Urbexing near the Border

For the first time in over a year, our small group, Urbexia got back together for a trip down near the N.C. border, this time with Elliott and Rob joining us. A friend had given us a couple of locations, and we bundled into 2 cars and set off. I hadn't been urbexing since last year, so this was a welcome outing, exploring an abandoned textile factory with our little group, and hoping we'd get some photos worthy of the long car journey down there.

Luckily, we had the weather on our side; it was sunny and reasonably warm, so at least we wouldn't be getting rain drops dripping down our necks when bending over for photos. I was just ecstatic to be with the crew again. A fun day out doing what we loved, plenty of chatting to catch up on friends' lives, and of course, a beer or two at the end of the day. Perfect! We arrived at the factory, a tumbling building that was once a dye mill, built in 1929, expanded up through the 60's and then closed down in 2007. It was used for a while afterwards to store auto parts and vehicle salvage, but today we could see that the building hadn't been used for years. We could walk straight in, the floor covered with deep dead leaves and rolls of decaying fabric. Rusted machinery was floodlit by rays of sunshine pouring in through broken windows.

The main production room area was a vast warehouse building that we accessed by climbing over a fallen metal roof. Vines had forced their way into the building, twisting and curling around rusting metal beams, and I was amazed to see a light bulb still intact inside a hanging lamp. The old machinery still had swathes of shredded and decomposing fabric, the sun shining through the broken threads. There were a few spools of thread in an inside room and some scattered throughout the floor, old production lines, orange with decades of rust, deep layers of debris and leaves collected on them, shattered shards of glass on the floor. The roof looked ready to cave in so we were surprised to hear knocks from above, thinking it was a raccoon or a larger animal up there, then amazed when Rob peered over the edge looking down on us. He was the only one who ventured up there. 

We crept about stealthily, not making any noise, taking photos in the superb lighting. The sun really enhanced the neglected equipment, even lighting up some of the signs that still hung resolutely to the walls, their warnings now obsolete. The chill inside the old building gradually worked its way inside our jackets, and we eventually left the site to carry on our journey. We stopped at Emporia, where a beautiful building stands, the H.T. Klugel Architectural Sheet Metal Work Building. It's an impressive structure in the middle of town, worthy of a stop. The sun was behind clouds as we approached but once it emerged, the building shone, it's silver and black paint gleaming.

It's decorated with the firm's sheet galvanized metal, fine detail on all parts of the front facade, with an elaborate parapet, displaying the company's high quality custom work. This was built in 1914 and showcased the skills of the staff. Incidentally, Emporia comes from the Latin word, 'emporium', meaning a center of trade.

Our last photo stop of the day was another drive to an old gas station that stood in the middle of nowhere, with an abandoned diner close by.

A police car cruised by, eyeing us as we stood on the side of the road, but didn't stop. We wandered about the exterior of the gas station, taking a few shots, and then made our way to the diner. We could barely get inside, it was so full of junk, old cans lined up on bowed, rotting shelves, crumbling boxes filled with stuff, stacks of disentegrating magazines, and piles of bent pots and pans, glasses clouded with years of dust and grease. We managed to squeeze past the debris to enter the tiny dining area, with just a handful of booths and a few rickety bar stools before the counter. A previous photographer had staged a shot with an old menu and condiments, so I took advantage of the scene, quickly snapping off a few pictures. It was pretty dark in there, and cold. Sunlight wasn't a frequent visitor to this space. The day was beginning to dim, and with the temperature dropping, we clambered out, back to the car, and finished the afternoon at a brewery, of course, before the long drive home.