July 31, 2012

The Tale of an Abandoned Farmhouse and a Serial Killer

The Abandoned Farm House.
Nathaniel White is a serial killer from Upstate New York during the early 1990s.
The Killings: White confessed to beating and stabbing six women to death while on parole. He claimed to have found inspiration for his first murder while watching "Robocop 2". This first killing took place on March 25, 1991 after White had been convicted of abducting a 16 Year Old Girl, but before he started his prison sentence and police did not make the connection at the time. In a plea bargain that would later be heavily criticized, White had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for the abduction and would therefore be eligible for parole after just one year. White was paroled in April 1992 and returned to Orange County, New York. White's first victim was the young niece of his girlfriend, whom he killed at the end of June, and he killed four others during the month of July.
 The New York State Police began investigating on July 30th 1992, after the body of Adriane Hunter was found and authorities began to suspect it was related to the earlier disappearances and murders. On August 2, White was arrested. White confessed and led police to his dumping ground in Goshen on August 4 1992. White was arraigned by a grand jury on August 7 for the murder of Christine Klebbe. On September 9, the other five murders were added to the indictment. White was charged with six counts of second degree murder and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. White was convicted on all counts on April 14, 1993 and sentenced to 150 years to life.

 The Victims
The bodies of Hopkins and Whiteside were discovered in this house on Harriman Drive in Goshen.

See More Pictures Here
"The Goshen Farmhouse"

July 26, 2012

BioTech Inc. (Jul. 2012)

BioTech Inc.
In July of 1906 New York City opened a tuberculosis sanatorium and kept horses on site for their blood, which could be used for vaccinations. The sanatorium is long gone, but the unit has been retiring police horses here since the early '80s, according to city officials. The Antitoxin Laboratory was associated with but a separate entity from the sanitarium. They developed anti toxins and various vaccines for Diphtheria and Tetanus especially during WWI.

In 1983, the city sold the land, but included a covenant in the lease that required the buyer, Biotech Inc., to care for the old horses for as long as the city maintained mounted patrols, plus 10 years.
In return, the company could draw horses' blood for biological products. The company took blood samples from them for their research. The company planned to develop a synthetic blood substitute, But their research did not pan out and the company folded a few years ago.

I don’t know if there are any plans for the former BioTech Inc. laboratory, but as of right now, it’s still sitting vacant.

The Water Works (June 2012)

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 It is a rare and remarkably intact testament to American ingenuity. But now The Water Works, a time capsule of 19th-and 20th-century technology that faithfully served the burgeoning population  for nearly a century, is threatened by a county proposal to demolish virtually this entire intact industrial complex in order to create an artificial "ruin." The main issues of The Water Works are the stewardship of public resources, environmental concerns and the ability of the people to safeguard their heritage.

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Hotel Sterling (May 2012)

The Hotel Sterling 
 The Hotel Sterling was built in 1897 and opened on August 14, 1898 by local business persons, who owned a music hall located at the site, and was named after Emma E. Sterling, whose late husband, Walter G. Sterling, a local banker, owned a share of the music hall. Walter G. Sterling died in 1889, and had nothing to do with the building of the Hotel Sterling, which had often been previously thought. His wife, Emma, was a driving force behind the building of the hotel, and it was thus decided to name it after her; although for a short time, the original name chosen was Algonquin, that name was never used.

Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding area at the time was a major mining source for Anthracite coal. Wilkes-Barre was a "mining town" and prospered. Coal was an essential source of fuel at that time.

The hotel was designed by local architect J. W. Hawkins, whose first, European chateau-like design was rejected. It was said: "The hotel was planned as a brick Victorian Chateau whose high roof would have risen in two tall peaks, covered with several rows of gabled dormers"  The design was then changed to something more modern for the time, and the building's facade facing River and Market streets was changed from brick to limestone. The remainder of the facades remained brick. The hotel was erected by W. H. Shepard & Sons of Wilkes-Barre. It is possible that a portion of the hotel may have contained some re-built external walls from the music hall, and this may account for a portion of a sign that now appears on the east side of the building after the tower and connector buildings were demolished in 2007. This truncated sign appears to say "Matinees".

The Hotel Sterling opened with approximately 175 rooms and 125 bathrooms. This suggests a large number of suites with adjoining parlor rooms. Thus each suite would equal two or more rooms along with one bathroom. It is possible that some hotel rooms had to share a bathroom, but also possible that all accommodations had a private bathroom. While still not common, it was becoming fashionable at the turn of the century that the best hotels would have a bathroom for each form of accommodation. Prior to opening, the hotel was leased for 10 years to W. A. Reist, of York, Pa., and Sylvanus Stokes, of Baltimore. These gentlemen would run the hotel, and oversaw the final fitting out of the structure as to furnishings, etc. The elegant hotel opened to great fanfare, and was instantly the largest and best hotel in the area, and among the best in the northeast United States.

