Exploring Tome School for Boys

On Thursday I took a last minute vacation day so I could join my friend Joel and explore an abandoned boys school in Fort Deposit, MD. It was a preparatory school that opened in 1894 and was built in the Beaux Arts style. It was founded by Jacob Tome who endowed over $2 million and the buildings were built from large blocks of black granite.

We had a beautiful fall day for our exploration with the only downside being that the steep hill we had to ascend to reach the buildings was covered with a deep carpet of leaves which made our ascent slippery. But the slipping and puffing was worth it and soon we had our cameras set up and firing rapidly.

The dome on top of the Directors Building has become the hangout for the local turkey vultures lending a sinister aura to the building. I later climbed up here causing the birds to take flight and found it unsettling to see them constantly circling, waiting for me to descend back below.

This beautiful staircase is made of white marble and is mirrored at the other end of the hall by another staircase which unfortunately is missing its railings. After the Great Depression, the school closed but was taken over in 1942 and used as a naval training facility, but it closed for good in 1976.

This video shows the amazing entrance hall in the Directors Building.

This is the auditorium which is badly damaged by the elements. Large parts of the ceiling have fallen down smashing the seating so I didn't want to linger for too long.

Joel setting up a photo looking down on the reception hall.
We left soon after as one of our group had to be back in Baltimore so we headed out and then grabbed a late lunch before showing the rest of the group our favorite local hospital, Forest Haven. The light was threatening to fade as we arrived so we sneaked in sans the usual bags and tripods, just armed with a camera. 

We only managed to grab a few shots before we were spooked by other noisy visitors so not wanting to attract attention, we left. But we still managed to bump into a police patrol car as we approached our vehicle. Joel spoke with them for a few minutes and we were allowed to leave without incident, which we did hastily and without looking back. A fortunate way to finish the day.