The Wonderland was built as a luxury resort in 1912 and was purchased by a group of businessmen from the area that turned it in to a member’s club. It was a favorite for the wealthy elite in East Tennessee for several years. When the Great Smoky National Park was founded in 1934, all of the club members were given lifetime leases.
The leases, however, wound up being turned into terms that were then dismissed by the National Park Service in the early 1990s. Because of the “General Management Plan” that the Park Service instilled, the hotel was scheduled for demolition.
San Juan Parangaricutiro, Mexico
In a quiet village in Mexico, the people of San Juan Parangaricutiro were in for a surprise when they discovered their town was sitting on top of an undiscovered, and very active, a volcano. By the time they knew of its existence, it was too late. Lava was bursting up out of the ground and consuming everything in its path – which was pretty much the entire town.
Luckily, the lava moved so slowly that everyone was able to evacuate in time. But the buildings weren’t so lucky and were swallowed up by the volcanic liquid. One piece of the town does still stand today though: a little church, half-buried in lava rock.
Eastern Settlement, Greenland
The Eastern Settlement was a premier wedding destination in the early 1400s. It was settled by the Vikings in 985 A.D and is surrounded by an area of over 500 Norse farms. It was so popular in those days that there were about 4,000 people living in the area.
No one is exactly sure how the settlement disappeared, but some speculate that it had something to do with war or the black plague. However it happened, 1408 was the last recorded date of a wedding ceremony in the area, which is today a part of the Kujalleq municipality.
Mount Druitt Waterworks
In the early 1980s, Mount Druitt Waterworks was a haven for children all over New South Wales, Australia. During the first few years they were in operation they did really well, and the waterpark was always full to capacity during the summertime.
But as costs started to rise to maintain the park and fewer and fewer people showed up each day, the owners were forced to shut their doors. Well, it’s probably for the best, their slogan always did seem a bit suspect: “the Waterworks will get you in the mood.”
Lost City, FL
Way out in the middle of the 2,000 square mile area of the Florida Everglades lies the remains of bootlegger haven Lost City. Considering it was so easy to reach by boat and yet so hard for the authorities to get through the thick bush and wetlands, it was used to transport all kinds of shady goods.
In fact, rumor has it that Al Capone himself ran moonshine through Lost City. Another story of the land tells the tale of a failed hideout of Confederate soldiers being found (and killed) by the Seminole Indians.