The Abandoned Gypsum Loading Dock in the Ghost Town of Alabaster

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

This icon of US-23 is gone. Even so, the above warning is necessary, for there will be scavengers and others visiting the site – diving, climbing on the old tower bases, etc.

The old gypsum loading dock in the ghost town of Alabaster had been around since the 1920s. Now, 100 years later, it has been ripped down. It had held the record for the longest “over-water bucket tramway in the world” at 6,350 feet.

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Demolition began as early as the 1990s when the tramway was torn down, leaving just the tower bases. It wasn't until another thirty years (2020) when the rock storage bin – sitting a mile out into the water – was torn down.

In those past three decades, it was a home for the seagulls, and you can imagine the cleanup that was necessary. Decades of poop had to be removed for the demolition crew's health and safety.

It wasn't just the dangerous poop, but the structure itself was a temptation for explorers, trespassers, and thrill seekers, who could very well get seriously hurt if they had entered.

The Alabaster quarry kept producing gypsum until the depletion began taking its toll around 2019-2020. The quarry was one of the first to join the United States Gypsum Corporation and was one of three that continuously operated, while others shut down.

The images in the gallery below show the rock storage bin just before it was demolished, and during demolition. The town of Alabaster might show up on some maps, but there is nothing left of the original town except a smaller dock and the remains of the loading dock. To see a few photos of what Alabaster looked like when there WERE buildings and homes, you can check out the article of the 'Ghost Town of Alabaster' here.