the great Texas singer/songwriter Joe Ely. You know how it is...I overloaded on Ely’s music before and after the concert. Ironically, he didn't even play this song, but there’s a lyric from “Me and Billy the Kid” that’s been going through my mind ever since. It’s a story about two men vying for the same woman.

The narrator sets up Billy in a bogus heist and gets the girl. The last verse goes like this:

"Now my baby sings harmony with me, to 'La Cucaracha'
She winds her silver pocket watch and pets her new Chihuahua
I moved into the hotel, I got a room with a shower
We lay an' listen to that watch tick hour after hour"

That line about a room with a shower really struck me. He sings it like it’s as good as getting the girl. Our level of expectation has definitely risen. We don't want a room with a shower. We want two or three full baths in our 2,500 square-foot house.

When I travel for business, I’m annoyed if there isn’t a flat-panel television, let alone a room with a shower. Not long after this show, I went on a field trip with my son to a village of 1800’s homes and businesses. In the doctor’s house, ostensibly the best in the village, I noticed all the open copper piping in the kitchen and the big hot water tank in the corner and thought that would never do today. Things like that need to be finished and hidden even though there really was nothing unattractive or dangerous about the piping.

It seems nothing can be simple anymore. And that means nothing can be cheap any more either. Consumption and expense has been driven into everything we do.

And that brings me to the Playhouse Theater. I had the great luck to photograph this old theater, where a movie hasn’t been shown in 30 years. I’m sure it was a treasure to the little village of Kezar Falls, Maine, in its heyday. Not because of its architecture, but because it brought the community together and brought the world to this little Maine town through motion pictures.

This place is great and I wish its new owner, Silas Haggerty of Smooth Feather Productions, the best of luck in creating a new studio there. He's bringing this example of the backside to the frontside again.

I spent almost four hours in the theater one evening recently thanks to Haggerty's generosity. I was by myself and soaked the place up, making hundreds of images. The simplicity and utility of the theater was particularly interesting from the unassuming exterior covered in asphalt siding, to the simple wooden bench seats in the balcony. It was wonderful like a room with a shower. Compare this to your local multiplex, stadium seating, $14-a-head movie house.







I love how the Office of Insurance Commissioner has been X'd out and retitled as Department of Public Safety.

That small box of rods on the left, are essentially welding rods. They are the source of the light in the theater's projectors. They create so much heat, they're vented outside like a woodstove.