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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Freya Coombes & Liam Buckler

Inside the abandoned school left to rot with old textbooks strewn on floor and 'Nerd' graffiti

A decaying school has been left untouched for over 50 years - along with hundreds of old students' textbooks.

Professional urban explorer, Dave, who is known as Freaktography, regularly shares his explorations around creepy buildings forgotten-in-time with his 31,000 followers on TikTok.

Now, in his most recent exploration, he's visited a 100-year-old abandoned school, located in Upstate New York, US, and claims it’s one of the best abandoned schools he’s ever seen.

In a clip uploaded on Instagram, which has racked up 7,000 views and hundreds of likes, Dave, aged 48, shows his viewers around.

School chairs were left untouched (Jam Press/Freaktography)
Two books in fairly good condition were discovered (Jam Press/Freaktography)

In one image, a huge pile of books and papers are shown left in an alcove, with graffiti above reading: "YA NERD." [sic]

Another snap reveals several lone chairs, which have been pulled from the ground and moved around the building, being positioned in doorways, stairways and even outside.

One shot shows a large hall with large chunks of the walls and ceiling collapsed, as well as piles of broken chairs and old books laid strewn on the floor.

"For me, this was a great explorations and I took my time, as I was in no hurry to leave," Dave, from Ontario, Canada, told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk.

"I wanted to take in every room, hallway and floor, as the decay and ruins were so advanced.

"It seems that this is the kind of place where several generations of the same families attended the school, often having the same teachers through decades and generations."

The remains of a sink were found (Jam Press/Freaktography)

Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many left thinking about how busy the building used to be.

"Crazy to think tens maybe even hundred of thousands of kids once wondered those hallways and not it's just a memory," one person said.

Another user added: “I dream of discovering a school with old school desks and another blackboard.

"Another very nice series Dave as always. Must have been a nice trip."

“No complaints here!! What a gorgeous place," someone else commented.

The old school hall had just a single desk remaining (Jam Press/Freaktography)
The entrance of a classroom door had graffiti on (Jam Press/Freaktography)

One person added: “This is so stunning and scary…Thanks for sharing."

“Schools always get me… great shots and story," another user commented.

Dating back to 1823, the once one-room school has undergone several changes throughout the years, growing exponentially into the abandoned building it is today.

In the 1860s, the original schoolhouse was replaced with a two-storey building, later becoming the first dedicated grade school in Upstate New York in the 1890s.

The school library had empty shelves (Jam Press/Freaktography)

Then, the land was acquired by the local school board in 1916, with the construction of a high school beginning four years later.

Despite the constant improvements, the school was closed in the 1970s after the construction of a large nearby school in 1958.

The school hallway had rubbish laid strewn across the floor (Jam Press/Freaktography)

Since then, the building has been left abandoned for over 50 years, with the town making several attempts to restore the school to its former glory.

In 2022, the town proposed the building to be transformed into a senior centre with 47 apartments, receiving a grant of $4.6 million the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as a further grant of $1 million.

But sadly, due to rising renovation costs and extensive unforeseen damage to the building, developers were forced to leave the project in February 2023, leaving the building abandoned once again.

Old textbooks were left dumped (Jam Press/Freaktography)
The school dates back to 1823 (Jam Press/Freaktography)

Dave added: "The funny thing about when I explored this abandoned high school is that I was on a three-day road trip with my friend.

"All throughout the trip, I kept saying: 'OK, let's be quick here, we've got lots of places to see'.

"But as soon as we got in the school, there would be no rushing either one of us, as it was way too good to rush through."

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