Abandoned Places: Bennett School for Girls / Halcyon Hall/Millbrook, NY

(Please see below for photo credit)

 

In honor of Halloween coming up soon, I wanted to share something with you that most people don’t know about me….

While many women enjoy shopping for shoes, makeup and clothes, I enjoy searching abandoned places!

I find beauty within their rich history and chipped paint. Charm among their rusted metal, broken windows and dusty woodwork. Brilliant, untold stories gently floating up their grand staircases. Something that was once teaming with life in the past now has more allure for me than it ever did for me.

Yet I always find I am saddened by their demise but I do realize that if they did not spin on that downward spiral, then I would not be interested at all.

Take Biltmore in Asheville, NC. I love the house, I love the history, it’s beautifully up kept for years upon years, but the closest I can get to that chilly deserted thrill I desire is when I view the now empty indoor pool in the windowless basement. I try to envision the pool in the movie Ghost Ship and its creepy isolation! Beyond that, I’ll just take the wine tasting and be done with it. Sorry Biltmore. You ARE beautiful though.

Anyway, the other day, something brought me to the Bennett School for Girls in Millbrook, NY. Oh, wait, now I remember, someone on Facebook.com posted a really cool picture of an abandoned house via Pinterest.com, it was from there that I began researching and researching, never could I find it, but I did find something just as interesting for me. Luckily there are people out there who do not fear mice and have the guts to enter these places and take some really great pictures! And I have siblings who share this odd preference for abandoned places - but they are much, much braver than I!

So here's my really cool interesting place of the day!
Introducing the Bennett School for Girls / Halcyon Hall / Millbrook, NY

…So many cool haunts are in upstate New York!

It started out as a 5 story posh hotel in 1890, Halcyon Hall. It was the Golden Age and Hotels were popping up all over upstate New York as an escape for the rich of New York City. However it did not receive the guests or popularity it anticipated; lasting only 11 years it closed in 1901. After searching for a buyer, finally, in 1907 it became the Bennett school for girls. This school slash college was going great until 1977 when it filed chapter 11, finally closing for good in 1978. Since then, it has stood still, silent and “utterly alone” since allowing the elements of icy winters and humid summers beat upon it, breaking its spirit down board by board, beam after beam.

Amazingly eerie, I am entranced by its beauty and grandeur as I envision its first guests walking up the stairs in their top hats and long dresses before the turn of the century, onto the stone porch and entering the grand foyer for the very first time. My Lord, what I would have done to be a fly on the wall watching it all unfold on that very first day. Of course, if I was, then I would be dead by now and not able to enjoy this moment! So instead, I’m sharing it with you! Enjoy!


BENNETT SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, MILLBROOK, NY, HALCYON HALL
Thank you to Opacity.us for the great pictures and story- you have always been my urban explorer hero since the Heritage days! Say hello to Ohio for me! Did you ever find that abandoned amusement park I was telling you about near Zanesville?

PS my sister says it's haunted! I don't believe her-she's just trying to scare me and I'm tellin' MOM!

And just to give you a little bit more images from Opacity.us, (you really should visit)...
Also some of these photos are from hrvh.org, I have tried to make sure every image is linked to it's original website. If I have missed something, or have not given the correct credit. Please just let me know in the comments below. I totally respect these adventurous explorers and historical libraries. Please take a moment to visit and tell them I sent you!

 

 

 

 

c. 1908 Dorm Room for Bennett boarding school for girls.

Judging from the date, it had just been acquired by the school in 1907 (after sitting empty for 6/7 years) I would suspect this was an advertisement for the school... Hence the pennant flag banners, 2 writing desks, fireplace and the piano in the room.

 

 

Here is another dorm room.... No piano. Judging from the pillows and the bedspread, I would say this may have been taken from time around the 40's or around about. When I zoomed in, it looks like a gentleman in uniform and hat (possibly WWII) in the frame on the back desk and a suit and tie in the frame between the beds. Check out the alarm clock on the desk, it's a pop up, closes for storage in a hard case and props up for viewing from the bed. We call those travel clocks now a days. 

 

 

Above: Newspaper clipping about Halcyon Hall (when it was still a hotel) Date: 1893 F. W. Woolworth was a guest. Must have been posh, considering. If you can not see the picture it says: Halcyon has been full to overflowing for the past three weeks, and prospects are very good for a late season. Monday a ladies’ golf tournament was held for a silver loving cup, which was won by Mrs. J. C. Taylor, of Brooklyn. Tuesday a gentlemen’s golf tournament, the prizes being a silver cup and a silver flask. First prize was won by Mr. J. C. Taylor, second by Mr. F. W. Woolworth, the crack left hand player. A subscription list is being circulated for the benefit concert for the Halcyon Orchestra, Sept. 15. So far the subscribers have been very liberal. Mr. James T. Powers, the fun maker, is with us again after an absence of three weeks

 

c. 1908 One of the stairways inside Halcyon Hall. Can you imagine coming to this hotel and using these stairs to go to your room? Can you imagine who you'd be rubbing elbows with!

 

c. 1908. Woman in the kitchen at Halcyon Hall.

 

c. 1908 Horse and Carriage arrive at Halcyon Hall/Bennett Boarding School For Girls.

 

c. 1912 When it had become the Bennett boarding school for girls.

 

Halcyon Hall from the tennis courts.
Unknown female sitting besides tennis court in the summer. Halcyon Hall in background.

Original thumbnail image credit:
http://www.adventurebibleschool.com and www.juliawertz.com
Julia Wertz has some really cool interior shots as well...Adventurous is an understatement for Julia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Christmas Craft, Decorations, Ornaments

Black and White  Christmas Ornaments!
DIY craft, Christmas Craft, Christmas gifts, Childrens Craft Idea
Nice variety of 6 different ornaments to a printed page!
View the original here.
Below are pictures of the first set I did.

