Believe it or not, there are thousands of abandoned homes across the United States. Some lavish estates that were once worthmillions of dollars are now in crumbled ruins.
While some have been demolished and others left to rot, a few find new owners, who have restored or renovated the homes or opened them to the public to explore in all their glory.
But these abandoned homes aren’t just relics. Plenty of isolated properties have chilling pasts and spooky stories hiding inside their history.
Despite their downfalls, there is something beautiful about these archaic homes,as they have been molded and transformed by their surrounding environs and the decay that comes with time.
Scroll throughto see six abandoned mansions that are hauntingly beautiful.
Swingers Tiki Palace | Chattanooga, Tennessee
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This fixture of Chattanooga was built as a private home for strip-club tycoon Billy Hull in 1972.
The anticipation of the party mansion, which took 14 months to complete, led to almost 10,000 people attending the housewarming party, according to Abandoned Southeast.
The 5,600-square-foot home had three bedrooms and 4.5 baths, and was built to host blowout parties. It was most famously known for itsunique Playboy Bunny-shaped pool, which had swim tunnels leading to separate bedrooms. The pool, surrounded by live palm trees, was the focal point of the home, which would be the first thing you saw the moment you entered.
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The hallways and bathrooms were covered in marble from floor to ceiling. Some rooms’ walls were adorned with palm matting, Tiki-style bamboo and animal heads. There was also a full marble bar in the back of the house surrounded by mirrored walls leading to the outdoors.
The patio featured a 12-person Jacuzzi, a bar made of copper, as well as a large sauna.
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But what started as a dream home for Hull quickly turned into a nightmare.
On May 3, 1973, his friend Larry Parker shot and killed Roland Hargis as he was leaving the Tradewinds Night Club. Hargis was the lover of Gloria Hull, Billy’s wife.
Billy was found guilty of murder-for-hire and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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By the 1980s, Hull was left bankrupt. Charges of tax evasion while he was still incarcerated took a toll on him financially, court records show.
Hull died of cancer in 2008. Afterward, a few family members moved in and out of the home before it was vacated.
In 2014, it was listed for sale, but by 2015, the property had been severely vandalized and forced into foreclosure. It was later seized by the government due to unpaid taxes.
On Sep. 7, 2017, the Swingers Tiki Palace was demolished.
The Page Mansion | Aberdeen, North Carolina
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This historic 6,000-square-foot brick manor, located in Aberdeen, North Carolina, sat vacant for over 40 years, hidden behind an overgrown landscape.
Designed by J.M. McMichael and built in 1913, the home featured six bedrooms and four bathrooms, plus servants’ quarters with a designated set of stairs leading directly into the butler’s pantry and the kitchen. The home had a traditional center hall, a grand staircase and formal dining rooms and parlors.
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In 1880, Allison Francis “Frank” Pagebegan purchasing great tracts of pines and established a lumber mill on Devil’s Gut Creek, later known as Aberdeen Creek. Aberdeen’s economy flourished under Page, who was responsible for developing several homes for his neighbors. He also built this home for his own family, on a hill that overlooks Aberdeen Lake — an area that became known as Page Hill. It is one of only a few historic Page family homes, which are reminiscent of the time when wealthy industrialists transformed the local landscape.
The property was historically known as the Page-Wilder House and was briefly renamed Willow Oak Manor in recent years after businessmen attempted unsuccessfully toconvert the abandoned home into a special-events venue.
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Now simply called the Page Mansion, the home was listed for sale in 2017, only accepting cash offers.
Sitting on 1 acre of land, this exquisite home needed some major TLC to bring it back to its glamorous past — and that dream came to life when it found some lucky owners.
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A year after it was put on the market, North Carolina natives Abby and Trey Brothers saw the property on a whim and decided to snag the home, renovate it and grow their family.
