Panorama School, Chalkboard Detail

I spend more time than the average person wandering through abandoned buildings in the dark. When I come upon a location late at night, I never know what I'll find inside. I guess that's one of the things that makes being a night photographer interesting. Abandoned structures can be creepy, disgusting and hazardous places. Every once in a while, however, I discover a building like this one -- disused for 40 years but still rather pleasant and interesting inside. Instead of finding a rotten ceiling, holes in the floor, or mounds of pigeon poop, this old school was pretty much as it was left four decades ago. It was sort of like a really dusty museum! Even the window glass was still intact.

A very cool thing has happened here. Someone -- either intentionally or not -- had left some chalk. Over the years, people who have taken time to stop and look inside have left their mark. The chalk boards, which cover 3 walls, are crammed full of names, dates, and messages from those who have passed this way.

Not to be left out, I searched the room and found a tiny stub of chalk on one of the desks. I claimed a small space between the existing messages and wrote the following:

Larrie Thomson
www.nightphotographer.com
Sep. 1, 2001 3:00AM

If you've explored this old school and found my message, arriving here by following my "chalkboard link", please drop me an e-mail. I'd love to hear from you! We can compare notes and you can tell me what this place is like in daylight! I know it's a long shot, but it is intriguing enough to be worth a try. ...Sort of like sending a message in a bottle.

 

---

This page is part of a frame set. If you reached this directly from a search engine, click here to see the rest of the site.