Abandoned Atlas Foundation

04/17/2026

Hillbillee's Cafe / Bed & Breakfast (Route 66 Icon!) https://abandonedok.com/hillbillees-cafe-bed-breakfast/
See Full History and over 50 photos

Route 66 turns 100 this year, and there's no better time to tell this story.

For years I drove past the abandoned Hillbillee's Café as well as the Bed & Breakfast building behind it in Arcadia, always wanting to stop, never knowing who to ask. The property kept changing hands and I kept moving on. That changed when I read a news article about Ed Lyda, who had purchased the property with plans to bring the cafe back to life. His passion for Route 66 jumped off the page, and I knew I had to reach out.

Hillbillee's goes back to the 1930s, a Phillips 66 station that grew into Larry's BBQ, then into one of the most beloved roadside stops on the Mother Road. Wade and Norma Braxton turned it into something truly special in the early 90s, complete with an Old West town of guest rooms out back. It hosted weddings, motorcycle meetups, and Route 66 gatherings for years before closing in 2007.

While the Bed & Breakfast will likely be demolished, the Cafe building is coming back, and in a big way. Read the full story at AbandonedOK.com

02/21/2026

Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company (KVP)
Full History and over 100 photos>>> https://abandonedatlas.com/michigan/kalamazoo-vegetable-parchment-company-kvp/

Have you ever used parchment paper and thought to yourself “I wonder where this came from?” Well as it turns out, it came from a factory that made its own town named after its self “Parchment” in Michigan, and although parchment paper is still around today, the entire complex where the company was born, expanded and later merged with several other companies over the years now sits completely abandoned, waiting to either be redeveloped or demolished.

As of today the city that was started by this huge factory is looking to demolish it... Should it be preserved or taken down?

AbandonedAtlas.com

02/20/2026

We are proud to announce the documentary we did in collaboration with the Cane River Creole National Historical Park and the Cane River National Heritage Area . The Full Documentary can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik_jg6LGOmI

Or stop by the new Cane River Vistor's Center in Natchitoches on your next road trip!
In this video, Carrie Mardorf, the superintendent of the Cane River National Park Service told us their plans to restore an abandoned train station in Natchitoches, LA and we had a chance to explore it before.construction began!

01/16/2026

WATCH FULL DOCUMENTARY: https://youtu.be/yAftJGiYmsc (Spanish Version Available)

We are thrilled to release our documentary and developer search video on the historic San Juan Hotel! After ten years working in this field, it is rare to encounter a project both urgently in need of saving and already positioned for success—but the San Juan Hotel is exactly that. A Recorded Texas Historic Landmark with a fascinating history, it is already eligible for State Historic Tax Credits. We also submitted a Determination of Eligibility to the Texas Historical Commission for the National Register, which was approved, and all research is complete and ready to be transferred in support of a full NRHP nomination, unlocking Federal Historic Tax Credits.

Located in the heart of downtown San Juan, in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, the hotel sits within the city’s downtown development plan and in the path of approximately three million tourists who visit San Juan every year! This property presents a prime opportunity for forward-looking redevelopment as a historic rehabilitation project.

WATCH FULL DOCUMENTARY: https://youtu.be/yAftJGiYmsc

12/08/2025

I found this while researching the hotel steamy in Hutchinson, Kansas.

11/07/2025

The Fight to Save Hutch's Forgotten Presidential Landmark - NEW VIDEO!
The Landmark Apartments / Stamey Hotel in Hutchinson, Kansas has been abandoned since 2014 and a lot of people have been worried about what's going to happen. So please enjoy this video that follows the timeline of the full history of this staple and everyone who wanted it saved!

If you're local to Hutch, then you are most likely to know the end of this video, but if not, watch til the end, to see what is happening now! (No Spoilers!)

Also, if you are looking for this video in any other language than english, please go to: and select your dubbed language in the player settings. Captions / Audio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlH_Mk0EWVk
This was a long time in the making, so please enjoy!

10/03/2025

With the future of the historic San Juan Hotel still unclear, local historians and organizations are continuing in their efforts to salvage the building.

09/26/2025

DOCUMENTARY OPPORTUNITY - San Juan Hotel
The Abandoned Atlas Foundation, in a partnership between the County Historical Commission, is currently working on a documentary about the history of the San Juan Hotel in San Juan, Texas. We are looking for people to interview with personal knowledge and/or memories of the hotel at any point in its history. If you or someone you know has a story to share, we would love the opportunity to hear it.

Examples include those who may have frequented the hotel before it closed in the '90s, attended conferences or events there, lived/stayed there, worked there etc. Please comment, message me or email us below with a brief intro and description of your connection to the hotel's history. We cannot guarantee that everyone will be interviewed, but we want to hear as many voices from the community as possible. Thank you! [email protected]

04/24/2025

10/22/2024