Abandoned Homes - Death Watch

Taken  Oct 2011

Have you ever walked/driven past a home that is abandoned that you cannot get out of your head? I have reserved this post for when I snap a photo of this place that is in Fond du Lac (Fond du Lac Cty). This home is on Cty Hwy K off of Hwy 23 east out of Fondy (abbrv.), which incidentally is on the way to Rienzi Cemetery.

Sadly, the town/city has been developing the land around it and it stands defiantly, daring to even think about touching the property.

This home has been abandoned for at least 25+ years. I will contact the local historical/geneology group and see what I can find out. It may take awhile as they are moving their offices, so worst case I will head down and research it myself when/if I have time. I am guessing that the owners are not local members of the community.

Photo taken in 2001

I am absolutely entranced by this house, and I can't say that I really want to know why it was left to rot. Standing next to an abandoned home there is a sense of waiting, a substantive lack of spirit and.....something else that I cannot put my finger on at the moment. You know you are trespassing on someone's property and in normal circumstances it would be an act of voyeurism, but at an abandoned home there is no such confrontation. You are just peeping into a shell of a home. It is the oddest sensation.

**Update**
Sally from the Fond du Lac Historical Society sent me a letter with an article regarding this house, and she was willing to dig this out for me even in the midst of a huge move to a new location. The 1910 article was about the Ledge Homestead regarding the restoration of the old farmhouse and newspapers dated 1885 were found under a rug. This is actually a long standing carpetlaying tradition, my husband informed me. Always the front page, left under one of the corners. How else can these craftsmen stamp their mark in history? I found the practice fascinating and am curious to know if it is still being used and if this is purely an American trait or was this passed from our English settlers.

***Update***

The photo above was taken the last Saturday of March,2008 and from that trip I created my own Flickr account and placed those photos in a set called Death Watch. When I first saw this home I believed there was still hope for this house, and that was eight years already. Now when I visit this home I grieve that it is still standing while the city of Fond du Lac grows around it. At some point this old homestead will be taken down, and I am interested to know if the city has held off from taking it due to it's historical value (which is what I suspect), or if the current owners are still paying the taxes on the property. Sadly I probably won't know until I pass by one afternoon to find it gone. Will the elders of Fond du Lac swoop down to take the eaves and pick through the carcass for historical souvenirs?

The final chapter of this home is not quite ready to be told.

***Update***

Photo taken 2010!

As of 04/08/2015, this house still stands.  Here is a more recent picture. As I have time, I'll be updating the photos with newer versions. This house has provided me with the most satisfying experience in photography. With each picture I hope to show a different perspective.

Celebrating First Real Snow in 2016

I can see from my window that a proper Wisconsin winter has finally arrived.  It's easy for me to pick an appropriate photo which is from my Death Watch collection Winter Ledge Homestead.   The sound track for this post was from Skyrim.  As mentioned in my Facebook post, if God needed a soundtrack for creation I would have recommended this.   At the bottom of this post is the video for your listening pleasure.  You are most welcome.

Yesterday (Saturday) I passed a couple walking with their ski poles.  It was somewhat kooky looking but knew that it was all in preparation for today's treat of gliding on skis whether on a trail or just across town to get a coffee or cocoa.    I recall a glorious evening when I strolled through Main Street in West Bend one wintery evening with a friend. No cars in sight, just a ghostly ribbon of road only visible by the amber colored streetlights.   From the top of Barton Road one could have probably skied to downtown.  

As I am writing this I'm cognizant that this is probably the best chance I'll have to get some fresh winter photos and really I don't have to go far if I don't want to.  So Gentle Reader I'm weighing this decision as I'm still in my pajamas and resting quite comfortably in a warm home to watch the snow fall and consider baking Christmas cookies.   But some of my best photographic memories are ones where I'm surrounded in the worst weather. So you know my conundrum.