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Halloween Lantern Craft Tutorial

These are some seriously cute vintage inspired

Halloween lanterns!

I printed six of these; each will hang in groups of 3 from my ceiling on each side of my fireplace using monofilament at varying heights. I love to expand the Halloween decor outward from the mantle, making a larger scale vignette that guests can see the moment they walk in on Halloween night!

I have added tons of images below along with the tutorial to help you along.
Of course you can use these on their own, but if you continue to go one step further like I did, then continue to follow the directions to create the bottom, battery operated lights can go inside for a Halloween Glow! Its way too cool and the kids love it! A gentle breeze, or in my case, a ceiling fan on low offers a slow spinning motion creating just enough movement to draw attention. Next year I think I’ll incorporate them into a centerpiece of pine cones, acorns, dried hydrangeas, apples, wheat, corn husks and fresh autumn leaves! Or maybe even into a Halloween Wreath!

***OneSpringStreets Creative Halloween Trick***

Depending on how thick your card stock is will determine how much light comes through. I wanted mine to show brightly so I completed mine like this…

Print one set on card stock and another on normal printer paper, cut out the vintage window images on each set, leaving a border around the one printed on printer paper for gluing. The one on card stock becomes a sturdy base, the others fill those windows. Just insert the images from the printer paper on the inside of the card stock base with tape or glue. The vintage images cast an eerie glow all evening long! Did I mention the kids just love this! It’s amazing how many little ones love to touch and spin them and because they are card stock, I just let them go for it! At the end of the night, I’ll give them away to their delight and just make more for next year!

Created exclusively by OneSpringStreet.Net.

You can purchase this design here.
Print as many as you wish for your own personal use!
Or create Halloween gifts to give!

Get Creative!

Decorate yours as you wish with glitter, buttons, brads, rhinestones, ribbon, raffia, etc! The possibilities are endless!

All OneSpringStreet Printables are 300 DPI and are formatted to fit on traditional size 8 ½ by 11-inch paper.

*For best results print on crisp white card stock and traditional weight printer paper to “full scale” or “fit to page”*

TUTORIAL....
Here is the final product I created with just the card stock alone,I love the black and white gingham!


I've tried to add an image for each step I took. I've never written a tutorial for something like this usually mine are on HTML coding, so please forgive me in advance and let me know if I've missed something.....

Of course it has four sides, here's a view of the other sides.....

Supplies I used:

Printout of Halloween Lantern Template,

Scissors, Ruler, Scoring tool, tape or glue, hole punch, ribbon, battery operated candle if desired, along with one extra piece of card stock if creating the bottom to hold the candle.  

First I scored around every foldable edge on the card stock using a ruler,

and well, I don't own a scoring tool, so what did I use? Please don't

tell my husband, but I used the needle for the turkey injector,

it had the perfect point! C'mon, he never uses it anyway!

Here's the scored page.... See! It was the perfect point!

I'll have to remember to tell him that when I get caught!

Next I started to cut off some of the edged of the border.

I did keep the extra white on the bottom though.

Here's what is left from the final cuts. I am keeping that

border to help support the bottom when I put it in.

This is my "amazing handy dandy tool" that is suppose to be used

for wallpaper, but it's always in my tool bag for creasing purposes!

It works perfectly and cost very little!

I used it to crease every fold on the lantern with ease.

Cut down the center of each section of the lanterns roof only.

Fold everything.

It is at this point that I use a hole punch for ribbon later.

You can see the bottom, this is the extra white border I left on.

This will support the bottom for the candle.

If I was only going to put this on the table,

I would not insert a bottom and just skip those steps.

Tape or glue the bottom folds.

I love this Elmer's Tape Runner.

I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby!

Works like a charm!

Tape or glue the roof together first, then the sides.

You are now done unless you wish to add the bottom in.

To add the bottom in, place the finished lantern

on another piece of card stock.

Draw and score around the base for correct sizing.

Cut approx. 1/4 to 1/2 inch beyond the scoring mark to create a border.

Fold the score marks and cut the corners up to the

score line as show below on an angle.

Test: Insert the bottom to make sure it fits.

If all is well, continue on to the next step.

On a corner of the bottom, measure out the size of your

battery operated candle. You will cut a section out so

that you can insert the candle later,

turn it on and off and for replacing it when needed.

Cut a corner opening, but just score a bend mark as show below.

Fold back the cut on the score line, bending it to create

a small edge and tape or glue into space.

This small edge will stop your candle from falling out of the lantern later.

Cut a length of card stock approx. 6 inches long.

I used the candle to decide the width of the strip of card stock

then multiplied it by two. Score a line down the middle length wise and fold.

 

Scored card stock.

I then went back to the bottom and in the very center

placed the candle and outlined it.

Back to the strip of card stock.

Roll the card stock around the candle and cut it

to fit approx 1/2 way around the candle or more.

You want to make sure you candle can easily

side into the slot once it's attached.

Glue the outside of one side of the folded strip.

Then cut tabs all along the glue side up to the middle.

Round the paper with the tab side glue facing down.

Place on your outline and secure tabs

This creates the perfect resting place for your candle.

No matter if it spins, the candle will

always be centered.

Now glue the folded tabs of the bottom and

insert on the inside of the lantern.

Mines a little off here because I was rushing.

Insert your ribbon or monofiloment (fishing line).

Place your candle in the bottom and your ready to hang it!

There's that candle in place! It's not going anywhere!

Next year I think I'm going to create a Halloween Display on

my coffee table! I'll put some of these on candle sticks and

cake stands along with a whole bunch of autumn leaves,

pinecones, acorns, apples, red grapes and cinnomon sticks!

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