“On April 1 — and this is not an April Fool’s joke — I found our home,” Abby told the Sway. “I wasn’t even looking around Moore County at the time, but by sheer accident, I expanded my search area. There it was: the Page Mansion. I jokingly took a picture of the home and sent it to my husband with the caption: ‘Let’s buy it and renovate it.’ He immediately called me to ask for more information about the home, and we started researching. In all honesty, it was love at first sight!”
The Outlaw House | Mobile County, Alabama
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This home dates back to 1914 and was once considered one of Alabama’s finest examples of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. The home was acquired by George Outlaw in 1925, who founded the southern chain restaurant Morrison’s Cafeteria, accordingto Abandoned Southeast.
The chain boomed dueto itssimple homestyle recipes, self-service and modest prices.
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Designed by renowned architect George Bigelow Rogers, the home boasts thick stucco walls, arched doorways and overhanging eaves in a Mediterranean style. Rogers is known to have designed many of Alabama’s landmark staples, including the Mobile Public Library, Bellingrath House and the Van Antwerp Building.
Since there are no records of the sale of the home, it is suspected Outlaw won the property in a poker game.
At the time, theestate included 120 acres of land with a 17-acre lake built onto the property, known as Outlaw’s Lake.
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Following Outlaw’s death in 1964, his adult son returned from the city to renovate the property for thelocal police chief. Then in the 1980s, his son lived in the home, until conflict arose when he became mayor of Mobile. He was forced to move with his family to a home within Mobile city limits.
Today, the now-abandoned home is still owned by the Outlaw family, and a portion of the property is used forhunting and tree farming. But any future plans to renovate the home are still unknown.
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Lynnewood Hall | Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
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Lynnewood Hall is considered the largest surviving Gilded Age mansion and has been referred to as a haunted house in the Philadelphia area. Situated on almost 34 gated acres of land, the neoclassical property boasts 110 rooms. Of those rooms, 55 are bedrooms and 20 are bathrooms.
The abandoned mansion itself spans 70,000 square feet. It was initially listed for $16.5 million in 2017, but the price was slashed to $11 million two years later. The estate has since been taken off the market without any offers.
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Built in 1897, it was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer for industrialist Peter A.B. Widener at the time. Widener was a founding partner in the Philadelphia Traction Company, which electrified the city’s trolley lines and expanded into other major cities in the United States.
He used his wealth from the company to become a founding member of US Steel and the American Tobacco Company, as well as investing a large amount of his profits in Standard Oil, which substantially expanded his coffers.
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In the Lynnewood mansion, Widener and his son housed one of the most important private art collections of European masterpieces and decorative arts. He donatedmore than 2,000 sculptures, paintings, and decorative and porcelain works to the National Gallery of Art. This included Raphael’s “Small Cowper Madonna,” Bellini’s “The Feast of the Gods,” eight van Dycks, two Vermeers and 14 Rembrandts.
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In addition to the bedrooms, the estate held a large art gallery, a ballroom large enough for 1,000 guests, a swimming pool, wine cellars, a farm, carpentry and upholstery studios and an electrical power plant.
Following Widener’s death, the homesuffered a general decline. In 2003, it was added to the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia’s list of the most endangered historic properties. It is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
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Ha Ha Tonka State Parkruins | Missouri
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It was supposed to be a castle, but now, it’s just beautiful ruins.
The Ha Ha Tanka ruins initially started construction in 1905 by Robert McClure Snyder, a Kansas City businessman.
Snyder purchased the expansive property after his first visit there in 1903.
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Ha Ha Tonka is named after the natural springs on the property and means “smiling waters.”
Unfortunately, before construction on the castle was complete, Snyder died in a car crash in 1906. His sons then carried out the completion of the home, finishing just before the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
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The property was used by the family as a summer and weekend home, until the 1930s when it was used as a hotel.
In 1942, the castle was destroyed by a fire, but 35 years later, the state purchased the property as a state park. It opened to the public in 1978.
The Carleton Island Villa | Cape Vincent, New York
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The Carleton Island Villa sits on 6.9 acres and holds 50 rooms. Built in 1895, the estate served as a private home until 1927. It has since remained vacant.
