Decayed and Abandoned South

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Plano, TX
Decayed and Abandoned South

Photographs, including light paintings, of decayed and abandoned buildings in the southern U.S.

05/23/2026

This Radar Dome is one of the few surviving remnants of the Cold War air-defense network. Originally part of the Air Force radar-warning system, the installation began operations in 1955 as the Air Force Station. Its mission was to detect and track potential Soviet bomber aircraft approaching strategic military targets in the South-Central United States during the height of Cold War tensions.

The station’s radar coverage extended across portions of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, helping shield important facilities which housed nuclear-capable bomber forces during the Cold War.

The site became locally famous for its enormous white radar radome—often nicknamed “the Golf Ball.” Inside the spherical structure was advanced radar equipment designed to work continuously in all weather conditions. At its operational peak, roughly 50 Air Force personnel staffed the station, maintaining round-the-clock surveillance and communications operations.

By the late 1960s, however, military technology had evolved rapidly. Satellite surveillance systems and more sophisticated radar networks reduced the strategic value of isolated ground-based radar stations. The Air Force deactivated the installation in 1968, though the Federal Aviation Administration continued using the radar infrastructure for civilian air-traffic control operations until 1983.

Today, the abandoned dome and several associated support buildings—including operations structures and maintenance facilities—still stand. The site is considered especially significant because only a small number of comparable Cold War radar domes remain in the United States.

05/17/2026

Texas Cable News (TXCN) launched in 1999 and was a 24-hour regional cable news network originally created by the Belo Corporation. It combined the newsrooms and resources of Belo-owned television stations—such as WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth to provide statewide news, sports, weather, and public affairs.
Offering original programming and coverage of unfolding state events, the channel gradually shifted to replaying time-shifted newscasts from its affiliated TV stations. Following Belo's acquisition by the Gannett Company, TXCN officially ceased operations on April 1, 2015.

04/24/2026

Someone took all of the cars out of car storage. 2018/2026

01/11/2026

Carpenter Middle School in Plano, Texas, opened in 1978 to serve the area’s rapidly growing population at a construction cost of $3.3 million. The school was named after an early settler, Captain Robert Washington Carpenter, who moved to the area in 1852 and played a role in the region’s early development. Due to the urgent need for a new campus, the school opened before construction was fully completed, including the cafeteria and several interior finishes. For decades, Carpenter served as one of the area’s primary middle schools, preparing generations of students for the next stage of their education.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the campus experienced a steady decline in enrollment, even as the surrounding area continued to grow. In 2024, the Plano Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to close several schools in response to declining enrollment across the district, which had contributed to a significant budget deficit. These closures were projected to save the district millions of dollars each year. As a result, Carpenter Middle School closed permanently at the end of the 2024-2025 school year, ending nearly 47 years of service to the Plano community.

On a personal note, Carpenter was the middle school my son attended. We spent countless hours there—watching him perform in the band, attending parent-teacher conferences, and waiting in the pickup line. Walking the halls with my son, now an adult, after the school had permanently closed was a surreal experience. His name was still written on the wall in the band room. This was not the first place we had known to close, but it was the only one with such a deep personal connection.

10/04/2025

The Original Trinity University was founded in 1869 by Cumberland Presbyterians. It came together as a merger of 3 schools, that had declining enrollment after the civil war. With over 1100 donated acres, the complex was built in different stages and the construction lasted for over two decades, from 1871 to 1892. The main building was constructed out of limestone and brick and was originally called Collage Hall (later changed to Texas hall). After enrollment declined, the university decided to relocate to a different city in 1902 (first Waxahachie, then later to its current location in San Antonio). After the university left, Westminster College took over the campus and was in operation there until 1972. After that, the property ended up going into private ownership and over the years it became unsafe and eventually became abandoned. In 2021, after a snowstorm, a large section of the roof over Texas Hall collapsed causing a considerable amount of structural damage. Leaving the building in an unstable condition and putting the rest of it in danger of collapsing.

09/28/2025

The ruins of the old Reagan County Courthouse in Stiles, Texas. Built in 1911 out of locally quarried limestone for the town of Stiles. When the courthouse was constructed, the town was the county seat. By 1923 the railroad decided to reroute the tracks to the town of Big Lake, after the discovery of oil and by 1925 the county seat was moved to Big Lake as well. After that, it didn't take long for the town of Stiles and the courthouse to become abandoned.
In 1998 an arsonist set the courthouse on fire leaving it in the state it is today.

09/22/2025

The Interstate Unit in Big Spring, Texas. It was originally a Ramada Inn that was converted into a correctional facility in 1989 by The GEO Group. A privately run company that specializes in operating correctional facilities. This facility was a short-term correctional center that housed up to 417 inmates in dormitory-style rooms (aka motel rooms). The prison offered various programs and recreational activities to its inmates. It closed for good in 2021 after an executive order by the president to not renew contracts with privately run prisons.
All in all, this isn't a Motel I would recommend. 0 out of 5 stars.

09/17/2025

One of the many abandoned office buildings in Dallas.

09/04/2024

Herring Hotel lobby - Amarillo Texas

06/27/2024

The Echo Lake Incinerator 15 years apart 2009/2024
Fort Worth - Texas

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Plano, TX
75075

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http://www.decayedandabandonedsouth.com/

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