Many places across the world were once thriving cities and towns that are now totally shuttered and abandoned . These places have a whole history and story behind them but now lay completely silent and dull.
Some individuals love to go and explore abandoned places, photographing the remains of what once was. One place in Pennsylvania, particularly, is fascinating to these individuals.
Yellow Dog Village is located not far from Kittanning, PA.
The village, which is now a small and quiet abandoned town, once was a thriving space with many individuals living there while working in the mines. Housing was important to industrial workers.
The village was built in the 1920s and 1920s.
Pittsburgh Limestone Company owned a 150-mile area of mines outside of Worthington, PA. However, it was difficult for miners to get to and from work without any roads being constructed and useable.
The company agreed to create a town for miners to live in.
For workers to get to and from work easily and prevent a union from forming, the company created a village for miners to live with their families close by.
The name has a particular meaning, as well.
At the time, a contract between a company and workers to prevent a union from being formed was known as a ” yellow dog contract .” Therefore, the village was named “Yellow Dog Village.”
During the industrial era, many lived there and created a life there.
During The Great Depression, however, the mining company went bankrupt and there was not much work for the people who lived in the quaint town. The village ended up being sold multiple times to different owners.
In the 1950s, the mine closed.
This further led to the village being abandoned. Eventually, the village had no water and hardly any goods. The last few residents ended up leaving around 2011. Now, all that is left standing are several of the homes there.
Knowing the town was empty and abandoned led to vandalism.
With several owners over the last decade or two, vandalism was a big issue and caused some homes to be destroyed and made a mess. In 2014, a new owner purchased the village with hopes to restore it.
A retired history teacher purchased the village in 2014.
The former teacher hopes to restore the village and make it into a museum in which people can come to see the homes and learn about the past when visiting Pennsylvania.
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Although the homes are very damaged, they all have a story.
All of the homes have belongings left behind by some of the residents that tell a story about who lived there and what they were like. If the village gets restored, surely they will learn more and more about the people who lived there.
The owner has hopes to restore homes for rent.
Aside from restoring the town for a museum and historical site, the current owner also hopes to restore some homes so individuals can rent them for weekend trips and other historical things.
Currently, you can visit Yellow Dog Village for a small fee.
If you want to visit, you need to register with the owner of the village in advance. It’s $10 for a guided tour, $20/hr for photography, $50 for a half day, and $80 for a full day. All proceeds go towards restoring the village.
