My first expedition with co-urban explorer Joshua took us across the Mississippi and south, to a land dominated by old sugar cane fields and crawfish shacks. We stopped at an industrial site on the site of the former Cinclare Plantation, a onetime sugar plantation "company town."
Innocent as it looks, it was to become the site of the scariest ABR incident to date. Although admittedly I am a complete pansy as explorers go.
First we found this super ye olden tymey tractor. Like, this tractor should probably be apologizing for the slavery it witnessed.
It sounded like there was someone in this brick building here, which would explain the much more current vehicle parked on the other side of it.
Then we got out of the car at the more industrial looking area. Two thoughts overwhelmed me: People in Brooklyn would pay so much to have these oversized gears in their loft spaces, and a metal band should really shoot a video here immediately.
They would also totally kill for this structure if it were in Brooklyn.
We had only just begun looking around. We passed giant molasses vats, and I saw these open storage closets and thought, how trusting ARE they here? Who left all this equipment lying around?
The area we were in dead ended in the building depicted in the second photo in this post. I peered in a window, for one brief moment enjoying the stripes of afternoon sun throughout the very Flashdance-like industrial setting inside.
And then I saw the man.
A round man was just sitting on stool in there, along with the world's worst watchdog, who was not yet barking.
(!)
No matter, becuase I had already sprinted a good 100 feet way by the time he got the garage-style door open. Joshua had politely waited like the Southern gentleman he is to explain that we were just looking around, even though I'd hissed "Somebody's in there!" to him, which to me was the same as saying "Like, let's get outta here!" a la Shaggy in Scooby- Doo.
The guy, who was apparently employed to hang out in an abandoned sugar factory all day, was very nice, or so it sounded from several hundred feet away. Then it was time to cut our visit short, sadly. But we hope to return to sugar cane country again.
Stumble It!
Zoinks!!
Posted by: Big Daddy | April 10, 2008 at 05:05 PM
There was recently a fire at Cinclare (of suspicious origin). I'm sure the man was there to monitor for firebugs.
Posted by: Red Stick Modern | April 10, 2008 at 06:32 PM
Delurking to say you're right about those sugar cogs, though some of us "normal" folks have 'em, too. I'm in Bklyn (not a loft-dweller), and we brought back from Festival Acadiens a cypress dye used to make those things, thanks to the nice folks at the heritage museum.
Speaking of which, you should think of heading up to Lafayette for the festival in September; everyone can use a little Cajun time. Plus, you know, the Avery Island tour, which we never seem to actually do.
Posted by: Ten | April 11, 2008 at 09:40 PM
I always hate encountering people when I'm in the woods or other job sites. You never know the reaction of these random people. Some are cool and others...are not. So I have my three step process. 1. Act nonchalent as if you are not doing anything wrong even if potentially trespassing. 2. If #1 fails, then become Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm...sickly sweet, a bit ditzy, and overfriendly 3. If #1 and 2 fail, then apologize and escape immediately.
Posted by: kartek | April 12, 2008 at 03:30 PM
Cool pics!
Posted by: Jules | April 13, 2008 at 01:39 PM
yeah, i live right near there, the old guy actually wouldve let you tour the place.. theyre real nice, we always go ther to take pictures and such... keep up the abandoned stuff, it keeps me on the roll to knwo where to go graffiti!
Posted by: bliss | April 16, 2008 at 08:43 PM
yeah, i live right near there, the old guy actually wouldve let you tour the place.. theyre real nice, we always go ther to take pictures and such... keep up the abandoned stuff, it keeps me on the roll to knwo where to go graffiti!
Posted by: bliss | April 16, 2008 at 08:43 PM
colleem wonderful website but whats w/ the apolgize for slavery crap?is this art/poitics? please tread lightly w/ the politics in the deep dirty south. yeah there were slaves here a long time ago but that really doesnt involve either of us just snap the damn pictures
Posted by: me | July 07, 2008 at 07:12 PM
And "me" just reminded all of us that the "ignore it ever existed" attitude is alive & kicking.
Great pics, though! :-) I always pass Cinclair on the hwy and never thought about venturing inside...
Posted by: Amber | July 11, 2008 at 04:37 AM
The above tractor did not witness slavery. Slavery in the US predates gasoline-powered tractors.
Posted by: ben | August 24, 2008 at 03:12 AM
I go to school right next to Cinclare.
Glad it closed, sugarcane processing smells terrible.
Posted by: Chi | February 16, 2010 at 04:57 AM
keep up the abandoned stuff, it keeps me on the roll to knwo where to go graffiti!
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