Haunting Photos Show Inside Abandoned Elementary School in Flint, Michigan

A series of eerie photographs taken inside an abandoned elementary school in Flint, Michigan, have offered a glimpse of what once was and the senseless waste left behind.

William Johns, from Toledo, Ohio, has made a name for himself on social media thanks to his stunning photography capturing the abandoned buildings that haunt America's cities and towns.

Johns told Newsweek these buildings "tell a story and give you a glimpse of how things used to be back in that time, kind of like a time capsule."

He's been exploring abandoned architecture like churches and schools "off and on for about 20 years." However, it was his recent trip to Carpenter Road Elementary School in Flint, Michigan, that grabbed people's attention after he posted a picture from inside the building to Reddit under his handle anarchy_originals.

Carpenter Road closed its doors for the final time back in 2015, the victim of school district budget cuts that left the northeast side of Flint without a public school.

Yet much of what made it a school remains behind: desks, chairs, lockers, pencils, paper and, according to Johns, "enough books to fill two libraries." His photographs capture not only the decay and vandalism of the building, but also the sense of waste at what has been left behind.

Johns, who has a child in the second grade, said looking around the school left him with a "very sad feeling." He said: "When I took these pictures I had just finished shopping for school supplies the week before so I was very aware of how much school supplies cost and how many parents struggle to buy them."

Johns added: "I also know of several teachers who need to use their own money to buy supplies for the classroom. With Flint being as poverty stricken as it is I don't see how this was just left to go to waste."

Describing it as the "biggest waste of resources that could benefit a community," he said it appeared as though much of the equipment there had been simply "left to just rot away."

It's especially distressing given the difficulties that continue to haunt Flint, a city once known a major hub for jobs in the automotive industry, but now more commonly associated with the Flint Water Crisis that occurred eight years ago.

In April 2014, Flint's water supply was rerouted from the city of Detroit to the Flint River. But in doing so, this highly corrosive water wasn't treated before it flowed through the aging pipes to around 100,000 residents. As a result, lead detached from the pipes into the water supply, which contaminated and poisoned thousands.

More than a dozen residents died of Legionnaires' Disease and a number of children experienced life-altering cognitive issues as a result of the contamination,
with the fallout continuing to hang over Flint.

Johns describes visiting the city as "heartbreaking," but insisted that, beyond the "abandoned buildings and decay" there are beautiful parts of Flint. "I know a lot of the residents take pride in their city and people would like to see things change but there is no help for them to achieve this," he said.

Johns' work might be striking to look at, but it also carries with it a message. "I've always tried to take the time to see the detail and beauty in everything," he said. "It's disappointing that corporations and government would rather let things go to waste and be worth nothing than using it to help others. I've seen countless buildings that could easily be used to teach people skills, be used as homeless shelters or be sold at reduced costs to help individuals looking to start a small business."

He added: "We as people all need to start coming together and working together to try to better our communities and try to create the means to utilize properties such as this for the betterment of everyone. Just because you see something that looks destroyed doesn't mean that there isn't beauty to be seen and an interesting history behind it."

Check out more of Johns' photographs from inside Carpenter Road Elementary here.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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