In fact, the snow fall is very much like what I encountered when taking Winter Ledge.  Usually I listen to classical when driving in snow but the Skyrim soundtrack is also perfect considering the game's environment includes snow covered mountainous regions. I could probably do a full essay on Skyrim's soundtrack but perhaps another time.


The snow is still falling and I have a decision to make.

Maribel Caves Hotel - Hotel Hell

This lovely stone building has since been demolished by a tornado that ripped through the area August 2013 though the photo was from 2009.   I came across this gem while working on some older photos and felt it needed it's own page here in WheretogoWisconsinland.    

Legend has it that this location was frequented by Al Capone and John Dillinger, though here are plenty of places that discuss/debate/debunk the history of this place but the sad truth today is that if you visit you will find a dangerous pile of rubble.  Before August 6th of 2013 it was a trespassing hazard.  Now it's a safety hazard.    So I am one of a few brave fellows who wandered the skeletal building before that fateful day.

©Dawn Braun

Places that have cataloged it's history is Unexplained Research - Motel Hell, Wisconsin Sickness - Hotel Hell, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter - Maribel Caves Hotel

Where to find:  North of Cherney Maribel Caves State Natural Area, 16612 County Road R, Maribel, east of Hwy 43.  From Maribel, take Hwy Z east past Hwy 43 overpass, then turn left on County Road R (or N.Packard Rd).

What to Expect:  A pile of stones, some part of the structure still stands but like I mentioned it looks really unstable.  It is next to a great hiking stop with lots of the same rock formations as from the Dells and Dodge County Ledge Park, locally known as Horicon Ledge 

Path to Asylum Point - Oshkosh Wisconsin

This small patch of oak trees is part of Asylum Point Park, leading the adventurer to what in 1871 became Northern Asylum for the Insane.   Today it is Winnebago County Mental Health Institute though the area continued to be recognized as Asylum Point/Asylum Bay which is also a county park.  I realized that I have not given this a proper Wheretogo post and am amending this today.  

Standing at this point, if you turn around to face the south there will be the restored Asylum Point Lighthouse, which I am sharing from my Fine Art America page.  This relatively small park has been a great source for many of my favorite photos.

Note:  This same path (facing north) will also lead you not just to the the rest of the park but to a LETTERBOX. Continuing from that cache will be several trails, some part of the mental heath property and if patient you will stumble upon the old Asylum Cemetery.


Where to find:   See the location link included in the post.  If you are in Oshkosh, this is E.Snell Rd, on the east side of Bowen Street (Cty Rd A south from Neenah on Commercial St).  If you follow E. Snell all the way East, turning right on Sherman Rd which is the entrance road to Asylum Point County Park.  Continue on to the patch of woods and on to Asylum Bay Lighthouse.

What to expect:   This is a popular fishing area at all times of the year and some visitors will bring their dogs.   It's not an overly impressive park but people are keen  on lighthouses and enjoy wandering the small island.   The mental health property has a few picnic tables and in all honesty may actually be part of the Asylum Point Park.  There was never a sign found so I just assumed I was trespassing and was happy to have found a secluded area to rest my bones. LETTERBOX LOCATION!

Cherney Maribel Caves County Park - Two Rivers

a.k.a Maribel Caves (Manitowoc Cty)

*Sidebar: I duly promise to post my adventures while the memories are buzzing fresh in my mind. I began this post a few days week ago, and honestly it's a struggle to recall the experiences.

My first visit to this park was in March 2009. That day I was scanning the gazetteer looking for my next destination. If living in Oshkosh has done anything for me, it's driven the desire to go elsewhere. It's a fine town and it suits our purposes but does nothing to satisfy my need to explore. Maribel Caves had interested me for a time and finally made that my plan on that March morning. The snow was cold, the colors crisp, the shadows sharp. Hastily my freezing feet retreated and a resolution to return was born.

