Warning: that old church I explored near Birmingham had a floor about to collapse

Last Saturday I drove out to this 1800s church outside Birmingham that's been abandoned for like 20 years. Looked fine from the outside, pretty standard brick building with a bell tower and all. But when I stepped through the front door and took maybe 3 steps onto the wooden floor, I heard this loud cracking sound under my left foot. I froze and looked down and saw the wood was completely rotted through in places, like you could see down into the basement crawlspace below. My buddy who was with me said he noticed the floor sagging near the altar area too, like a dip you could see from the doorway. We backed out slow and took photos from the threshold instead of walking further in. That whole place was a death trap and I'm guessing nobody's been in there for years because the floor would've given out on someone eventually. Has anyone else nearly walked into a hidden hazard like that at an abandoned spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamesmason19d agoMost Upvoted

That happened to me at this old textile mill outside of Providence about five years ago. The main floor looked solid enough from the doorway, but I took maybe two steps and my boot went straight through a board that was nothing but powder underneath. Pulled my leg back quick and saw I was standing on this beam that was half rotted through, with a 12 foot drop to concrete below if I'd put my weight on it. My buddy snapped a photo of the hole and you could see straight down to old machinery and broken glass down there. Never trusted a floor in an abandoned building since, even if it looks fine from the entrance.

jordan65321d ago

That's terrifying! I actually read a post on another forum where a guy was exploring an old schoolhouse and the floorboards just gave way under him. He fell straight through into the basement and broke his ankle. Said he was stuck down there for hours because nobody knew where he went. Your story reminds me of that so much. A sagging floor like you described is always a huge red flag, it means the support beams are probably rotten too. Better to just take photos from the doorway and not risk it, you definitely made the smart call backing out.