Truth In Destruction

Truth In Destruction Documenting American Ruins Since 2007

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I’ve been having a hard time putting my thoughts into words since yesterday, but i’m gonna give it my best shot.Building...
06/04/2026

I’ve been having a hard time putting my thoughts into words since yesterday, but i’m gonna give it my best shot.

Building 51 (the Kirkbride) at the former Hudson River State Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York meant many different things to many different people over its 155 years of existence. Patients called it home in its years of operation, medical staff called it their place of profession, and after the doors were closed and locked for the final time in 2001, it became one of the most legendary abandoned psychiatric hospitals in existence.

People traveled from all over the planet just to get a glimpse of one of Frederick Clarke Withers finest works long after it stopped functioning as an institution. One of my favorite things about Hudson was that no matter when you visited, you were likely to encounter another friendly face. The building and grounds were a beacon that served as a gathering place for friends and strangers the world over.

I first stepped into South wing as a 19 year old kid in October of 2009 and instantly fell in love with the grand old building. I would return countless times over the following 16 years, wandering every accessible (and questionably accessible) part of the Kirkbride. I slept on North wing’s porches, crawled through the tunnels, and navigated the collapses at any chance i could get. I had major life moments and milestones transpire numerous times inside of its rotting remains, in addition to almost dying a couple of times and making more than a few friends along the way. Hudson was special, and it was always close to my heart.

Today, my heart is broken. The beautiful building that we all knew and cared for is a literal smoking shell of its former self. So many memories, so much history, all gone in a matter of hours. This never should have happened. We have lost a piece of our history, and someone needs to be held accountable as this fire was clearly arson.

I will always cherish my photos and memories of this special place and will be posting a lot of them shortly. Thank you for all of the good times and memories HRSH, you truly were something else 🖤

Isolation cells at a state institution for developmental disabilities.
06/03/2026

Isolation cells at a state institution for developmental disabilities.

6 views of a funeral home that has been vacant for over a decade.
06/02/2026

6 views of a funeral home that has been vacant for over a decade.

Medical reference library in a long-abandoned hospital.
06/01/2026

Medical reference library in a long-abandoned hospital.

View of a large chapel in a vacant religious complex.
05/31/2026

View of a large chapel in a vacant religious complex.

10 views of Two Guns, Arizona. Circa 2019.Established as a trading post and lodge on the rim of Diablo Canyon in 1924; T...
05/30/2026

10 views of Two Guns, Arizona. Circa 2019.

Established as a trading post and lodge on the rim of Diablo Canyon in 1924; Two Guns would quickly grow to become a popular tourist attraction along the Mother Road, Route 66. By the beginning of the 1960’s, Two Guns had fallen to the wayside as passing motorists looked for alternative routes to the west coast, and by the 1980’s it was forgotten altogether as tourists flew past on the newly opened Interstate 40. Today, not much remains aside from the ruins of the former zoo, an A-Frame house with attached pool, a heavily vandalized gas station, diner and numerous foundations of old buildings.

7 views of the long-vacant “Artist’s House”. Circa 2019-2021.
05/29/2026

7 views of the long-vacant “Artist’s House”. Circa 2019-2021.

6 views of the trolley graveyard in Windber, Pennsylvania. Circa 2018.This large private collection of streetcars and tr...
05/28/2026

6 views of the trolley graveyard in Windber, Pennsylvania. Circa 2018.

This large private collection of streetcars and trolleys was the result of Ed Metka’s drive to preserve and restore vintage transit history. There were numerous cars from different transit companies, both local and from a distance. Sadly, it became widely publicized online, and the unguarded yard in which the trains resided became heavily vandalized.

8 wintertime views of Building 8 at Norristown State Hospital in Norristown, PA. Circa 2017.Completed in 1937, Building ...
05/27/2026

8 wintertime views of Building 8 at Norristown State Hospital in Norristown, PA. Circa 2017.

Completed in 1937, Building 8 was originally known as the “Female Ward for Untidy Patients”. It was constructed during the tenure of superintendent Dr. Arthur P Noyes, a respected physician and writer who was responsible for vastly expanding the hospital and its services.

8 was used as a patient ward through the 1990’s, after which it became vacant and was used for storage and police training. It was demolished along with the majority of the vacant structures on Norristown’s property in 2022.

10 views of the last remaining buildings prior to demolition at the Wi******er Repeating Arms factory in New Haven, Conn...
05/26/2026

10 views of the last remaining buildings prior to demolition at the Wi******er Repeating Arms factory in New Haven, Connecticut. Circa 2012.

These buildings helped produce countless fi****ms for Wi******er from the time of the company’s reorganization by Oliver Wi******er in 1866, until 1981, when the U.S Repeating Arms company was established by former Wi******er employees. U.S Repeating Arms would continue to use the buildings until 1987, when they were left vacant for a period of almost 40 years. Demolition finally commenced in June of 2025 and was completed early this year.

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