Holland Island, located in Chesapeake Bay used to be a thriving coastal community with shops, a school, a church, and many beautiful Victorian houses like we see here. In its prime, around 1910 the island was home to approximately 360 residents, but the island was under threat from erosion. Slowly but surely the island was getting worn away by the sea, and it didn’t matter what they tried nothing could stop it. They had stones shipped into the island to try and build defensive walls in 1914, but that didn’t work and even sunk some ships in the surrounding waters to try and slow down the erosion, but this was also to no avail.
Slowly but surely the buildings began to crumble as the land beneath them disappeared. One big hit to the community came in 1918 when a tropical storm hit the island and destroyed the church. Those who had stuck it out until this point decided that it might be time to leave, pick up what remained of their homes, and rebuild them further inland. There was one further attempt to rejuvenate the island from 1995 until 2010 to preserve what was left, but they couldn’t fight the power of the waters. This house is the last one on Holland Island.
The Oldest British Warship To Have Been Found in The Great Lakes Of Ontario
This former British warship was found in the Great Lakes. Known as the HMS Ontario, it is believed to have been sunk in 1780 with 130 men on board, all of which died. Amazingly, when it was found, somewhere between Niagra falls and Rochester in upstate New York, in 2008, over 200 years later it was still mostly intact.
It took many years to track down this sunken ship. Jim Kennard tried 35 years earlier to find it but did not succeed until he joined forces with Dan Scoville and the two used all of their expertise to find the vessel. Amazingly after years of hard work, they were able to locate it.
Abandoned House of Bulgarian Industrialist, Pencho Semov
Pancho Semov was known as the Bulgarian Rockefeller thanks to his fantastic wealth. Born in the small village of Bagrovo, he was Bulgaria’s ultimate story of going from rags to riches and made his billions through banking, trading, and more. He was the proprietor of a number of properties, and when he made out his will, he intended that his home would become a retirement home. He intended for two further buildings to be used as boarding schools for girls. One would be free of charge and would be made available to some of the most impoverished girls in the community. The other was intended for those families who could afford it and for this they would be charged a small tax which would presumably cover the running costs of both schools.
When he died in 1945, his wishes were not carried out, and the government seized control of the buildings. The mansion which was intended as a retirement home was turned into a ward for those suffering from infectious tuberculosis. At least it is still functioning with the aim of helping those in need.
Russian Shipwreck in The Red Sea
There are many sunken ships lying at the bottom of the Red Sea, but this one is known as the “Russian Wreck.” The remains of this ship, which is believed to have been a fishing trawler named the Khanka, were found in 1988 in the waters of the Red Sea.
As with many things they aren’t what they appear at first glance. On further inspection, the trawler was full of electrical equipment and batteries, so it was likely that the Russians were using it as a spy ship of sorts, for surveillance and communication in the open waters.
A Storm Approaches An Old Abandoned Farm in Ontario
This is a puzzling scene. The house in the background is completely dilapidated with the wood on the exterior falling apart. The trees are completely bare which isn’t surprising seeing as we are in Canada. However, in the foreground is a perfectly manicured lawn.
This picture fills us with intrigue. Who could be taking such immaculate care of this patch of green grass but leaving the house behind in a state of ruin? This would be a great talking point if it featured in a portrait gallery or in someone’s home, especially with those looming clouds up above.