Urban explorer urges 'do not visit' after exploring mill scheduled for demolition

An urban explorer has urged fellow fans of the hobby "please do not visit" a derelict former mill which has been abandoned for almost three decades. Images of the former Keddy Mill in Windham, Maine, were posted on Reddit, showing the sad state of the 120-year-old building, which is reportedly due to be demolished next year.

The factory was built in the early 1900s, and was originally used to make paper and cardboard, before moving to steel manufacturing after World War Two, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Operations ended in 1997, and it has stood vacant ever since.

The pictures posted to Reddit show most of the windows of the imposing former mill broken, with just the ones highest up untouched, while walls, floors, and columns inside and out are covered in graffiti. Images inside show rusting machinery, grass and moss growing on the floor, and the whole site open to the elements, with most of the roof long gone.

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The photographer said: "I cannot condone persuading anyone to ever visit this place again before its scrapping, as it's not a clean or safe location in the slightest."

They said the area is designated as a Superfund site, meaning the surrounding ground and ecosystem is highly polluted with chemicals and hazardous substances, describing this as "a red flag".

They also said the floor is covered in bird excrement, adding: "At some places it's inches thick and covering the entire floor".

They continued: "There are holes all over the floor that lead to 10 foot drops to the basement level, and if you aren't looking there's a genuine chance you could misstep and plunge down into the dark.

"The basement air was stale and I tried to not breathe too heavily as I forgot to bring my mask. There's insulation and other detritus strewn around the floor almost everywhere and it most certainly does not look healthy, but as far as I'm concerned there isn't an asbestos risk for this particular building.

"Regardless, this whole place is frankly deserving of its soon-to-be end, and I must in good conscience warn you all you stay away. I again just wished to document its condition before it was gone for good, but I would never visit again."

Reddit users had a mixed reaction to the user's advice, with one replying: "It’s totally fine lmao you’re literally describing any abandoned building." Another said: "I now have a sudden urge to venture into this dangerous spot you warned me about."

Someone else said: "For exactly this reason is why I would use a drone of any kind (not the cheap s***** toy kind either) to explore unsafe buildings, in fact I've used a drone to do exactly this, you just have to pay extremely close attention to the surroundings of the abandoned building you choose to fly around in and explore through the drone's camera."

A different user said they had explored a number of sites where dangerous chemicals may have been dumped, saying: "They’re generally safe if you just don’t f*** with anything and wear a respirator if you know it’ll be real spicy. Contaminated sites and brownfield lands have been a very deep interest of mine though.

"It’s fascinating looking into the industrial, abandonment, and remediation of the these sites. It’s a massive rabbit hole you can really sink your teeth into. Though, preferably, don’t eat anything at some of these spots."

Another user simply said: "Someone should repurpose this place into a dope skate park."