The World’s Largest Ship Graveyard, Mallows Bay MD
Mallows Bay, 30 miles south of Washington DC, is home to 130 wooden ships, most of them sunk in the aftermath of World War I. Looking down at them from Google maps is a weird sight.
Preparing for war in 1917, the US government authorised the building of 1,000 ships to carry troops and supplies to Europe. By the time of the armistice 18 months later, only a fraction had been built. None had crossed the Atlantic. At a cost of between $700,000 to $1 million per ship, it was said they were poorly built, too small and heavy to feasibly transport troops.
The Western Marine and Salvage Company bought 233 of the ships in 1922, eventually deciding to move them to Mallows Bay for wrecking. The stock market crash of 1929 put the Western Marine and Salvage Company out of business. People eager to make a living picked at the hulks for salvage. Other ships were used to hide illegal stills (this was Prohibition era after all), while brothels were set up on others.
Another attempt to salvage the ships occurred during World War II. Since then, the remnants of at least 152 ships has remained there, largely untouched, reclaimed by the fish.
Other Roadside Attractions: Titanic Edition
I just realised (thank you New York Times crossword!) that 100 years ago, in April 1912, the Titanic sank.
There are plenty of Titanic-related attractions to see:
- Find out what it was like to die in the freezing cold! Relieve the whole sinking in the gigantic Titanic: The Experience in Orlando, Florida!
- Visit the 30-foot Titanic memorial in Washington DC, at the western end of P Street SW!
- In Manhattan there’s a Titanic Memorial Lighthouse at Pearl and Fulton. (Note to self: I must go see this soon.)
- Don’t forget that some survivors of the Titanic were housed at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City!
- See the Titanic Museum in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts!
- Another Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri has declared 2012 “Year of the Titanic”. This worries me.
- If you’re in Mississippi, why not see the replica Titanic built for the 1997 movie?
Abandoned 1940s Auto Shop, Muncie IN
Right in the middle of downtown Muncie, Indiana is this gorgeous 1940s auto repair shop.
Long abandoned; paint peeling, metal rusting. A relic of Muncie’s mid-century heyday.
Abandoned 1940s Auto Shop
Address: 225 S Madison St, Muncie, IN 47305
Visible: 24/7
Central Camera: Chicago’s Oldest Camera Store
The classic neon sign of the Central Camera Co. in downtown Chicago. It draws you in. Begs you to browse. To buy Kodak film. Chicago’s oldest camera store, it was founded by Hungarian immigrant Albert Flesch in 1899.
The store moved here in 1929 at the height of Prohibition, just before the stock market crash. It’s been here ever since, always in the shadow of the L train.
The neon sign probably dates from not long after the store’s move to its current location, certainly it’s no later than 1940-something.
Central Camera, Chicago
Address: 230 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL
Website: centralcamera.com
Visible: 24/7
Other Roadside Attractions
Here are some of my favourite links from the last week or so.
Fancy buying a classic all-metal diner from 1947? The seller hasn’t had much luck on eBay. Maybe you could pop it in your back yard?
Retro Roadmap visits the awesome Monument of the States in Kissimmee, Florida
Roadside America gets a rare peek inside Jungle Jim’s International Market near Cincinatti, Ohio. Well worth a look.
Meanwhile, the Candy Professor has found out the truly disturbing origin of the name “Black Crows”. Depressing.
Sticking with the food theme, Eccentric Roadside found some Oatmeal.
