A few years back I gained access legally into the old Aberdeen school. I went here from K-5th or 6th grade. One of those years was spent in the neighboring town of Manchester. I'm not sure of the reason we got sent there for a year but I suspect it was due to the future plan of not having a school system in town anymore. Small river towns are very very similar these days. They all lack a strong economy and they seem to not adapt to the rapid advancements the way bigger cities do.
Villages and small towns all have their own character, they have their own type of charm. The population of most of these entire towns are less than just a single suburban neighborhood in the city. This makes it a nice safe place to live but it is also a double edged sword. There aren't as many people to spend money and when businesses leave then it becomes a bit of a downward spiral. Taxes and all of the fiscal forms of money can only go so far. You need a good foundation of business and community to keep things afloat.
I didn't understand any of this when I lived there. Things were actually pretty good in the 90's from what I remember. Even after our school got shut down, the town itself remained mostly the same. Now that I am older, the problem I see is very predictable when you zoom out and compare every small town that has declined. There are three things that start this downward spiral if you ask me.
1. Schools
2. Grocery Stores
3. Big Box Stores
A high percentage of all the towns I see in decline have these same characteristics. When a school and a place to buy food is gone then it forces people to leave town, and where does that money go? Not to the town you live in. When something like Wal-Mart pops up with-in driving distance you will see everyone flock there. Again, that money has left town.
As for my day goes in the school. To say it is a shell of what it was is giving the place a pat on the back. It is less than a shell of what it was. It is almost unrecognizable. Nature is not kind to things that humans disregard. It may not be 10 years or even 20 years, but in time.....nature will completely destroy this place. Kids running around on the playground or throwing paper airplanes out the window are just memories. Everything has to come to an end eventually and that is understood. Certain things don't have to come to an end so soon tho. I've seen buildings in much worse shape be rehabbed into bustling forms of revenue. I would like to see the home of the Pirates one day be restored.........but I am confident that will never happen. The 3 examples I stated above are still in place, and until they are all replaced then there is no hope for positive change.
Here are a bunch of random shots from inside the school. If you went here as a kid then take a peek at some of these rooms and see if you can tell where they are. You might need your time travel glasses on to see because the stage of decay is quite high.
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