A special, magical place

Up until now most all of the truly epic and important things and places in my past I’ve mentioned have often been sinister and unnerving in my mind, in addition to being compelling and even awe inspiring. But there have been others, including one place that was almost magical. This location I stumbled upon by accident, not unlike the way I came to face the Key Bridge. Except that unlike the bridge, I had passed by this structure many, many times, until one day something changed. This wondrous place was an old abandoned house, which was down at the end of a long gravel driveway, just outside of a small town. Being that I lived nearby, I had driven the road that passed it quite often, but never paid it any heed. When I started in college in Baltimore in the fall of 1988, I would often take that route on the way home to avoid a lot of rush hour traffic. I remember glancing over at the rotting hulk of what had been a large home, its broken windows and peeling paint evident even from a distance. My only thought then was what an ugly old place it was and I wondered why it had not yet been torn down.

Then, one afternoon when I was traversing that road, I again glanced over at the house. I cannot explain what happened in that moment, other than I felt as though something was reaching out to me. Somehow my attention was drawn to the decrepit mansion, and a feeling of strong curiosity washed over me. As the day wore on, I was imbued an overwhelming desire to go down that dusty driveway and look around. But I was afraid that someone might see me, and I’d get in trouble. I had enough problems in my life at that time, and I didn’t need any legal ones to add. So I waited, until one day when I had a night class and it would be dark when I came home. Before I left for school, I grabbed a flashlight and awaited the drive home. I did not bring my camera, as this was to basically to be a reconnaissance mission.

Eventually the night was almost done and class was over at ten, and then I headed towards home. It wasn’t too long before I turned my car onto that long driveway, gravel crunching under my tires. Then I saw the mansion looming before me in the harsh glow of my high beams. There was a portable chain link fence all around it, but already I could see gaps beneath it where most anyone could squeeze underneath. I parked and got out, and crawled beneath the barrier, my heart racing with nervousness. Weeds had grown up around the house, and had now begun to die off after a couple of fall frosts. Some of the windows had been boarded up, but there were uncovered windows and one of the doors that was accessible. I walked around outside, circling the house for a few minutes, until I found an entrance. Fear welled up within me, as I had no idea what I’d find inside. Would there be a sleeping drunk, or a drug addict shooting up? Getting caught trespassing wasn’t the only thing I had to worry about while exploring this abandoned property. I proceeded very quietly, making as little noise as possible. The house was huge inside, with three distinct sections, each containing several rooms. The night air was thick with the smell of age and decay, and I could see my breath illuminated by the flashlight in the cold, damp air. The back part of the house contained a room that must have been the kitchen, though there was little left that hadn’t been stripped. Then a presumed dining room which led to another room, and that in turn opened up into a huge square room with high windows that reached from just above the floor almost to the top of the high ceiling. All around the edge where the wall met the ceiling was this beautiful plaster cornice frieze. And in the center of the room, where a chandelier must have once hung, was a very large oval plaster medallion that matched the cornice. What a grand room that must have been!