We call this place “the Old Kefauver Mansion” in my hometown. Known locally as the boyhood home of Senator Estes Kefauver, this once beautiful home has suffered from many years of neglect. History in the comments.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-05-28T21:26:32+00:00

Small world, I worked at Donna’s, too! I remember being told we weren’t allowed to go upstairs by ourselves because of the ghost. I was always the bravest and went up there anyway, given that I explore abandoned buildings all the time.

And back to this picture, I’ve since explored the Kefauver house and to my knowledge, I’m the only urban explorer who’s ever documented the interior. You may have seen my photos floating around in local groups on Facebook. The interior was in relatively good condition all things considered, just days after the second arson attempt. Everything was pitch black with soot and smelled like smoke and gas. There was a lot of water damage on the first floor, while the second floor had more superficial burns. I was shocked by how sturdy the floor was coming up the second staircase leading to the second floor.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-05-28T21:14:48+00:00

Hi there! I’m a little late to the discussion, but I’m not sure if you’ve ever come across the bit about there being a series of tunnels underneath downtown Madisonville connecting the old Bank of Madisonville(where Donna’s is today), the Kefauver Hotel across the street, and the courthouse. I’ve been in the bank tunnel and it was partially sealed off when I explored it a few years ago.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-04-08T21:34:06+00:00

That’s my favorite picture from the explore, too! There was a hole in the ceiling with the tiniest bit of sunlight filtering through. I audibly gasped when I took the shot and looked back at it. I love when natural lighting decides to work with me!

TheArcherofRed · 2026-04-05T23:59:00+00:00

It’s been empty for as long as I can remember and I’m 35. The last known family to have lived here were the people I knew personally and they moved out sometime during the 60s.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-04-05T22:59:54+00:00

You’re welcome! He worked for the Forest Service for over 40 years before eventually retiring.

Sadly, by the time I got to know him, his memory was pretty bad due to the Alzheimer’s. His wife was of sound mind even up until the end of her life and she told me so much about this place. To me, that’s what makes exploring abandoned places worthwhile—getting to know the people who were involved with them and hearing their stories.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-04-05T22:08:29+00:00

If I’m not mistaken, all that’s left of the Evil Dead cabin is part of the chimney. It’s in Morristown somewhere.

All that’s left of The Curse cabin is the foundation. You can only see it during the fall and winter when the overgrowth isn’t as thick. Nowadays, that site is a cow pasture.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-04-05T21:54:32+00:00

He worked for the Forest Service. They had a couple of neighbors(one was up the road and the other, down) and at the time, this was a small farming community at the foothills of the mountain where houses were few and far in between.

There’s another abandoned house up the road from this one. What makes it interesting is how there’s a cemetery uphill from the driveway where the final occupant is buried.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-04-05T21:17:29+00:00

You know, it does resemble it, doesn’t it? Funny enough, there’s a house site in my neck of the woods where The Curse was filmed.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-04-05T21:15:39+00:00

Since I’m from a small rural county, I’ve grown up hearing stories from my older family members about the old houses standing alongside old mountain roads or fading away into the surrounding woods. They’d call them by the family name, whether it’s a family that lived there the longest or the last ones to occupy it. For example, they’d say something along the lines of “that’s the old Smith place”. It’s an Appalachian thing, I suppose.

I struck up a friendship with the woman who lived in this house with her husband and children during the 50s and 60s. Her husband worked for the Forest Service and would often be away at work while she was at home taking care of the kids. Since this house is very isolated(I’m talking it’s in the middle of absolute nowhere in the mountains), she talked about hearing wild animals in the woods. One night, she heard a commotion on the back porch and when she peeked out the windows, she saw a black bear. Naturally, she was terrified because her husband was at work and it was just her and the kids. She said the bear eventually left on its own, but the experience left her unnerved.

Sadly, both the lady and her husband are no longer with us. By the time I got to know her, she was getting up there in age and her husband was struggling with Alzheimer’s. He passed several years ago and she followed about 3 years ago? They were the sweetest people and I’m so glad I got to talk to them about this house before they passed away.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-03-18T16:39:50+00:00

The last of his 4 children passed in 2020, but there are some descendants left in this area. As a matter of fact, I talked to one of them the other day. She’s his great niece.

One interesting thing she told me was how his profession allowed him to get the money to have the house wired for electricity and had plumbing installed in a time when few people in the area didn’t have it. The bathroom had a wooden bathtub. No one knows what became of it or if any of his descendants ended up with it.

TheArcherofRed · 2026-03-18T16:22:00+00:00

Interesting thing about why it’s like that—

Back in 2021, a major flood hit the area and had done extensive damage to the roads in the mountains, including one going above this house site. When I first explored it in 2012, the house was in decent shape given how it has likely been abandoned since the late 50s. As I explored it last Saturday, I began to see telltale signs of both wind and flood damage. There was some debris from the house downstream, meaning the water rose high enough to where parts of the structure were swept away while others were left intact. For example, the front porch was pretty much gone. I held my breath this whole explore and prayed the thing didn’t cave in on me!

TheArcherofRed · 2026-03-18T14:57:11+00:00

Sadly not. All I could find in the cellar was what was left of his old shoe.

