Deep in the woods, stone walls and foundations tell stories long forgotten. But Kathleen Butler is setting out to rediscover them.
Butler, who lives in Bristol in Bucks County, is the author of “Abandoned Ruins of Eastern Pennsylvania: Remnants Lost in Time,” where she showcases photographs of long-lost homes, farms and other buildings that she has found in Pennsylvania. This book highlights spots as far north as Scranton and all the way south through Delaware County.
This isn’t her only book, she also published “Abandoned Ruins on Public Lands in New Jersey: Forgotten and Unknown Pasts” this year, and has two more books on abandoned spots in New Jersey set to be published in 2021. All her books are available for purchase on Amazon.com. More Pennsylvania-centric books are in progress too. Butler just finished a research trip to western Pennsylvania where she gathered even more material.
Author Kathleen Butler with her book "Abandoned Ruins in Eastern Pennsylvania." Photo provided by the author.
She finds her ruins using a variety of techniques. She is a member of several hiking forums, where people share odd things they find when they hop off the beaten path. She also uses old aerial photographs from historicaerials.com to see if there were once buildings at any of the state parks she plans to explore.
Once she has a ruin, she begins her research to find out what they were originally. Then begins the hard part -- actually finding the structures. She’s turned it into a family activity with her husband and children, and it’s something they all enjoy.
“It gets us outside and hiking through areas,” she said. “It’s pandemic friendly and it’s a good family bonding thing.”
And there’s nothing that can beat the feeling when you finally find the ruin you’ve been looking for.
“It’s a feeling of accomplishment that I can’t explain,” Butler said.
Butler took a few minutes out of her day to share with us three of her favorite ruins in eastern Pennsylvania -- all of which can be found in her book.
Fieldstone Farm Preserve ruins in Cresco. These ruins appear in Kathleen Butler's book, "Abandoned Ruins in Eastern Pennsylvania." Photo by Kathleen Butler.
Fieldstone Farm Preserve Ruins: You’ll find these ruins in Cresco, by Mount Pocono. The ruins are of a farm house that was built by Carl Tielenius, a New York businessman who wanted to build a house for his daughter. It’s estimated to be around 100 years old. While you’re there, check out the nearby Devil’s Hole ruins, which used to be a speakeasy, according to Butler. You can still see the speakeasy’s old pulley system.
Ruins near the Mocanaqua Loop Trail in Shickshinny. These ruins appear in Kathleen Butler's book, "Abandoned Ruins in Eastern Pennsylvania." Photo by Kathleen Butler.
Mocanaqua Loop Trail: This trail in Pinchot State Forest in Shickshinny is filled with various ruins, all of which are related either to the railroad or coal mining industries, according to Butler. There’s one large ruin in particular that Butler believes was used as an office for coal miners. You’ll see the most ruins if you stick to the brown trail.
Prison farm ruins in northeast Philadelphia. These ruins appear in Kathleen Butler's book, "Abandoned Ruins in Eastern Pennsylvania." Photo by Kathleen Butler.
Prison Farm: You’ll find the foundations of this old farm structure on the Poquessing Creek Trail in northeast Philadelphia. It used to be a bank barn, but eventually became a farm for prisoners to work on. Butler had to go to the Northeast Philadelphia Historical Society to track down exactly what the ruins where, since it’s hard to imagine that the foundations you’re standing on once held greenhouses.
You can learn more about abandoned places in Pennsylvania in Butler’s book, or at Butler’s website exploringnjandpa.com.
Want more stories about abandoned places in Pennsylvania? Check out:
9 abandoned places in Pa. that you can legally visit
Abandoned & overgrown in Pa.: 16 strange spots from theme parks to trolley graveyards
Pictures of abandoned places: Pa. photographer finds the joy in ‘rusty, falling apart things’
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