Abandoned Observatory
This astrophysical observatory is so well hidden from the road that even many locals are unaware of its existence. From the street, the entrance appears to be nothing more than a driveway for a house. If you drive by slowly you may spot the clearing, the large (active) communications tower, or even the occasional police car waiting to greet trespassers.
Established in 1933, the site has sat largely unused since 2005, when a major university stopped doing astrophysical research there. Today, there is one active building on the property, and the whole site was used for a television production in the summer of 2019.
Unknown to me at the time, I visited only a month after the television production had wrapped. This explains why the grounds are maintained and explains some of the other things I saw. More on that television production later...
As I walked down the entrance road, I was greeted first by a series of buildings surrounded by bushes and trees. The buildings just screamed old.
I knew something was up at this site when I spotted this modern air conditioning unit, still in a protective plastic, sitting on the ground.
As I continued to explore the site, the state of abandonment was obvious.
Things started to get a little more peculiar though with the white buildings.
What I didn't know at the time was that this site was featured in Season 2 of Hulu's Castle Rock. The site was the "Stargazer Lodge". These white buildings, although old in appearance, were built for the production and are only months old.
Location: Undisclosed
Explored: August 2019
Status: Still Standing