I admittedly know little about this.  I stumbled upon it one day and snooped around, not really thinking anything about it.  Turns out this is now set for demolition so I figured I’d post it.  The only information I could find was that this allegedly was supposed to have been for the Hazleton Philharmonic.  Like 90% of the other abandonments I’ve seen, the inside has been tagged up, paintballed, and shot up with shotguns.  The walls have also been largely smashed in, a very wise thing to do while standing inside an unstable building.

Yeah, that about sums it up:

Who is Beth Doe?  This question has remained unanswered since December of 1976, when a woman’s body, cut up and stuffed into 3 suitcases, was tossed from a bridge along Route 80 near White Haven.  There was no identification on her.  There were no leads.  Nobody ever reported anyone as missing.  She was labeled as Beth Doe, and she and her baby (she was pregnant at the time of her murder) were buried in a potter’s field in Weatherly.

To this day, nobody has any idea who she was.  In 2007, Doe’s body was exhumed to see if modern technology could help identify her.  A few possible leads arose, but her identity remains a mystery.

Directly behind Beth is a Baby Jane Doe:

It seems for as long as anyone can remember, this giant cow has been standing along Route 309 in Wilkes-Barre Township.  It stands guard in front of an Amish shed shop.  It’s a popular landmark and has apparently had a few paint jobs over the years.

As you can see, the cow has its own fenced-in area.

I’m not really sure how many times I’ve driven by this without giving it too much thought.  Recently I heard this building was to be sold, so I figured I’d check it out before it was possibly razed.

Turns out this was, unsurprisingly, supposed to have been a coffee shop.  The sign for the business is still out in front of the mug.  For whatever reason it never materialized, and the property was put on public auction a few months ago.

Fort Mifflin is a unique and, sadly, little known point of interest in Philadelphia.  It’s right on the Delaware River; it’s actually next to the Philly Airport.  It is a bit of a pain to find, though.  You’re definitely going to want to look this one up first.  There is also a small admission fee; well worth it though.

The fort’s former hospital, now the ticket & info office.

Outside the fort’s wall.  Notice the plane coming in.

All around the fort’s perimeter is very swampy, hence the area’s name of Mud Island.

The fort was built in 1771 and was used by the military up until 1952.  It served some purpose for every war within that time span.  Although there are several, the two big reasons this fort is so famous come from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
During the Revolution, the British invaded and ultimately captured the city of Philadelphia in 1777.  General Washington used Fort Mifflin as a distraction and ordered it manned until the very last possible moment of escape.  He knew he was outnumbered and under-supplied; fighting full force in Philly would have been suicide.  For five weeks, the British pounded Mifflin, with many of its buildings being reduced to rubble.  The fort’s official website states “It is the site of the largest bombardment the North American continent has ever witnessed.”  Holding Mifflin allowed Washington’s army to escape and flee to Valley Forge; it’s almost certain that if the fort fell sooner, the Revolution would have been much shorter with very different results.
During the Civil War, the fortress was used as a prison for captured Confederates, so it’s no surprise there are ghost stories surrounding the place.  The most famous involves the hanging of William Howe, a Union deserter convicted of murder.  He was held in what is known as Casemate #11.  His signature can still be seen on the wall inside.  He’s said to still haunt the fort, especially the casemate.  When I went, there were actually 2 ghost hunters trying to record voices inside the casemate.
There are, of course, many other supposed ghosts haunting the place.

Finally heading through the gate…

Officers’ Quarters & Soldiers’ Barracks

Quartermaster’s store.  Now a gift shop.  Closed when I went.  I really wanted a magnet :/

Commandant’s House.  The inside was being restored during my visit…

Guessing that’s what the place’ll look like after renovation…

Some more outside shots before heading underground to infamous Casemate 11…

Entrance to Casemate 11

Some of Howe’s writing.

End of the casemate.  Imagine this as your prison cell.

Lots of places on the grounds where you can go underground…

Like I mentioned earlier, the fort served as a prison during the Civil War.  Mister Howe may have gotten special treatment and had his own casemate, but that wasn’t the case for the Confederate prisoners.  6 casemates were used as prison cells.

The barracks and officers’ buildings serve as a museum, with artifacts, models, and even a small display of photos of TV’s Ghosthunters when they came to visit the fort.

Ghosthunters stuff

For admission, hours, directions, and all that jazz, check out Fort Mifflin’s official site.

This was an added bonus to an already scenic hike.  This tunnel can be found along the trail in the Glen Onoko section of Lehigh Gorge State Park.  It’s not very long, maybe a few hundred feet in length.  The Central Railroad of New Jersey constructed it in the 1870’s.  The tunnel was used until the 1950’s, when this portion of the track was abandoned.

Tunnel entrance from trail.

Trains definitely couldn’t pass through here now.

The railroad ties are still in place.

What’s left of the bridge leading to the tunnel.