Many people feel a tug towards abandoned buildings. For some, the attraction stems from curiosity or a desire to explore the unknown. But abandoned places are also intriguing because you know there's a story behind them. Your mind can't help but wonder about the people who once lived or worked in these buildings and about what made them leave. A little research sometimes unearths answers, but much of the time our imagination must fill in the blanks. If the walls of these 17 abandoned places in New Mexico could talk, what would they say to you?
1. The photographer didn't share the location of this house, but his technique certainly creates a mood of unease, as if something big is about to happen.
2. With a population of 35, the town of Duran is teetering into ghost town territory. I wonder what business once operated out of this building.
3. This house looks like it has legs and as if it's poised to scuttle away from its current location in Capulin.
4. This old dive center is located in Alamogordo and the nearest major diving destination is more than 175 miles away in Santa Rosa. The story of this failed venture seems predictable, yet still sad.
5. Presumably advances in technology sounded the death knell for a Tucumcari video store. Pretty soon no one will remember the meaning behind the phrase: "be kind; please rewind."
6. This derelict house lies between Mosquero and Roy. Make up a story for it involving a family feud, a llama, and a water tower. Go!
7. Our Lady of The Light Church in Lamy, which is in Santa Fe County.
8. An old outbuilding in Union County appears to have taken quite a battering from the wind.
9. A shuttered up church still stands in Vaughn, New Mexico.
10. Did someone once live in this teeny, overgrown home, or were these buildings just used for storage?
11. Organ started out as a mining camp. Today, 323 people live there. However, this garage looks pretty deserted.
12. You know this establishment in Carrizozo probably had a rowdy past. There are separate doors labeled "eat" and "drink" - looks like the bar was significantly bigger than the restaurant.
13. What made this adobe home crumble from the bottom up?
14. An abandoned building near Deming advertises cabins, presumably for rent. Any readers ever stay here when it was still in business?
15. This Pietown home must have been cute in the not-too-distant past. Can't you picture kids sitting on those steps eating apple pie?
16. The walls of the New Mexico Penitentiary would probably have a lot to say if they could talk - and most of it would be gruesome. This was the site of one of the nation's worst prison riots, which left at least 33 people dead.
17. This house is located in Kenna, near Portales. The town was once a key shipping point for cattle.
Which of these abandoned places are you most curious about?
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