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A Visit to Pennsylvania's Creepy, Abandoned China Factory (PHOTOS)

China and pottery may be fragile, but the resilience of New Castle, Pennsylvania's Shenago China Factory is astounding. The company was formed in 1901, and the New Castle site was opened in 1912. It remained in operation for 79 years, weathering many disasters. Though it has been abandoned since 1991, the building remains, with thousands of both smashed and unbroken dishes lying about.

The factory has a storied history. Shenago manufactured serving dishes for the White House, according to abandonedonline.net, and produced a commemorative plate for Dwight D. Eisenhower and dinnerware for Lyndon B. Johnson.

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Shenago also survived a flood prior to its opening, in which three feet of water overtook the facility, Lawrence County Historical Society reports. The company also experienced several buyouts, expansions and modernizations through the years.

In 2011, twenty years after the Shenago's closure, an arson fire consumed a portion the facility. Another fire struck a year later. Still, the factory stands, and the photographs are beyond eerie. However, the site is closed to the public, as it is illegal and dangerous to enter.

"This was a new one to me, and one of my favorites, because it was more than an empty room or artifacts — one could actually play with the light, reflections and windows and make something totally abstract," photographer Liz Roll, who visited the creepy, abandoned building on a rainy day, told weather.com.

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