No Man's Land

This one, see the decorative pointed brick crowns over the windows, the front facing gables on the top floor and that steep roof? The main central castle tower, classic Gothic revival. But this building is more than its architecture, do you know anything about it? I always find out about a site before I visit, Smale said. Makes the hacking more interesting because you know what you're exploring. Also makes it safer because you get an idea of the setup and might foresee some of the hazards. When this place first went up in the decade following the Civil War, it was the Massaponic's insane asylum. See how it's built? Has a big center structure with the two wings on either side. Yeah, the architect didn't quite get the symmetry down, though. He wasn't trying to. The wing on the left, the big one, that was the men's wing. The more modest wing was for the ladies. And here we are without McCord, the walking Civil War encyclopedia. Webbed, deadpanned. Even without the numbers he could spout off the top of his head. I'm betting the Battle of Fredericksburg and the rest of the Civil War left a large proportion of the surviving male population with some nasty mental health issues. Got it in one, said Smale. Back then, they didn't know what was wrong with those men. PTSD wasn't defined until after the Second World War. In the First World War, they recognized the issue as shell shock, but they still didn't know what to do about it. Now imagine how unprepared they were to handle it in the 1860s and 1870s after Sherman's march to the sea. The destruction of South Carolina and the retaking of Fort Sumter that ended the Civil War. So instead of dealing with it, they locked those men up here, Meg said. Out of the public eye. Here and many other places. Hardly seems like the right way to treat veterans who barely survived the effort to protect their country. Granted, some days I'm not sure we do that much better now. Come on, let's get in there. The group followed a scant path that cut across what was once a well-tended lawn, now given way to weeds and brambles dotted with fallen amber leaves. When Smale had invited Webb on one of his Urbex outings, Webb had suggested that Meg and Hawk come as well. Having met Meg and Hawk six months before at the site of the National Mall bombing, and then being with her for several other cases, Webb knew Urbex would be exactly the kind of search and rescue, or S.A.R. practice, that kept Meg and Hawk at the top of their game. Meg agreed wholeheartedly. From then on, it was just a matter of matching schedules between a firefighter, a firefighter slash paramedic, and an S.A.R. team. A common day off between the first responders finally meant they could make the trip together from D.C. to Virginia. What's that mean? Webb pointed to a faded metal sign attached to the brick near the front door, featuring a yellow circle overlaid by a triad of downward-facing, rust-colored triangles. It's almost like a radiation hazard warning, but not quite. I've run into that one before, said Smale. It's the civil defense symbol for a fallout shelter from the Cold War. Duck and cover, Meg murmured. She scanned the lower windows. Some were cracked, but mostly intact. Others were boarded up. Can we get in the front door? Last time I was here, someone had forced a lock on it and it was standing open. Hopefully, no one has secured it since then. I'm not sure who owns the property now. I know there were rumors someone was going to buy it, gut it, and reno it into swanky condos, but clearly, that hasn't happened yet. It's a great property. Meg scanned the front of the building, each floor marked by a horizontal stripe of white stone transecting the brick, and windows topped by decorative arches of alternating white and black blocks. The outside is really stylish. And the inside is really a mess, Smale countered. But if they took it back to the studs and built it out again, it could be spectacular. Bracing one hand on the wrought iron railing, he climbed the stairs to the front door, with Meg, Hawk, and Webb following. The heavy wood door formed a gothic arch with a pointed apex. It stood open, leaving a gap of several feet to the door jamb that allowed daylight to stream inside. When we're inside, be constantly conscious of your surroundings. For instance, places where the floor has given way can be treacherous. And if some spots have collapsed already, there are likely others that could go with only minimal stress. Eyes and ears open at all times. If anything looks dicey, don't push it. Smale looked down at Hawk. He's ready to go in? All he needs are his boots. We can't afford for anything to injure his feet and risk taking him out of future searches. But he's used to working rubble wearing them. I'm gonna keep him on lead unless I'm concerned he's gonna get caught on it. Then I'll let him loose. There might be a few places where he'll do better without it, but you know best. He'll come when you call him if he's off leash. Just you wait.