I went somewhere today that really spooked me. This location has been on my list of "to visit" spots for a few weeks now. Today, I actually had the courage to stop. With Sandi by my side, we poked around for a few minutes and took these pictures.
When you Google the location and see it on Google’s map, this spot is labeled as "Woodland Sheds". I don't think this is 100% correct. I believe that Woodland Sheds is actually the name of a shed and wooden furniture place further down the highway.
I've tried to do some research on these buildings... but no luck. There are 12 identical "homes" on this dirt lane, each only 20 feet apart. Each house has 1 tiny bathroom, 1 tiny kitchen, 1 tiny bedroom, and a tiny screened in porch. The contents of the homes are still intact, but strewn throughout the property. More than several bags of trash surround each building and make me think that there were squatters or homeless occupying the space for quite some time. Here's what I saw:
(How someone fit that giant, overstuffed chair through
the slender front door boggles my mind.)
(All of these sun spots and orbs are eerie, too.
It was dark and drizzling outside when I was taking these
pictures with my flash-less digital camera. Spooky!)
Talk about spooky! Makes me wonder what happened here? Why would you leave your home without taking your belongings? Why are these identical houses here in the first place? How long have they been vacant? It's crazy to me.
Even crazier is that these little houses are in the middle of nowhere. Originally, I had thought this might be some little Boy Scout camp that had shut down. After seeing the state of these cabin-like places today, I think otherwise. I really think these were full-time homes at some point. There's a cul-de-sac road that takes you solely to the dirt lane of this property right outside of Bishopville, MD. Interesting, right? Here's the Google Maps image of the property if you're curious.
I'm really glad that I had Sandi with me while I was there. I didn't stay very long because I was really waiting for someone to come running out of one of these dilapidated buildings telling me to scram (but with much harsher words).
Anyone know anything about these buildings? I'm sure they've been here a long time. I remember seeing them as a little kid driving home from Ocean City to Pennsylvania, intrigued even then. They each have nice solid wood doors, crystal knobs, and pedestal sinks. Must have some kind of background, right? If you know anything, fill me in, please! Curiosity is probing!
Hey, Tasha! John said that these houses actually used to be Summer cottages/rentals from the old Francis Scott Key hotel. They were moved this plot of land years and years ago. Maybe people just claimed them? That's crazy expensive for a little cabin!
Ami, I've always wondered too. There are similar homes where I grew up in the Philly suburbs. The small houses were home to the railroad workers. But the ones in Philly were never abandoned. They now sell for over 500K!