An Epic Journey And Long Day For Phil

Wow, what a day, Phil dragged me around the entire Niagara Region, but it was well worth it. And Phil insisted that I get this blog posted ASAP ( I think the fame has gone to his head )

Our story begins in Port Colborne, where Ian and I met up with Dave, our intention was to find some old houses that were previously scouted in the Lincoln Township area.

Our first stop was an abandoned home in Silverdale. The second we got out of the car we heard someone nailing something, and soon after discovered that it was the owner of the property to the left of the abandonment. We decided the best bet would be to approach this guy and let him know our intentions, which turned out to be a good idea because he had a dog that wasn't to fond of people it didn't know, and was on the loose! We learned the the house was from the 1940's and that the woman that lived their had died, and her daughter lived right down the street, in fact you could see her house. AND, she was walking over. In the time it took her to get to us, the neighbour explained that she was constantly fending people away from the house, mostly photographers, and wasn't too pleased when people stopped by. We were even told that a Photography class from Niagara College had stumbled onto the property without permission.
In the end she allowed us to photograph the home from the road. It was the best we could do under the circumstances. So you can imagine how upset Phil was that he didn't have the chance to explore!

"Silverdale Abandoned Home"


After we had photographed the house all we possibly could, we decided to head back the way we came to check out another possible location that Ian had spotted, also in the township of Silverdale.

"The OTHER Silverdale Home"


It turned out to be a great location. We parked right out front. No one really cared, or bothered us. The abandoned home had seen better days, but were still able to gain access and Phil of course was the first one to spot our point of entry.

"Phil Climbing In A Back Window"


Once inside we found that the place was very unstable, Ian actually fell through the floor on 2 separate occasions. But, Phil being the skinny, light chap he is decided to taunt us by going up the stairs and playing around.

"Phil Taunting Us From The Top Of The Stairs"






After we were done shooting the interior, we finally got Phil to come down. But of course he didn't use the bathroom on the way and needed to go. So, going completely against our warnings, he rushed to the bathroom in the house, need I say more...

"Phil On The Can"


Once he realized that the conditions of the bathroom were well below sanitary spec, he opted to use the out house, it was a lovely HIS and HER, I could only snap one shot, as Phil is a little PEE SHY...

"Phil In The Out House"


Once Phil had done his business, we had a little meeting to decide where to next. We decided to head to back to St. Catharines on the back roads, and I remember this great 2 story farm house that I had only had a chance to check out for a short time in the past. The problem. This house is now on the same land where the new Hospital is being built. AND they had security. Like that has ever stopped Phil!

"Phil Being A Rebel"


"The 2 Story Farm House"


Actually, we walked up to the Security Guard and asked if we could take some pictures of the place before they knocked it down. He really didn't care, I don't think he was too pleased to be there, he was old, not too bright, and well....
Anyway, they have sealed the place off so all we were able to get were exterior photos again, and the Security Guard was keeping a watchful eye on us, so our session was cut very short. BUT, of course, Phil had to make a point to try and get it. But alas, he wasn't able to.

"Phil Trying To Gain Access"


Just down the road from the farm house, there is an abandoned office building called "The Admiral", we have had some odd experiences here in the past, but we figured it wouldn't hurt to check it out again since we were so close.

"The Admiral"


We did a complete walk around, and it was sealed up tight, new windows, and new locks on all the doors, it also appeared to have power. Once we got around back and turned the next corner, we saw that our trip wasn't a complete waste of time. Phil bumped into some old friends!

"Phil With His Friends"


We were finally able to get Phil to say his goodbyes, and just as we were about to leave, we noticed a building off to the side that was on the property. We began to photograph it and I tried the door, and sure enough it was open! So we went in for a little bit to get some shots.

"Side Building"


Once inside, we really couldn't figure out what this place was, it looks like it's original use was that of some kind of break building, or recreation area. But it also looks like it was someones house, AND it also appeared to have been worked on recently. Either way, Phil had to snoop around as usual and I caught him checking out one of the rooms.

"Phil Exploring A Room"


After closing the door behind us, we decided our last stop of the day would be the old Eden Christian College out in Niagara On The Lake. Dave had been before, but he was not able to get in.

"The Former Eden Christian College"
Photo by Ian
Ian's Flickr Photo Stream


We arrived and thankfully were able to gain access. Ian and I had been to Eden many times, and it's very upsetting to see how much destruction has taken place there since our first visit. Practically every window inside was broken, massive tagging, ceiling tiles pulled down, and even rads torn from the walls. Just as we were discussing this, I turned and what do I see? Phil with a can of spray paint! Thankfully he never got off a squirt!

"Phil Making The ATTEMPT To Tag"


We continued to Photograph the building, and we ended up in one of the upstairs class rooms, where Phil found a piece of chalk and decided to make himself known.

"Phil Making Himself Known"


Well, that about does it, as the title says, it was quite an epic journey, and a long one. But it was a great day, and we hope there will be many more to come! Hope you all enjoyed!