This Abandoned Building in Rhode Island Is Slowly Being Reclaimed by Nature

There are abandoned structures all over the country and over time, nature begins to reclaim them. A great example of one of these structures is a building located in Brenton Point State Park, a popular destination in Rhode Island.

Brenton Point State Park was first established in 1976 and is a great place to hike, fish, have a picnic or do any other outdoor activity. The park is situated on Ocean Drive in the town of Newport in Aquidneck Island. This park is located right where a bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, which means it has some simply amazing views. While the park has a ton of history and its land is full of amazing things, the most popular is easily The Bells.

The Bells is the name given to the large estate that resides in the park. This large home on the estate was built in 1876 as the dream home of Theodore M. Davis, a lawyer from the area. He had filled the home with artifacts and treasures that he had collected throughout his travels around the world. His collection of Egyptian artifacts was particularly impressive.

When Davis passed away, his estate was purchased by the Budong family. The family was in possession of the house until it was seized by the government. The reason that the property was seized was because it was to be used as a defense artillery station during World War II. Its proximity to the coast made it a great location to see potential oncoming enemies.

After the war, the property was returned to the Budongs. However, it didn’t seem that they wanted anything to do with it anymore. But instead of selling it, they simply left it alone and let it rot. In 1960, a fire ravaged the estate and left most of the house destroyed. A couple of years later, the rest of the mansion was demolished.

Today, the only thing that remains of the once-great estate are the ruins of the carriage house and stables. These buildings have been left abandoned for decades, and as a result, they are slowly being reclaimed by nature. Trees, roots and other plants are beginning to encompass the building and it looks like it belongs in a fairy tale, not a popular state park.

Despite the beauty of this abandoned estate, you can’t get too close to this structure. What’s left of the estate is hidden behind a fence and there is often a security guard on patrol. This is likely for the safety of the public and nobody knows when these structures may just collapse completely, which could crush someone in seconds.

Several graffiti artists and urban explorers have made their way behind the fences and into these old structures. Who knows how long these buildings will remain up, but while they are, they serve as a haunting reminder of the past.