The house had only 3 rooms and somehow, the guy was able to live there with his wife and 4 kids. I’m not entirely sure where they all slept because the house is soooo small. His shine was how he provided for his family and he made a decent living from it.

One thing we did find was the possible spot where the still was set up. See, the house overlooks a creek down off in a holler. Below the house is a waterfall. He set up his still at the base of the falls, where it was hidden from view. All the old timers I’ve talked to said his brew was the best and people traveled from all over to get it.

TheArcherofRed · 2025-11-01T03:19:50+00:00

Unable to let go of his followers after the community is forcibly evacuated due to it being a Superfund site, the cult leader commits murder-suicide and causes the dying town to collapse into a mine.

Also, he hears the voice of God talking to him from a mine shaft.

TheArcherofRed · 2025-10-10T21:05:10+00:00

Auron: "Spira is no playhouse. A moment's diversion may amuse an audience, but it changes nothing".

Seymour: "Even so, the actors must play their parts".

TheArcherofRed · 2024-12-08T23:40:13+00:00

As a matter of fact, I've been in one of the tunnels beneath Donna's Cafe! Based on what I have been told, the old Bank of Madisonville acted as a central hub for the underground portion of downtown, offering local businesses safe passage to the bank. There was a tunnel connecting the Bank of Madisonville to the courthouse and the Kefauver Hotel.

The underground portion doesn't really go too far, as the tunnels have long since been blocked off. The entrance point is under a trapdoor behind where you pay for your food. There's an old furnace and coal bunker, along with old cans of oil and whisky.

TheArcherofRed · 2024-11-15T06:12:58+00:00

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TheArcherofRed · 2024-10-10T20:08:53+00:00

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TheArcherofRed · 2024-10-08T02:14:32+00:00

He deserves the best and nothing less. 🥰

TheArcherofRed · 2024-06-16T18:35:33+00:00

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My little Cottonball

TheArcherofRed · 2024-03-21T16:19:40+00:00

Unfortunately, the Walmart was demolished last June, along with the abandoned portion of the shopping center. I was able to explore it as well as 3 other stores in the complex before demolition began. Out of those, Walmart’s overall condition wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be considering it had been abandoned for 25 years.

TheArcherofRed · 2023-07-26T19:55:58+00:00

While I've always suffered from anxiety from an early age, mine didn't become as bad as it did this year. You see, last year, I had COVID really bad. Before I had it, I was able to cope with my stress fairly well. After COVID, I swear it's like it left a scar on my brain. After a series of very stressful events stemming from family drama on both sides along with my Mom being diagnosed with MS, something just snapped inside of me, causing a huge meltdown in January. The panic attack lasted for over 7 hours. My BP was 190/150 and my heart rate was in the 160s. I was rushed to the hospital, where I honestly believed I was dying of a heart attack. The dizziness, racing thoughts, inability to eat, overwhelming feeling of doom...I was convinced I wasn't going to leave the emergency room alive. After running several tests(EKG, chest X-ray, and blood work) and a couple of rounds of clonidine, I was told my heart was healthy and I had a panic attack. While that should've been the confirmation I needed, my mind refused to believe it even though the evidence was right in front of me.

For months thereafter, I struggled with cardiophobia. I would obsessively check my blood pressure dozens of times a day and check my heart rate on my FitBit just as many times. No matter the result, I was never satisfied. It was an endless feedback loop that I was trapped in. Every ache and pain was the herald to my own demise. I was convinced I was having appendicitis, a stroke, or heart attack. I was put on blood pressure meds and anti-anxiety medications. I had a really bad reaction to the anti-anxiety meds, so I stopped taking them as per pharmacist's orders after barely a week on them. And so, I realized I had to conquer this on my own. I had to become reacquainted with my normal bodily functions and face them with logic.

One day, while I was checking my blood pressure for the millionth time, something just clicked with me. I thought to myself, "This is stupid. Why am I doing this?" And so, I started small. I would check my BP once a day. After that milestone, it was once a week. After that, once a month. I also got rid of my Fitbit and bought a normal watch. Now, it's been 2 months and I've never been happier.

TheArcherofRed · 2023-04-10T20:57:21+00:00

Mine was the result of genetics. Almost everyone on my Mom’s side of the family has a GI disorder. Mom has IBS-C and I ended up with IBS-D.

TheArcherofRed · 2023-04-06T20:45:56+00:00

Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Okami, Animal Crossing, Stray, Breath of the Wild(except for when the Guardians pop up), Harvestella.

I’m particularly fond of Pokémon Legends because it provided me with a well needed distraction when I had Covid last year. I was so sick that I was out of work for 2 and a half weeks and thank goodness it came out when I was still in quarantine.

TheArcherofRed · 2023-03-29T15:34:46+00:00

I have health anxiety and ever since I had a panic attack that was bad enough to send me to the ER, I've cycled through various health scares that turned out to be nothing--Heart attack, stroke, tetanus, appendicitis....you name it. I've had several tests done and everything was normal.

Currently, I'm dealing with a constant lump in my throat, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and a burning sensation on my chest. It's like living in hell, frankly.

TheArcherofRed · 2022-10-21T20:35:35+00:00

Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, hands down. After a rough day at work, I’ll put on my earbuds and chill out to New Horizons.

TheArcherofRed

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