Every abandoned house has a final day when someone last called it home. For over a decade, New York-based photographer Bryan Sansivero has meticulously documented the haunting aftermath of departure, where no new occupants arrive to fill the void. His compelling work, featuring silent rooms, peeling paint, and personal belongings suspended in time, is now compiled in a new publication titled America the Abandoned: Captivating Portraits of Deserted Homes.
A Journey into Emptiness and History
Sansivero's fascination with abandoned spaces began during his teenage years in Huntington, Long Island, where he explored deserted hospitals, mental asylums, and churches, captivated by their vast emptiness and rich histories. While studying filmmaking in college, he dedicated his thesis to documenting a forsaken hospital, using his camera to piece together its gradual decay. His first encounter with an abandoned home occurred on a rural orchard in Pennsylvania, sparking a realization that hundreds of such properties lay scattered across the nation, each enveloped in mystery.
'I stopped, took pictures, went inside and there was a piano from the 1800s and clothing in the closet. The history was just crazy,' Sansivero recounted to the Daily Mail. 'That really drew my attention, because there's so many more houses. There's so much to explore,' he added. In Suffolk County, New York, he discovered a home he named 'The Bayport House,' describing it as a hidden capsule tucked away in the trees along rural back roads. 'I just felt it was almost more interesting, because you don't know what you're going to find when you step inside a house,' he explained.
Dangers Beyond the Supernatural
While Sansivero insists he has never encountered supernatural phenomena, the abandoned homes present tangible hazards. 'As far as dangerous things - not ghosts - I'd say structural issues,' he noted. 'I've had two separate houses where my leg went straight through the floor.' He emphasized the need for extreme caution, citing missing railings, leaning wood floors, and beams with gaping holes that drop ten feet. Beyond structural risks, he has encountered wildlife like raccoons and vultures scavenging in the silence, though mold remains a consistent concern.
However, Sansivero admits his greatest fear is stumbling upon an owner or stranger still inside. While photographing his first explored house, he heard footsteps upstairs and realized he was not alone. 'It freaked me out so badly,' he told the Daily Mail. 'I jumped out and stuck the board back over the window and said, "Okay, I'm done with this one."'
Eerie Discoveries and Frozen Moments
His book, spanning more than 20 states across the South and Northeast, captures Sansivero's vision of time standing still: scattered family photos, mugs left on weathered tables, and children's toys abandoned as if play had merely paused. 'It's always sad to see things like toys and photographs, but I think those are the things that kind of bring emotional pictures,' he reflected. Among the unsettling scenes he has documented are mannequins hanging from walls, life-sized mermaids in bathtubs, and rooms filled with dolls staring with open eyes. 'I'm drawn to the creepiness,' he admitted.
Sansivero follows a strict rule of keeping addresses secret to preserve these sites and shield them from ill-intentioned individuals. He shared some of his most memorable photographs with the Daily Mail, each with its own dark history.
'Under the Sea': A Haunting Serial Killer Inn
A house in Smyth County, Virginia, stands out as one of the strangest places Sansivero has encountered. Life-sized mermaid mannequins filled the rooms, inspiring the home's name: 'Under the Sea.' He only learned the true nature of the property after leaving, when the photos transformed from beautiful to haunting. 'The owner of the inn was a serial killer,' Sansivero revealed. 'They found 21 bodies under the house.'
The brick, two-story tavern, built in 1842 on the site of a log tavern with a dubious reputation, was rumored to have an innkeeper who robbed and murdered unsuspecting guests. It later served as a Civil War hospital and was home to an author who went mad and was sent to a mental hospital. In the 1980s, over two dozen bodies were discovered in a cave on the property, dating back to the innkeeper's era. Sansivero described the mermaids as appearing crafted in the 1930s or 1940s, with wigs that looked like human hair, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
'Patriot's Piano': Echoes of a Ransacked Past
In New London County, Connecticut, Sansivero found a home almost entirely ransacked, except for a back room filled with antiques. An upright piano, dubbed the 'Patriot's Piano' due to an American flag draped over it, stood neglected under piles of books. A portrait of a man in a bow tie gazed down over the scene, while peeling paint and scattered debris completed the melancholic tableau.
'Her Memories Left Behind': A Frozen Vermont Estate
Braving below-freezing temperatures in Essex County, Vermont, Sansivero climbed a snowy hill to capture a deserted house named 'Her Memories Left Behind.' He learned that an older woman, after her husband's death, left everything behind and moved to Florida, abandoning vintage furnishings, family portraits, and even an Oldsmobile 442 in the garage. 'This is a house that people have been to now, and they're like, that's an $100,000 car just sitting there,' he noted.
'The Famous Writer's Library': Occult Books and Mounted Deer
In Vermont, Sansivero discovered the former residence of a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, dubbing it 'The Famous Writer's Library.' The house was filled with books stacked to the ceiling, including titles on Satanism, the occult, witchcraft, and devil worship. A mounted deer on the wall and a piano added to the surreal ambiance, though the upstairs was described as trashed.
'The Green Carriage': A Pristine Mystery in Decay
In Caroline County, Maryland, a vintage-style pram containing an armless doll inspired the photograph 'The Green Carriage.' The room appeared nearly untouched, with a made bed and a strikingly clean towel hanging from a drawer, despite vines creeping through the window and peeling wallpaper. Downstairs told a different story, resembling a hoarder's space with salvaged items scattered about.
'Hunter's House': A Life Preserved in Taxidermy
In Sullivan County, New York, Sansivero captured the 'Hunter's House,' a home filled with taxidermy, rifles, and family photos. An upstairs bedroom plastered with Teen Beat magazine pictures suggested a teenage girl once lived there, while a medical cabinet and hospital bed indicated the hunter likely spent his final days in the home.
'The Masks': Unsettling Discoveries in Ohio
In Harrison County, Ohio, an abandoned farmer's house dubbed 'The Masks' featured unsettling clown and bunny masks hanging on walls adorned with 1960s floral wallpaper. Tractor-pull trophies, a crib, and a toy rocking horse added to the eerie collection.
'The Soapstone Victorian': A Gothic Architectural Gem
In Albemarle County, Virginia, Sansivero photographed a historic home with Gothic architecture, which he named 'The Soapstone Victorian.' Boarded-up windows and crumbling columns made it appear dangerous, but he learned it was on alarmed property, with a neighbor providing its backstory.
America the Abandoned: Captivating Portraits of Deserted Homes is now available, offering a poignant glimpse into the silent stories of America's forgotten homes.