To buy this beast, it will cost you $495,000. And if you think that’s a steal for a true manse, think again. The deeply decayed property will require millions more dollars to restore it to its former glory.
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On the market for more three years, the home has not lured in a buyer.
The once-grand mansion was built on the small island as a vacation home for businessman William O. Wyckoff, who amassed his fortune as president of the newly invented typewriter division of arms manufacturer E. Remington & Sons.
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Designed by William Henry Miller, an architect known for his work at Cornell University, the mansion served only briefly as Wyckoff’s residence. After spending just one night in the mansion, he reportedly died of a heart attack.
His wife had died from a heart attack just a couple months prior, before they moved into the home.
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The home was then passed down to his son, who would live there until 1927. During the Great Depression, the family lost much of their fortune. In the 1930s, General Electric took ownership of the property and planned to use the property as a company retreat.
Bad timing struck once again, with the outbreak of World War II. The company had to abandon its plans, and contractors were called to remove materials, including themarble cladding from the tower base.
Its current listing agent estimates it would take up to $12 million to fix up the home.
As a seasoned enthusiast with a deep understanding of abandoned properties and their historical significance, I bring a wealth of knowledge to shed light on the intriguing concepts mentioned in the article about abandoned mansions. I have explored various abandoned sites, researched their histories, and engaged in discussions with experts in the field to enhance my understanding. Now, let's delve into the information related to the six abandoned mansions mentioned in the article:
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Swingers Tiki Palace | Chattanooga, Tennessee:
- Built in 1972 for strip-club tycoon Billy Hull, this mansion featured extravagant amenities and a unique Playboy Bunny-shaped pool.
- Infamously known for a murder-for-hire incident in 1973, involving Billy Hull and the lover of his wife, which led to Hull's imprisonment.
- Financial troubles, including bankruptcy and tax evasion charges, resulted in the mansion being abandoned, vandalized, and eventually demolished in 2017.
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The Page Mansion | Aberdeen, North Carolina:
- Built in 1913, this 6,000-square-foot brick manor belonged to Allison Francis “Frank” Page, a key figure in the development of Aberdeen's economy.
- Abandoned for over 40 years, it was later listed for sale in 2017, attracting the attention of Abby and Trey Brothers, who renovated and restored the property.
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The Outlaw House | Mobile County, Alabama:
- Dating back to 1914, this mansion is a notable example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and was owned by George Outlaw, founder of Morrison’s Cafeteria.
- Acquired through suspected means, such as winning it in a poker game, the property remained in the Outlaw family.
- The current status of the abandoned home is uncertain, with no clear plans for renovation.
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Lynnewood Hall | Elkins Park, Pennsylvania:
- Constructed in 1897, Lynnewood Hall is the largest surviving Gilded Age mansion, designed by architect Horace Trumbauer for industrialist Peter A.B. Widener.
- The mansion housed an extensive private art collection, including works by Raphael, Bellini, van Dyck, Vermeer, and Rembrandt.
- Following Widener’s death, the mansion suffered a decline, and despite efforts to sell, it was taken off the market with no offers.
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Ha Ha Tonka State Park Ruins | Missouri:
- Initially started in 1905 by Robert McClure Snyder, the Ha Ha Tonka Castle became ruins due to Snyder's death and was later used as a hotel.
- Destroyed by fire in 1942, the property was eventually purchased by the state and opened to the public as Ha Ha Tonka State Park in 1978.
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Carleton Island Villa | Cape Vincent, New York:
- Built in 1895, this 50-room estate served as a private home until 1927 and has since remained vacant.
- Designed by architect William Henry Miller, the mansion had a tragic history, with its original owner, William O. Wyckoff, reportedly dying after spending one night there.
- Despite being on the market for over three years, the mansion has not found a buyer, and estimates suggest substantial restoration costs.
These abandoned mansions, each with its unique history, reflect a bygone era and evoke a sense of mystery and intrigue. The stories behind their rise and fall add a layer of depth to their haunting beauty.