By 1920, a key player in the Hotel Sterling's fortunes was Homer Mallow, who became a majority stockholder and president of the company. The hotel then became known as the Mallow-Sterling. Shortly thereafter, around 1923, a competing hotel opened just down the block on Market street: the Hotel Plaza. Designed by the New York architectural firm of Warren and Wetmore, the fourteen-story structure was twice the height of the Sterling. The Hotel Plaza would not last, however, and was acquired by the Sterling in 1927.

The Great Depression of 1929 saw the fortunes of many hotels diminish, and the Sterling was no exception. By the mid-1930s, the Sterling was in financial trouble, and in 1936 the hotel was purchased by Andrew Sordoni, a former state senator and construction magnate. He combined the Sterling and Plaza Tower with a four-story connector building. A long, wide hallway flowed from the original Sterling, through the connector building to the tower, and was called "Peacock Alley", after a similar area located at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Sordoni also purchased other hotels in Pennsylvania and New York, and this group of hotels became known as the "Sterling Hotels System".

After World War II, the need for the area's Anthracite coal began to decline as oil and gas gained prominence as a preferred fuel source. In 1959, the Knox mining disaster essentially ended coal mining in the area. In time, other forms of manufacturing also departed the area.

The result for the Sterling was a slow, yet gradual decline, along with some changes of ownership.

By the 1960s–70s the hotel became a host to dormitory space for students from Kings and Wilkes college; both campuses located nearby. The original 1897 building was converted into apartments, mostly for retirees. The former Plaza tower hosted students and also some permanent residents, many of whom rented rooms that were converted into "efficiency" units. These were two rooms that were combined, with the redundant bathroom converted into a small kitchen. The connector building still served for transient guests.

By the 1980s, the college students had left, and the Sterling could no longer compete for transient guests, if not permanent residents and catering business. There were more modern hotels in the area that attracted that business.

In 1998, the hotel closed after its owner was unable to pay a $227,000 electric bill. The hotel was essentially abandoned after that point, and a small fire broke out two years later. The fire and lack of maintenance quickly took its toll on the buildings, which then suffered from vandalism, leaking roofs, and the freeze-thaw cycle the area experiences.

The hotel was purchased in a tax sale in 2002 by a non-profit organization named CityVest, who had plans to restore the hotel. Part of these plans included acquiring additional land, including an adjacent parking lot, and after advisement from appropriate professionals, demolishing the Plaza Tower and connector building, and leaving just the original 1897 hotel building. This demolition was completed in 2007. The money to accomplish this, over $6 million, came from federal, state and county government. The idea was to make the property attractive to potential developers. However, CiyVest failed to mothball the original Hotel Sterling, and the building now stands in a state of great decrepitude, and would cost up to $35 million or more to restore. This is aside from the cost of potentially developing the adjacent properties to make the eventual development viable. Such costs could reach $100 million.

During July 2011, CityVest indicated that they failed to attract an investor-developer to the Sterling site, and now wishes to demolish the remaining, original 1897 hotel, and local politicians agree with this course of action. It is expected to cost between $1 and $2 million to demolish the building.

In September 2011, Luzerne County suffered record flooding due to Tropical Storm Lee. Flood waters from the nearby Susquehanna River flooded the Sterling's basement to a height of several feet. While the water eventually drained, it left several inches of mud in the basement, and a subsequent inspection by local engineers determined that that parts the building may be in danger of collapse. This was reported by the Times Leader newspaper. The city of Wilkes-Barre now plans to divert Market street traffic away from the Sterling as reported by the Times Leader.On November 17, 2011, Wilkes Barre City Council voted unanimously on a one million dollar project that would demolish the Hotel Sterling. The Sterling was going to be demolished in February 2012.
But it still Stands as of Right Now!
History found of Wiki


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The Home of Blue Coal (Apr. 2012)

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 Since it’s closing in 1976, The Blue Coal Breaker in PA has survived the ravages of time. The weather, vandalism and salvage operations have threatened its very existence. When the breaker is seen from the highway, entering our valley from the south, one is reminded of the rich heritage we share in anthracite mining. When construction was completed in 1939, the breaker was the modern wonder of its time. It incorporated technological advancements as well as past architectural milestones that made it useful well past the expiration of deep mining in our area. This testament of longevity is precisely why the Blue Coal Breaker is the last remaining coal breaker of that bygone era.

