Inside The Abandoned
Pilgrim State Power Plant, Part 1

The entirety of the Pilgrim State Farm Colony was powered by its own power plant, generating electricity through the burning of coal in a transfer of energy: from chemical to thermal to mechanical to, finally, electrical energy. Massive carbon emitters, the use of this kind of electricity has been phased out in The United States. But the plant that once held these towering smokestacks remains standing, like the parallel row of utility buildings currently owned by a developer.

Last time I was at the Pilgrim State grounds, it was a little bit of an adventure. I had to delete some of my pictures when stopped by a state police officer and all sorts of interesting things were happening across G Road where these abandoned utility buildings stood. As I shot the exterior of the power plant, the largest building within this cluster, a young, purple-haired girl snapped a picture from the inside. The moment that startled me… but also emboldened me to decide to enter this time.

So after getting into Kings Park Psychiatric Center, it was onward and inward. We’d enter the Power Plant if we deemed it safe. And we did–briefly… and taking turns. But it was not without fear–a nervousness I saw in the rushed and blurry shots I took in the very low light conditions, a fear that grew more robust as we drove away from the power plant and deliberated on what we both had experienced in this photographic mission. I will share this story down below in the event other explorers might have some feedback. But first, a look at some of the shots.

Small storage room

Notice the entrance on the bottom right.

We didn’t ascertain that this was the only way in, which is pretty important to note I would decide upon entering the very open a spacious main room.

Please don’t let these well-let pictures fool you, the space is very dark. You might not even see if someone was in there or if someone emerged from one of the many rooms. Light streamed beautifully from various cracks in the walls and ceiling. Long shutter speeds in my jumpy hands = bring a tripod next time. And more people.

All kinds of machinery remains in its pathetic futility.

I waited as my friend photographed. We decided it wouldn’t be safe to go in together.

The greatness of this room is difficult to convey.

A look at some of the machinery.

We didn’t stay long as we felt unsafe. Read the detail below to understand why… and as a precautionary measure if you visit. If you’d rather not delve into the kind of analysis that women have to dive into as they remain a target for men historically and indefinitely, then simply go about your day.

We arrived in the back of the Power Plant, parking the car conspicuously on the bright yellow sand that fills the field in front of the structure. There is a thoroughfare that is pretty busy adjacent to the plant. It feels safe. And I know from the police officer who I chatted up on my last Pilgrim State visit, the grounds are not state property. And so, not patrolled by state police. And so it was a bit of a surprise when a car with a janky swirling yellow light on its hood, the vehicle, a rundown grey Mercedes, with no marking as a security vehicle… whose hood ornament had been pried off… whose rearview mirror was hung with all the kind of unofficial looking stuff, approached me as I guarded the entrance while my friend took her first look inside. The man in the car, who was not uniformed and did not offer credentials, told us we could not enter the building. He detailed the gang activity in the area and pointed it out that it would not be safe. He said that if they saw “girls like you” here… but didn’t complete his thought. He made clear our vulnerability and alluded to parties who might be excited by it. Then in an instant, he told us we should go in! But to just watch our footing. That he would stay where he was to guard the entrance. So, we feigned gratitude and decided that we would only go in one at a time and for just a few minutes. I went in briefly, resulting in some of the shots above. But I quickly got out to return to my friend. Then she went in. I thought he was texting in his car, but didn’t want to seem suspicious by hawking him too much. I went in one last time quickly, but had already convinced myself that the man was calling a bunch of creeps to tell him that he had two gals in the abandoned building. We’d never know if this was the case thankfully. Why had he quickly changed his mind and even encouraged us to enter the vacant building while he blocked the perhaps only entrance? But as we walked backed to my car and told him to “take care,” he sped off down the street away from the power plant. The power plant it seemed as if he was patrolling. As we unpacked the encounter in the car we realized that it was a potentially very unsafe situation. Though I initially perceived it as this man cutting us a break and overlooking our going in as a kind gesture, the risk of other interpretations seemed more feasible. Who the heck knows? I’m just going to put this here in case it helps another be more careful at the very least.