Crawford Power Station
The imposing facade of the abandoned Crawford Power Station in Middletown, Pennsylvania
Updated December 12, 2020 | By Matthew Christopher
Demolished in early 2009, Crawford Power Station was an imposing, polluted mess of mercury, PCBs, lead paint, and other industrial contaminants. My original expedition to the Crawford Power Station had gone pretty poorly. The second visit was the successful one, and was much easier in the winter as entry required navigating some maze-like overgrown paths around the perimeter dotted with polluted pools between the power plant and the river. It was much easier without foliage in the way.
The turbine hall was large and open but fairly uninspiring as the turbines themselves were long gone, but the furnace room and the catwalks on the upper floors were fascinating. Many of the panels on the catwalks were missing, necessitating navigation over some dizzying drops, and the elephantine steam vent on the roof that made the plant so appealing from a distance looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie. Another interesting feature was the basement which had been submerged for many years and was recently pumped out by the abatement team, so it had the look of a sunken ship.
When I returned to try to photograph it a third time in 2009, it was knocked in two. It couldn't quite bring myself to photograph it. Still, I think it was probably for the best. While many of the places I photograph are historic treasures that are lost because of greed and neglect, Crawford was a bit of a blight on the land - highly polluted and likely seeping noxious chemicals into the waterway nearby. Nevertheless, it was a unique spot and one I've always wished I could return to now that I'm more comfortable with my photography style.
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