The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I've always been fascinated by urban exploration; photos of abandoned buildings, sunken ships, etc.

I spotted a couple of haunting (for me) photos of old victrolas sitting in abandoned houses. One is a Columbia Grafonola; the other, some off brand.

I wonder where they are now?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55229469@N07/6893489949/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellmutt/2 ... /lightbox/
(can't post them directly since they're copyrighted.)

The second one is a Pathé

They probably still sit there, rotting away, never to sing again..... How depressing, brings tears to my eyes.....

The ruined piano gets me more than the busted Grafonola.

Back when I was 13 - 15 years old, there were a number of decrepit abandoned houses around the countryside within 15 miles or so of my home. I'd ride my bike out to these houses and explore inside in hopes of finding something like what's portrayed in those pictures. Fortunately, when I was with a group of buddies, they were always agreeable to going in - - but they'd kid me because they knew what I was looking for.

I never found a thing.

Later, when I was driving, I expanded my radius but still never found anything of note.

These days, abandoned houses around here are as rare as abandoned phonographs!

George P.

Yuck, they oughta bulldoze those places I'm curious as to how a phonograph, a '50s stereo/phono/radio combo, and a harpsichord wound up there, though.

Maybe they were the belonging of those who lived in the house. I find abondined buildings quite creepy, but I would love to scoop up those old phonographs and fix them up!

phonogfp wrote:Back when I was 13 - 15 years old, there were a number of decrepit abandoned houses around the countryside within 15 miles or so of my home. I'd ride my bike out to these houses and explore inside in hopes of finding something like what's portrayed in those pictures. ...
George P.

I have to admire your courage. My one attempt at exploring an abandoned farmhouse ended with my running the three minute mile in about ten seconds.

This happened about 35 years ago, when I was in my early 20s.

I was taking a Sunday drive in the country, in southern Minnesota, when I spotted an old graying wood-frame house--obviously abandoned. I parked the car near the back gate and walked up the weed-infested path, past an old rusted hand-pump mounted on a cement slab, to the back door. I expected it would be locked, but it opened easily.

I stepped into the kitchen and before I had a chance to even look around, I noticed a horrible stench, similar to cat urine, but absolutely overpowering. I then saw that the floor was covered with (what I thought was) mud. Within a spit second I heard a "fluttering" sound right above the door, and then felt something brush past the top of my head. I looked up and saw that the entire ceiling, the cabinets, and the walls were covered with bats.

At that point, I did the only thing possible. I screamed like a baby and dashed back to my car, with my arms flailing above my head.

I've never dared to enter any abandoned house since then, but I do enjoy looking at the photos.

DS

David Spanovich wrote: At that point, I did the only thing possible. I screamed like a baby and dashed back to my car, with my arms flailing above my head.

When I was young, in the sixties, there was an abandoned logging camp close to here. Some rotting cabins, quite a few huge cedar trees with springboard holes in them. In the remains of one old cabin we found the rotted remains of an old Edison player, and a number of shattered discs... The only thing in any kind of shape was a Franklin stove, which we (aged 16 or so) carried out. I built it into my bedroom with Dad's help, and used it for years. it was still there when they tore the house down. The old logging camp is now a park, and the cabins are all gone - can't even quite work out where they were...