There are so many abandoned places in Minnesota! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in Minnesota. Browse through all abandoned places in Minnesota
Minnesota is one of the many states in the USA that never disappoints when it comes to the high number of abandoned buildings. This architectural icon in Ely, Minnesota will sweep you off your feet. Tanner’s Hospital or Carpenter’s hospital is a former hospital building built in 1901 and abandoned later in the century. It currently stands rejected at downtown Ely with no hopes of ever coming back to life.
Tanner’s Hospital was built in 1901 but operations started in 1905 after its completion. The hospital was built by Dr. Anterno Tanner hence the name Tanner’s Hospital. Tanner, who was a renowned surgeon later sold his life achievement to Dr. Carrol Carpenter. Carpenter would later change the name to Carpenter’s Hospital shortly after taking over operations. Tanner’s Hospital was at a prime location that offered patients recovering a therapeutic view of Shagawa Lake. The architectural design of the hospital is one of a kind that will make you doubt if it was ever a hospital.
Carpenter’s Hospital as it was known after it changed ownership from Dr. Anterno Tanner, did not last long as many hoped it would. During Carrol’s administration, the hospital slowly got into debt and low number of patients. Since Carrol had already made a fortune out of the hospital, he made a decision to sell it to a real estate company. Tanner hospital was rebranded and refaced to become Lakeview apartment from the 1950s to around the 1980s when the apartment ran out of business and the building was abandoned.
Tanner hospital is still abandoned to this date. It is now called the castle due to its massiveness and unique design. Some sections of its walls that were made out of bricks have been defaced by graffiti giving it an old dirty look. From outside, the hospital looks like a haunted structure in the middle of the street. There is no serious vandalism that has been subjected to the building if not minor broken window glasses. Tanner hospital is an old building built in 1901 when asbestos and lead paints were used as construction materials. The combinations of the two are hazardous and can result in serious long-term illness. The whole building is still private property and trespassing is not allowed. All the entrances are shut and the grass around the building is cut once in a while by unknown individuals. The owner plans to renovate the hospital into a new modern business premise for rentals. One can still drive past the building to have a closer look and take pictures. Just don’t trespass!
Fort Ripley is an abandoned former United States outpost in Morrison County, Minnesota. Fort Ripley which has changed names over the course of its existence got its final name Ripley from Brigadier general Eleazer Wheelock Ripley (commander during the civil war). Fort Marcy and Fort Gaines are some of the other names that the fort had before Ripley.
Fort Ripley outpost construction began in1848 and was completed in 1849. The fort’s major drive for its construction was to oversee annuity payments at the natives’ reservations that were established nearby. It was also intended to bring peace between the two hostile Santee Dakota and Chippewa communities. Just like the other forts built in rural areas, soldiers at Fort Ripley lived in a challenging environment. The region was dominated by mosquitoes during the summers and extremely cold winters. In the early years, there were no roads connecting the fort to reservations and other nearby communities. Before the approval and construction of the five military roads, soldiers from the fort had to trek long undulating terrain to oversee peace in the region.
Fort Ripley's military intensified only during the civil war and the Dakota war. During the war, troops from the fort were sent to fight the enemies leaving only a handful of soldiers to guard the fort. The civil war was not a challenge for the well-trained soldiers and they were able to subdue the enemies before they got to the fort. The Dakota war which came later gave the fort a run for its purpose. Several threats of attack from various communities made the work of the soldiers difficult when civilians in hundreds flocked the fort for safety. Troops were added to the fort in readiness for war but this never happened. Instead, attacks were directed to fort Ridgely where the commander of the fort was killed.
Over the decades, Fort Ripley and the neighboring communities were peaceful until 1877. An outrageous fire outbreak destroyed and grounded at least three buildings in the fort. The fort was never rebuilt by the war department leading to its decommission and rejection. The rebuilding was never done since the department of war believed the fort had fought its fight hence it was time to close its doors permanently.
The Fort has been abandoned since its closure and the property’s door shut for non-military personnel. Most of the old buildings as well as the burned structures have been demolished. Today, a major section of the Fort has been abandoned and is in dis-use while some areas are used as a training camp for US coastal guards. The area is out of bounds for the general public.
Banning State Park is the site where the old sandstone quarry was situated. Banning Sandstone Quarry employed hundreds of workers in the early 1880s before it was abandoned and left to rot. Today, the site at Sandstone in Pine County, United States attracts millions of tourists annually.
Banning Sandstone Quarry was established in the late 1870s when a community of lumber shifted from a logging business to sandstone quarrying. The town would later grow around the quarry and by the 1890s, the quarry alone employed more than 550 people. The constant fire around the Kettle River would lead to further advancement of the town instead of wiping it out of the earth’s surface. After the fire that destroyed most of the quarry’s structures, James and Samuel Hill offered finances that developed the quarries together with a small community that was established around it. The Hills used their connections to convince railroad companies to extend their railroad to the town. Banks and other business premises were also introduced in the town.
Over the years, the quarries did well as most of their stones were used as raw materials for construction work both in the state and in the neighboring. These later changed at the beginning of 1910 when cheaper and easily acquired construction materials like steel replaced the use of blocks and stones. The demand for sandstones began to decline, running the quarries into financial instability all through the 1920s and mid-30s. The quarries were closed during the great depression as the quarrying companies began making losses.
The little town together with the ruins of the sandstone quarry were all declared historic places and landmarks. The buildings which are now destroyed beyond restoration are still hanging on to life. What remains of the former structures are erected stoned walls. Some major buildings like the Minneapolis Trust Company building which was renovated and turned into Sandstone History and Art Center. It is one of the buildings that still show that there was a town in the region. All the ruins of the quarry and the little town of sandstone are all under Banning State Historic Park.
The quarries left several deep man-holes that are hazardous to visitors visiting the park. These holes will definitely cause serious permanent injuries if not death. Banning State Park is open for visits and tours and is always full of both locals and foreign tourists all year long. You can book tours to the historic site anytime. Hikes, nature walks, and learning of sandstone history are some of the recreational activities offered by the park.