Ghost town or Zombie town?:shrug:

[mudpuppy]

Today I took a satellite trip to my old neighborhood in Detroit. Seems west of Jefferson Ave where I grew up, theres an abundance of houses missing. Just a few left on each block...now back in the day these were thriving middle class neighborhoods complete with the Good Humor man, milk man, corner stores and everything. We were outside constantly, even well after dark playing under the street lights. And, this was before clad coins were introduced! So...has anybody taken the notion to roll on into what SHOULD be a ghost town but is definitely not? Seems in traditional old Ghost towns, when the mine shut down or the creek ran dry, the area was abandoned shortly thereafter. Now, a city that SHOULD be a ghost town, is still occupied! Hunting an off the path for real ghost town has its own degree and type of dangers, no? There is some really nice old dirt in those parts of the cities ..I'm pretty sure the time frame of the rapid urban decline overlaps the common use of powerful detectors...so I'm thinking most of the areas in all major cities that experienced major and rapid downturns is virgin soil for the most part, and has never seen a coil.....urban ghost town hunting possible?
Mud

 

[Charles B]

Hello Mudpuppy,

You're correct. It's a travesty to see what has happened in Detroit and I'm sure there is some excellent hunting in these declining neighborhoods. There are plenty of old home sites there that are just tax lien lots. This is true for many older cities and these areas are often overlooked or they are in dangerous areas that you really don't want to go into.

It only takes a little imagination to find a great hunting spot. Historic sites, old parks etc...were often over-built with the expansion of the city. During prohibition some homes became speak easy's others were used for more illicit trades and caches were buried on the property. We once found a home in Pittsburgh's Manchester District that had a sub-basement with a tunnel that connected to the detatched garage. You entered the sub-basement through an oversized floor drain and the same in the garage. The home was a speak easy during prohibition. The alcohol was brought into the garage and transferred to the house through the tunnel and brought up from the sub-basement as it was required in the house. My brother happened to be the Architect on the rennovation of this home; quite interesting.

You are definately right; there are plenty of Zombie Towns.....towns that are like the walking dead. I usually call them "Near Ghost Towns" but I really like your description of them as Zombies.......because they'll be Ghosts soon enough!

Thanks for your story. Hope to see you more often.


Cheers

 

[mudpuppy]

I remember finding a very old overgrown mansion on the East side that was fenced in...It turned out it was the Fisher Estate..(Body by Fisher) me and a few other guys, being kids, found a hole in the fence and went in...as we were walking around down by the river, there was this huge old boathouse. As we got up near it, an old guy came out, at first we were scared, but he gave us a tour of the boathouse..Man! It was like a cathedral in there! There were two great big wooden boats in there as well, one was named "Springtime" He said Mr. Fisher used to take them to work up at his office...I found the Fisher Estate on satellite, and now the whole place looks like its been converted to condos or some high end private community...the canal where the boat house stood is still there, but the boathouse is not. I wonder what could be down in that non-descript spot..its just a little cut leading out to the Detroit river...what could have been dropped over the side? It made an impression on me, I still have a love for old wood boats.
Mud

 

[Charles B]

Hello Mudpuppy,

Wooden boats are a passion. I've had numerous mahogany runabouts, 2 Trojan cabin cruisers, 1 Viking Sport Fishing Boat and a 50' Alden Schooner on Lake Erie. Everytime I restore one someone has to make me an offer I can't refuse. I've vowed to keep the next one!
If you're ever looking for one to restore check out Bone Yard Boats or the Wooden Boat Rescue Foundation.

I just love those old mansions in Detroit. They would be great to hunt if you can get permission. The fisher estate must have been quite a place.

You know with the zebra mussels in the lakes now they are becoming quite the place to dive; we now have some visibility. Wreck diving has really gained in popularity on Lake Erie. All those old freighters and schooners carried specie to conduct business. You never hear of anything recovered though...lol....salvage laws are pretty strict on inland waters. It was also traditional on sailing vessels to place a gold coin under the main mast as it was stepped upon completion of the ship for good luck.

I'm hoping to get another big sailboat in a couple of years. I'll put her on the great lakes in the summer and East Coast in the Winter.

 

[mudpuppy]

Well I'll be! Ive been building wooden boats the majority of my life! I just get some wood and build them! heres a few..i'd sure like to build another Tug, or perhaps a steam or electric launch.
Mud

 

[Charles B]

Hello Mudpuppy,

Boy that sure is nice work! Love the pictures. I really like the salty appearance of working boats.
I just got the study plan for Devlin's Oysta 28. I figure it's probably large enough for my wife, daughter and I. It's a stitch & glue construction. There's nothing more fun than messing around in old boats! I was one of the guys that built the "secret" winged keels for America II when we were racing in Perth Austrailia in the 1980's America's Cup race. I was working at Pilot's Point Marina in Connecticut at the time; for the New York Yacht Club. I got to work on a lot of nice yachts. My wife was looking for perfume and actually asked the clerk if they had anything that smelled like "old boat" she said then she might get my attention....