Abandoned Cement Plant, Zanesville OH Page 2

Abandoned Cement Plant, Zanesville OH Page Two

This was my first solo urbex. I had explored this site before with Il Duce, and had done a few other explorations elsewhere with friends and classmates, but this was the first time I have done it solo. I wouldn’t advise doing urbex solo until you’ve done at least a few explorations and have some appreciations of the dangers in it.

From what the Duce and I (mostly duce, to be honest) have been able to find, there was a union strike at this cement plant, and the company closed it’s doors rather than admit it’s workers back. Old photos (courtesy of Il Duce) show that there were several very large buildings that have been torn down and all that remains are the foundations, 3 sets of silos, a machine shop/office, and numerous other small buildings/structures. I suspect they were spared demolition by the sheer ruggedness of their construction. By ruggedness I mean 12-24 inches of reinforced cement that by and large, remains immaculate after 20 years of abandonment and god knows how many years of service. The only marks were chipped by backhoes or whatever they used to tear down the smaller and weaker parts of this gigantic plant.

After I parked my car in a fairly secluded spot, and had almost made the 1.5 mile trip to the entrance of the plant, a large water truck roared out of the gate. I feared for a few seconds that my three hour drive would have been for naught. But if the truck was associated with some kind of work on the plant, with asking for permission they would probably not mind my presence and certainly not charge me with trespassing at any rate. I have found this to be true in the past, many times. Nervously, I made my way to the plant proper, and found nothing. All the buildings were as intact/destroyed as before, and there was not a sound in the air save for the intermittent crackle of gunfire from the nearby firing range. I shrugged my shoulders and started worrying about the weather, which had worsened from clear blue into mild overcast and light cloud cover. It was hardly an show-stopper, but it would mean that the sky in whatever photos I took would come out white, which is undesirable. I had anticipated good weather, and that was one of the primary reasons I came out there that day. I wanted blue skies, damn it!

But fuck all that, and I started taking pictures.

I've been told by UER that lead paint crinkles up in a pattern unique to it self, currious if this is said pattern or just your garden-variety latex. This was in the gate house/weigh station? near the front proper of the plant.

The fortress of DOOOOOM

I was still a little excited about seeing the truck, so I tried to spend some time underground to stay out of sight if anyone was there.

You can see my hardhat/bag on the pedestal.

This basement had problems with water in it.

I figured if I would be spotted, oh well. It wouldn't be a total loss if it were so now.

Back on the surface

Oh boy.

At this time, I started noticing some things. Fresh footprints in mud, (it had rained hard not less than 24 hours ago) and car tracks. Next to the car tracks near the back of the plant was an nearly empty 2 liter of Sierra Mist, still carbonated. I picked up the bottle and thought on these discoveries for a while. I put down the bottle, decided that I would go to the way back and eat something/hope for better weather.

Before I ate, I checked out this awesome waterfall and suspension bridge that I had somehow missed last time with Il Duce

The bridge was suprisingly strong. Even though the wood was clearly weathered, it did not creak or groan in the slightest when I walked on it.

Sitting on my duff, the weather did improve dramatically. While I shoved salty chunks of meat into my maw, the skies cleared of all haziness and became crystal clear. Now excited as a schoolboy and full of beef, I ran up and down the entire rear section taking pictures!

Random steel balls found near where I was eating-

I’m not entirely sure what this was, but it sure caught my eye. This was exciting mostly on account of the 750-1000+ pound slabs of cement and countless brick not being entirely stable to walk on. Even while taking pictures I had to constantly adjust my position to keep my balance and legs from being crushed.

I would be most currious to find out what the purpose of these things would be. It looks that they were in the basement/sublevel of whatever structure that was there.

Offices?

I think the damage to the bridge came as a result of wind/high water forcing it to hit the concreate pier to the right.

After redoing the pictures of the suspension bridge and the waterfall, I started back to the silos for a better look and immediately found something rather interesting. Someone had piled wire stripped from the buildings right next to the Sierra Mist bottle I saw earlier, which had not been there then.

I snapped a picture, suppressed the urge to swear out loud, and I turn around and see if I can spot anyone. Nobody. I walk to the far side of a silo and consider my options once more.

I then realize with the hard hat I’m wearing, I probably look more like a official person of some sort than a trespasser. If they had seen me, I figure that for all they know I’m about to bust their asses for vandalizing/criminal mischief/trespassing. Feeling more confident, I enter the machine shop/office adjacent to the silo to take more pictures.

Cement Truck loading?

Archives/offices/records.

On the third floor, I hear voices coming up the stairs, and I shout, “WHO’S THERE?”

Someone shouts, I hear footsteps receding into the distance, and no more. After that, I didn’t see or hear anything that suggested someone was there.

Lime? Cement? It was certainly too soft to be sand.

More offices.

Two men enter, one man leave.

Goodbye, columbia portland . . . .

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