matthewplowman's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Kenosha, Wisconsin
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Places visited in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Chicago, Illinois

The Grand Old Man of Dentistry

G.V. Black, the Father of Modern Dentistry, keeps an eternal eye on Chicagoan’s teeth from his perch in Lincoln Park.
Paul Dailing Added by Paul Dailing
Chicago, Illinois

Wooden Block Alley

All of Chicago's wood-paved streets are long gone but two alleys remain.
Amy Weber Added by Amy Weber
Valparaiso, Indiana

Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University

This midcentury chapel is a bold architectural statement and a symbol of Indiana's Lutheran heritage.
Added by herrCRL
Lincoln, Nebraska

Nebraska State Capitol Mosaic Floor

An ornate Art Deco tile mosaic representing Nebraskan life, both modern and prehistoric.
Added by Ashawnta
Chicago, Illinois

David Wallach Memorial Fountain

A 19th-century horse lover's bequest led to the construction of this unique fountain in Chicago.
Added by dpalmer01
Chicago, Illinois

Obama Kissing Rock

The site of the first couple's first kiss is commemorated by the most adorable presidential monument ever.
Added by collinqburke
Chicago, Illinois

S.S. Eastland Memorial

This memorial plaque remembers a strangely shallow maritime disaster known as "Chicago's Titanic."
Sarah Blake Added by Sarah Blake
Chicago, Illinois

Couch Place (The Alley of Death)

This alley in downtown Chicago held the bodies of over 600 people after the fateful Iroquois Theatre fire.
leylairoyale Added by leylairoyale
Kenosha, Wisconsin

Orson Welles Birthplace

The birthplace of a titan of American cinema.
Added by christianisgroovy
Kenosha, Wisconsin

Franks Diner

Behind a modern brick exterior lies the oldest continuously-operating lunch-car diner in the United States.
Tony Dunnell Added by Tony Dunnell
Joliet, Illinois

Joliet Iron and Steel Works (Joliet Iron Works Park)

What was once the second largest steel mill in the US is now a sprawling complex of modern ruins.
EricGrundhauser Added by EricGrundhauser
Chicago, Illinois

Concrete Traffic

An actual 1957 Cadillac De Ville, encased in 15 cubic yards of concrete.
Added by dpalmer01
Chicago, Illinois

'Nuclear Energy'

This bronze sculpture on a former squash court marks the secret origins of the Atomic Age.
robertshell22 Added by robertshell22
Chicago, Illinois

Couch Tomb

No one knows how many bodies are in this vault in a Chicago public park.
jessicahester1 Added by jessicahester1
Chicago, Illinois

Pullman Historic District

First planned industrial community in the United States.
Added by oksanam
Chicago, Illinois

The World's Columbian Exhibition of 1893

What's left of the ruins of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, or World's Fair, also known as the White City.
tangentgirl Added by tangentgirl
Chicago, Illinois

Merz Apothecary

An antiquated German apothecary on Chicago's North Side.
Rebekah Otto Added by Rebekah Otto
Chicago, Illinois

Woolly Mammoth Antiques and Oddities

This morbid, delightful curiosity shop offers everything from animal bones to human teeth.
Added by dmholtz
Niles, Illinois

Leaning Tower of Niles

Half-sized replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa built to honor Galileo.
anhie Added by anhie
Chicago, Illinois

Bubbly Creek

This cheerfully-named branch of the Chicago River is the fetid result of years of blood, entrails, and meatpacking waste.
Josh Added by Josh
Chicago, Illinois

Goldblatt’s Department Store Flagship Location

Landmark Chicago building narrowly avoided destruction.
Dylan Added by Dylan
Chicago, Illinois

Shit Fountain

A giant bronze coil of feces is both a tribute to doggie defecation and a reminder to pick it up.
Josh Added by Josh
Breezewood, Pennsylvania

Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike

An abandoned stretch of highway, deteriorating next to the operational one.
Added by Roooster
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

North Point Water Tower

What appears to be a wizard's lair in Milwaukee actually houses a massive water pipe.
Added by Stylish