Frick's Lock is roughly 250 years old, and its riverside way of life were long behind it when PECO bought the homes and property back in the 1970s to build the Limerick Nuclear Power Plant.
According to previous residents, Frick's Lock was an unsafe place to live with the Limerick power plant being built directly across the Schuylkill river. Fear tactics of nuclear energy hazards and radiation seepage, rumors and tall tales of 2 headed cows and 6 legged frogs and other odd happenings have abounded for years now that since the plant opened in the early 80's.
That was well over 30 years ago now, and the town was left intact and completely abandoned. When the folks left, it's unclear as to how quickly. Some say the towns folks were given plenty of time, others say it was 48 hours to grab what you can and leave. Childrens toys were left in yards. Pans on the stove with food still cooking, with dinner tables still set. Furniture, clothing etc... all left behind and now completely gone. Cleaned out by PECO and vandals.
At one point in time, Chester County Historical Society had considered restoring the town into an historic site, but with recent vandalism, Frick's Lock could now become nothing more than a distant memory.
Most of the interior images were taken in complete darkness as most windows are boarded up. I'm impressed at the original interior structure and woodwork inside some of these homes that are still in amazing condition. That said however, this is not the case for all of them. Floors are rotting out, roofs have collapsed, water, wind, humidity, animals, and time itself have all taken a serious turn for the worse on Fricks Lock.
The structures I entered were already open, and I made no attempt to access any buildings that were completely sealed closed. My intent was to capture, if for the last time, what is left of the little village known as Fricks Lock PA.
Some say it is now a "haunted town", and it is listed as so in "Weird Pennsylvania". I don't know about that, but if it is haunted... well considering it's posted "No Trespassing! Violators Will Be Prosecuted", and the fact that it's so well hidden from the outside world, that the ghosts and spirits that would be haunting the place have got to be bored ;)
Click here to view Google Earth Map of Fricks Lock PA:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7892232@N03/map?&fLat=40.2206&fLon=-75.5951&zl=1&map_type=hyb&order_by=recent