Fast forward to May, a fine spring day for a Road Trip. From Oshkosh, the Town of Maribel is 1 hour 12 minutes of rural highway driving, 2 full hours when slowing down to look at cows. Seriously, I saw one Brown Swiss Cow whose udders was painfully weighed down by milk that she could not walk normally. I remember those days, and shudder from the mammary (ha-ha, I could not resist).

Before my arrival at Maribel, I saw a sign on the corner of Park Rd and Blake and took a quick detour. "Southern Brown Wildlife Refuge" This park does not appear on any Google Map or Brown County Website, so therefore it must've been a fantastic hallucination. Following the sign for about 1/2 mile (little over that I believe), I found the entrance to the park. It has your typical nature trail with your typical flora and fauna. Nice place to take your dog (note: dogs must be leased at Maribel Caves). Sadly, only a small number of pictures turned out.

My jaunt into this newly developed park was a successful venture if only to publish it's existence before the new maps come out. The coolest find - a bees nest in a live tree.

The Park

The Cherney Maribel Caves County Park was open this time, and the park was relatively busy. I found a quiet trail and commenced my exploration. To be honest, Devoted Reader, I had no idea on the size of this park. It's larger than I expected. According to the park website, it occupies 75 acres, though the DNR sites 13.5 acres. I know nothing of calculating land sizes, but 13.5 seems to make logical sense.

This park is very much like Horicon Ledge (Dodge County Ledge), with the large glacial rock formations, the mossy boulders, the slippery crags, the spiders, the bats - need I go on? Alright, I was a bit overboard on the bats, but the environment is very similar (The main differences are that Horicon Ledge has Ledges, and not Caves).

The Caves

Of the caves: there are several: Tartarus, Coopers, Pancake, Spring, and New Hope. On this day the was working in the New Hope Cave. The entrance to this cave is closed to the public unless one of the volunteer groups are on working on site and will give tours. I did not explore the entire cave, as you move deeper in there is water present and my shoes were open heeled clogs, so I stayed and listened to one of the Spelunkers (to be named Savvy Spelunker) who talked about the excavations of the caves. It was really quite interesting, but I'm afraid that I don't remember all of it, other than when he discussed the Tartarus, he believed there was more another part of the cave yet to be revealed. The cave on this day was reletively dry.Wisconsin Speleological Society


One of the characteristics in New Hope Cave is called Moon Milk - a white creamy deposit that is created by the water seepage from the cracks (life lines) in the cave ceiling. There is some question whether it is a chemical or bacterial reaction. Either way, it doesn't drip on your head, if you are worried about that kind of thing. The formation of caves themselves is fascinating, and it all has to do with the way water wears away rock, leaving crevasses for moss and other lifeforms to exist. This is over millions of years


Wheretofind:  Travel time approximately one hour from Oshkosh, 20 minutes from either Ashwaubenon or from Two Rivers:  From the junction of I-43 and State Highway 147 one mile east of Maribel, go east on 147 0.3 mile, then north on County Highway R 0.6 mile to the entrance of Cherney Maribel Caves County Park, proceed 0.25 mile to the parking area.


What to Expect: Please call ahead to see if there are cave tours: 920-682-0356. Dogs are allowed (leashed). Trails are mild-medium difficulty. Wear appropriate shoes, especially if you plan to investigate New Hope Cave. Cave season is open from April 1st - October 31st.  Check maribelcaves.org for dates when New Hope Cave is open to the public. Park is open daily from 6am-8pm.

One Last Reason To Visit ** Trespasser Alert **

Maribel Caves Hotel, "Hotel Hell"

You'll just have to visit. Trust me, plenty of others have been there before you. Check your principles at the door, because you are trespassing and you might get a ticket for your troubles. UPDATE 04/05/2015 - read that a portion of this structure was brought down from a storm with high winds back in August 2013.

Maribel Caves County Park was worth the Road Trip, and I will place this as my #2 Wheretogo Winner. A declaration was made when I arrived home, travel worn and sunburned.