Bannack is a ghost town that acted as the capital of Montana Territory for a brief period of time in the 1860’s. The town was very popular among miners, probably thanks to it being the site of a ton of gold. At its peak, Bannack had a population of over 10,000 residents.
But like most mining towns, when the resources ran out, so did the people. But even though the town is abandoned these days, Bannack State Park organizes a 2-day period once per year during the summers where they try and attract tourists by throwing “Bannack Days.”
Playcenter, Sao Paulo
Playcenter was Brazil’s first major amusement park that could be likened to one that would be found in the early 1970s in the United States and in Europe. It opened its doors in 1973 to a large, excited crowd.
The park saw over 1.5 million people every year and seemed to be doing well. But in 2012, the owners of the park decided to change its concept and create something aimed more towards younger children. They shut down that year for renovations, but they never came. Now, the area is covered in businesses and even one residential building.
Borscht Belt Catskill NY
The Grossinger Catskill Resort Hotel started as a simple bed and breakfast concept in the early 1900s. By the ’70s, not only was it still standing, it had grown to incorporate over 30 buildings, accommodating more than 150,000 guests per year total.
It was such a popular ski resort area that it had its own private airstrip. But the guest list started to decline more and more every year until the mid-1980’s when the owners (who were descendants of the original owner) decided to sell. The final building on the Grossinger property was demolished in the spring of 2018.
Frontierland, Morecambe, Lancashire
This western-themed amusement park originally began as West End Amusement Park in 1906. But in 1987, the park’s owner, Geoffrey Thompson, decided to give it a makeover to increase ticket sales.
The change in name caused some excitement for a couple of summers, but a few years later and attendance was dwindling once again. In 1998, the park slowly but surely began to cease operations and by 2000, most of the rides had been removed from the lot. They had been in business for over 9 decades at the time they closed.
Pabst Hotel, NYC
Pabst Brewing Company went on a buying spree in the 1890’s where they purchased multiple hotels and restaurants to incorporate their brand into the local nightlife. And so was born the luxurious Pabst Hotel in New York City.
The hotel was centrally located between 7th Avenue and Broadway and sat there for a few years until 1902, when the New York Times had it demolished to make room for their offices. Another one of the Pabst hotels, Frank Clayton’s Pabst Loop Hotel on Coney Island, burned down in 1908. Well, at least they’ve still got their beer, right?