The largest breaker of its kind, built to process several local collierys’ anthracite coal, it also includes six Menzies Cones for coal separation from the culm which accumulated from years of storing mining refuse. Today we see this culm pile reclamation in the form of breaker-like washeries that are rebuilt from site to site, reducing mountains of black coal and rock mixture in a matter of a few years. Additionally, Blue Coal Breaker construction incorporated the use of enormous amounts of window glass which aided in the utilization of daylight and most importantly tar coated sheet metal which made the breaker nearly impervious to the elements. This rust proofing was the reason recent architectural tests have proved it to be structurally sound and a fine candidate for present day restoration for future generations to appreciate. The cause to save the Breaker began in the early 90′s, and the present Breaker Preservation Society has recently gained momentum in securing the land from a private owner for development into an Anthracite Park and Museum. The Society has established itself in Pennsylvania as a non-profit corporation and has a growing active membership that meets on a monthly basis. The society is open to new members and is accepting donations to help to save the last original Anthracite coal breaker still standing.


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Watts & Campbell (Mar. 2012)

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 Watts & Campbell Co., located in Newark NJ, was formed in 1851 and was family-owned and in continuous operation until a few years ago.  Their principal product was steam engines, although they also made some machine tools.  When the manufacture and sale of  steam engines was no longer economically viable,  Watts & Campbell did maintenance work and jobbing.  The original foundry is gone, but the machine shop remains. 


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The Church of The 13Th Apostle (Feb. 2012)

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Built in 1870, The Church of the 13th Apostle is perhaps the best example of Gothic Revival Architecture.  The church's design reflects the philosophy of "ecclesiology" that played an important role in mid 19th century church design.

The Church was originally built as a church for a rural parish in the City of Bergen. As the community developed and grew, the Church became the largest Congregation in the State of New Jersey. It became known as the "Millionaire's Church," as it catered to Hudson County's wealthiest professionals.

Decades later, as the demographics of the neighborhood began to change, the church began to minister to a largely minority working class population. During this area, The Church was known for the political activism of its then pastor.

Today, The Church still stands, but precariously. Vacated by the diocese in 1994, it has now been abandoned and left to the elements. Preservation New Jersey recognized the precarious situation and naming it to its 10 Most Endangered List in 2004. In 2006, the Episcopal Diocese allowed a salvage crew to brutally strip the church's interior of its valuable artifacts and fixtures. To date, the Diocese has failed to take basic precautions against further damage or water infiltration.


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Tuberculosis Sanitorium Infirmary (Jan. 2012)

 In 1907 the State of New Jersey opened The TB Sanitarium. This facility was the only sanatorium owned and operated by the State. The TB sanatorium was intended to be a model institution, largely educational in character, which would give a practical demonstration of up-to-date methods of treating tuberculosis, providing individual and public health benefits. The sanatorium was expected to handle about 500 cases annually and to arrest the disease in its incipient stage and discharge the patient in such condition that, with the aid of the instruction he receives while at the institution, he may be reasonably certain of being able to effect his own cure.


From 1907 to 1929, 10,313 patients were treated at the state tuberculosis sanatorium, with an average of 600 patients per year reported in 1929. By the 1920s, the sanatorium's mission was broadened and the effects of long-term care assessed. Even though the original intention of the institution was to treat incipients, or curables, the scope was broadened to incorporate cases in all levels of severity, in light of the advanced stages of some patients' cases at the institution at that time.

 Sanatorium treatment of tuberculosis remained relatively unchanged until the development of streptomycin at Rutgers University in the 1940s, which was in general use by 1953. The desire for isolation hospitals began to diminish, despite the fact that the new drugs only played a part in the cure. Bed rest, good nutrition, and isolation at a sanatorium were still important in the cure, but the public interpretation of the disease had shifted. It was true that mortality rates from tuberculosis had declined by the 1960s; however, the morbidity rates were rising. Nevertheless, public interpretation had shifted and the sanatorium cure was losing popularity. "By the early 1960s, tuberculosis institutions remained in nine New Jersey counties; general hospitals or the state sanatorium handled patients from counties without specific facilities. A number of the former tuberculosis hospitals were converted to service a wide range of illnesses once the concept of isolation become obsolete.


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July 12, 2012

BioTech Inc.

In July of 1906 New York City opened a tuberculosis sanatorium and kept horses on site for their blood, which could be used for vaccinations. The sanatorium is long gone, but the unit has been retiring police horses here since the early '80s, according to city officials. The Antitoxin Laboratory was associated with but a separate entity from the sanitarium. They developed anti toxins and various vaccines for Diphtheria and Tetanus especially during WWI.

In 1983, the city sold the land, but included a covenant in the lease that required the buyer, Biotech Inc., to care for the old horses for as long as the city maintained mounted patrols, plus 10 years.
In return, the company could draw horses' blood for biological products. The company took blood samples from them for their research. The company planned to develop a synthetic blood substitute, But their research did not pan out and the company folded a few years ago. 

I don’t know if there are any plans for the former BioTech Inc. laboratory, but as of right now, it’s still sitting vacant.