Long Island Farm Colony
Inside The Abandoned Pilgrim State Power Plant,
Part 2 🏭

I have been meaning to get back to the abandoned Pilgrim State Hospital power plant since the very strange interaction last February. As with many of Long Island Farm Colony‘s decaying structures, access points are inconsistent. But I thought a grey, rainy early morning visit may increase the likelihood of exploring more safely (i.e. alone). To follow the shots from my brief spot that ended in Suffolk County Police rolling up on me before I drive away. More on that later.

The Power Plant’s front now…

…and its back in the 1960’s. The conveyer you see pictured was how coal was dumped to burn at the bottom of the smoking stack.

Meet me on the second floor

Jutting metal parts everywhere

Buttons to push buttons

Such great windows

The trestles about the back

Many of the obvious entry points are sealed

But that window was the door I entered, which required getting a bit soaked from the wet overgrowth

Lots of leaks were noisy and unnerving but I love what they do to the room; the wet illuminates and reflects.

Scrappers pulled at the pipes, Goonies-style

Some machinery

Getting in through that room connects you a series of garages, most likely for storage

Little waterfalls

Other paths I didn’t feel brave enough to venture down. The noises of the leaking roofs and cars zooming past the area impacted my courage.

And I left just in time as a Suffolk County Police car pulled up to me as soon as I had sat back in my car. The brief interaction was pleasant as they always seem to be. Police officers seem more amused by stumbling upon me and, as was the case this time, concerned about my well-being. Though I truly am not up to ‘no good,’ the assumption of this is usually made instantly by officers. I know not all are granted such swift and benevolent judgements. As a woman I would like to acknowledge how often strangers that I encounter while traveling or exploring seem to truly care about me, not in a way that is lascivious or uncomfortable, but in a way that harkens back to a time long gone where gender roles were more simple. Of course these moments are too brief to bring the downside of those old fashioned values to the surface. Anyway, I don’t mean to dive into a sociological discussion, but I do.

I hope to get back to Pilgrim’s powerhouse again. There is still so much to see.