Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Liberia House Historic Site

Discover Liberia House Historic Site in Manassas, Virginia: This Federal-style plantation house was once visited by Abraham Lincoln to meet with generals during the Civil War.

Big Chute Marine Railway

Discover Big Chute Marine Railway in Coldwater, Ontario: This "railway" for boats continues a waterway over a road.

Cotton Tree

Discover Cotton Tree in Freetown, Sierra Leone: The oldest of its kind in the country, this tree sits where formerly enslaved people are said to have founded the city of Freetown.

Aldie Mill Historic Park

Discover Aldie Mill Historic Park in Aldie, Virginia: The Aldie Gristmill was once the largest factory of its kind in Loudoun County.

Metropolis Ghost Town

Discover Metropolis Ghost Town in Wells, Nevada: An ill-fated attempt to grow wheat in the sagebrush steppe of northeastern Nevada.

Progress Factory Mosaic

Discover Progress Factory Mosaic in Lviv, Ukraine: A unique Soviet mosaic preserved on the facade of a shoe factory in Lviv.

Diana’s Punch Bowl

Discover Diana's Punch Bowl in Round Mountain, Nevada: Located in the remote Monitor Valley, this travertine bowl contains a scalding pool of water.

Union Pond Mill

Discover Union Pond Mill in Manchester, Connecticut: An abandoned Victorian-era mill in the middle of modern Manchester.

Manassas Station

Discover Manassas Station in Manassas, Virginia: This train station inspired the name of a 1970's rock band and provided the backdrop for their album cover.

‘Venus & Cupid’

Discover 'Venus & Cupid' in Morecambe, England: A powerful statue sits on Scalestone Point, looking out over Morecambe Bay.

Former Edenhall Hospital

Discover Former Edenhall Hospital in Musselburgh, Scotland: The abandoned buildings of a hospital that saw most of its activity during the World Wars.

St. Cuthbert’s Cave

Discover St. Cuthbert's Cave in Northumberland, England: A rocky outcrop where monks hid their most holy relic while escaping Danish invaders.

Yumen Ghost Town

Discover Yumen Ghost Town in Jiayuguan Shi, China: This once-booming oil city is now a relic of the region's industrial past.

Resting Place of the Giants

Discover Resting Place of the Giants in Seville, Ohio: In the Mound Hill Cemetery resides the final resting place of the world's tallest couple.

Brooklyn Savings Bank Subway Branch

Discover Brooklyn Savings Bank Subway Branch in Brooklyn, New York: Before online banking and smartphone apps, there was "commuter banking" in the subway in Downtown Brooklyn.

Alianello Ghost Town

Discover Alianello Ghost Town in Alianello, Italy: Though an earthquake destroyed this village in 1980, one former resident still walks its streets every day.

Remains of the Morris Canal

Discover Morris Canal in Jersey City, New Jersey: Once considered a marvel of engineering, this 107-mile canal played an integral role in building New York City.

Matilija Dam

Discover Matilija Dam in Ojai, California: The disdain for this dysfunctional dam is reflected in a giant pair of scissors painted on the concrete face.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 261 ii
To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. 480 iii
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. 514 iv
To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. 642 ix
To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. 137 v
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. 172 vi
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). 256 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 151 viii
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. 98 x
To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. 168

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