Now part of Ohio University, The Ridges — once known as the Athens Lunatic Asylum — has always been a popular spot for students, ghost hunters and occultists in Athens, OH.
Before it was acquired by the university, there were a number of dilapidated old buildings that once used to house mental patients (fun fact — it’s been said that more lobotomies were performed there than anywhere else in the world).
Rumored to be haunted, students would often venture into the abandoned buildings late at night, exploring the empty rooms and dirt-floored cells in the basement (there were also numerous tunnels that connected the buildings).
I had been into black and white photography since high school — and took my Canon 35mm camera with me one day.
This was one of the timed shots I took.
Aside from the picturesque structures, The Ridges also feature hiking trails (with a beautiful view of Athens from the top of Radar Hill), as well as remnants of an old apple orchard (that used to be maintained by the “residents”) and a creepy and mysterious old graveyard.
This photo is a digital copy of my actual photographic print, taken in 1993. 
#photography #selfportrait #35mm #tbt #petescalia #athens #athensohio #ohiouniversity #theridges #throwbackthursday