Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

An abandoned industrial tower stands like a giant monolith amid a vacant lot in the heart of Omaha, Nebraska.

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

After exploring an incredibly eerie abandoned slaughterhouse in rural Nebraska, I headed into Omaha.

A massive tower keeps vigil over a scarred plot of land where other buildings and equipment once stood, a silent monument to the corporation whose faded lettering still adorns its weathered facade. At the ground level the structure has been tagged countless times with spray paint.

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

The tower was used for grain storage long ago. Conveyors with rows of buckets that once hauled grain to the upper floors now hang motionless.

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

In one corner a rusty spiral staircase reaches from the ground all the way up to the roof.

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

It is a treacherous ascent that I do not recommend attempting. Some of the rooms receive natural light, while other levels are windowless and pitch dark. A few of the wedge-shaped concrete steps are missing. In the darkness it would be easy to lose one's footing and plummet several hundred feet onto the concrete below.

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Much of the inner workings of the facility have been removed, leaving the massive concrete chambers empty and full of holes through which pipes and conduits ran.

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

A few pieces of equipment remain on the upper levels...

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

including massive rusty bins that once held tons of grain.

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

The storage silos that stood adjacent to the tower were demolished long ago. Counterweights still hang alongside the sealed doors that connected to the silos.

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Not all of the doorways are sealed. On one of the upper levels a set of concrete steps leads directly outside to a fatally long drop.

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

After checking out the tower, I bid goodbye to Omaha and crossed into Iowa, where an abandoned mansion, an old hotel, and more were begging to be explored and documented.

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Abandoned Industrial Tower in Omaha Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant

Deep in the heart of Nebraska lies an enormous abandoned facility where thousands of cattle were slaughtered, butchered and packaged for distribution.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Last week I wrote about a neat old abandoned grain elevator in rural Nebraska. This week I'd like to share an incredibly interesting, but far more macabre site: an abandoned slaughterhouse and meat packing plant.

Most people would rather not think about what happens to meat before it reaches the dinner table. Commercials show us peaceful images of cows grazing in sunny pastures, and then transition to backyard family barbecues with hamburger patties sizzling on the grill. Between the two images exists a hazy truth that most people dare not examine, lest we lose our appetites.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

I'd been inside a slaughterhouse once as a child. It was a small operation where a relative worked. Thankfully no animals were being processed at the time. I remember very little from the experience, but the one thing that stands out is the awful smell that permeated the air.

While in Nebraska, I was fortunate to have a look inside one of these eerie facilities long after it ceased operating. It had been vacant for decades and the stench of death had long since dissipated, giving way to the comparatively benign dusty odor that is typical of abandoned places.

A massive barn served as a holding area for the cattle during their final hours of life.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

From there, the cows were led through a narrow corral to the killing area.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Blood drained out through a large grate in the floor.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

From the killing area, a track ran along the ceiling, where the carcasses were suspended by meat hooks and moved along in a disassembly line through a network of stations.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

A tremendous amount of equipment remains on the main floor of the facility. Time has coated much of it in a patina of rust and cobwebs.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Dozens of sinks are scattered throughout the facility, operated by foot pedals instead of faucet handles.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

The plant appeared to have been cleaned prior to abandonment and the only remnants of slaughtered cows were a few sets of hoof bones on the killing floor.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Heavy doors and dark stairways led deep into the bowels of the old building.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

The basement contained heavy equipment.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

In some areas the floor was covered in standing water.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Flooding seems to be a regular problem. The basement of the administration building also showed signs of water damage.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Paw prints of raccoons or opossums were scattered throughout the dark basement.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

A conveyor belt ran from the meat processing section of the facility to a massive warehouse-like structure that I assume was used for refrigerated storage.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Much of the furniture has been removed from the administration building.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

But curtains still hang in the windows. Whiteboards and other documents remain tacked to the walls.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

I can only imagine how stressful it must have been to work there, especially for those employees who oversaw the slaughter of the animals. But there was plenty of stress for other workers as well.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

A memo still hangs on the wall, instructing employees how to proceed in case of a variety of dangers, including bomb threats.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Among the other memos were instructions for how to care for skin rashes and stitches.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

In one cramped room sits a clunky old computer and a series of safety training tapes.

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska

This was definitely one of the more interesting abandoned places I've explored, and also one of the most eerie. When the sky grew dark, I got back on the road and continued eastward into Omaha. Come back next week and I'll tell you about an abandoned industrial tower I explored there.

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Abandoned Slaughterhouse and Meat Packing Plant in Nebraska