Brownsville, Pennsylvania | What The Hell Happened?

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  • Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
  • Brownsville, PA...WOW! This is easily one of the hardest hit areas within the Rust Belt. Located 40 miles south of Pittsburgh, it really looks like time standing still from decades before. Abandoned homes, empty businesses, it certainly has that ghost town appeal. After the industrial era decline in the 1970's, Brownsville's economy collapsed and hasn't been able to recover since. Steel, railroad, and coal jobs were lost. Small businesses closed and banks shut their doors, people had to move elsewhere to find work. Will it ever find it's way back to recovery? I hope so. For now let's take a drive and check it out!

КОМЕНТАРІ • 235

  • @mattcartwright8272
    @mattcartwright8272 Рік тому +20

    Brownsville was a substantial town back in the day which is clear by the quality and scale of the buildings. Looks like the boom started in the late 1800s judging by the victorian style architecture. And then was over a 100 years later. Such a shame, looks like the type of place you'd have been proud to have lived in back in the day.

  • @Floridawoodsbanshee
    @Floridawoodsbanshee Рік тому +53

    Very sad time for many towns across America.

    • @slowboywhiteboardv4
      @slowboywhiteboardv4 Рік тому +7

      This town saw it's sad times when they closed the mines probably.

    • @g.m3399
      @g.m3399 Рік тому +4

      Is this how it is… like everywhere where population of 20K or less

    • @r.pres.4121
      @r.pres.4121 Рік тому +3

      This is most of small town and rural America, impoverished and forgotten about.

  • @robinsmith8252
    @robinsmith8252 Рік тому +145

    You literally hurt my soul. This is my Mom's hometown. I spent many summer vacations and holidays with relatives there. Some of the best restaurants/pizza/hoagie places. The river, the railroad, a hospital, several groceries and pharmacies. EVERYTHING a small town needed. Wow. Just so sad.

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому +17

      Thank you so much for watching Robin!

    • @E.Grablinski
      @E.Grablinski Рік тому +5

      may be just not a season? in Russia, many cities look dull not in summer

    • @frankwoods4532
      @frankwoods4532 Рік тому +7

      Days gone by. At least you have your memories to hold on too.

    • @anthonymiller8979
      @anthonymiller8979 Рік тому +9

      Same here. I visited my grandparents here in the 1960s every summer. Was a thriving town back then. So sad to see it now. My grandparents lived on Angle Street just below Second Street.

    • @AAA-uy2ob
      @AAA-uy2ob Рік тому +4

      So what happened

  • @jameshughes525
    @jameshughes525 Рік тому +55

    It's weird seeing abandoned buildings with no graffiti, it looks like everyone just disappeared. Also I bet that place is really creepy at night

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому +16

      It’s got quite an eerie vibe even in the daytime.

    • @moonfall8972
      @moonfall8972 Рік тому +10

      Decrepit and depressing. There's no way this city/town can survive without an enormous reconstruction plan, and even then it would take untold years. There's no money to do it. And likely few patrons to sustain a massive revitalization plan. This is so haunting.
      Here in Ala, vacated property crumbles litter the landscape, especially the rural areas only a ten minute drive away from city. I always wonder why the city here doesn't take the long-abandoned structures down. But there's just too many.
      Thanks, again, for your time videographing --

    • @jameshughes525
      @jameshughes525 Рік тому +1

      @@hoodsnhollers very true and I didn't see any cops, very apocalyptic

    • @MegaBait1616
      @MegaBait1616 Рік тому +2

      Tagging is a mostly California thing......

    • @xbigwormx
      @xbigwormx Рік тому

      @@MegaBait1616 True and i live in Cali.

  • @lindapietrasz8070
    @lindapietrasz8070 Рік тому +18

    I loved this one. This town has so many levels of homes and businesses. I wish you would have filmed Connellsville, the city where I was born 70 years ago. I am sure it's about the same.

  • @onrycodger
    @onrycodger Рік тому +31

    Apparently it's like this of small towns all across the country....Really sad 😔

  • @lindapietrasz8070
    @lindapietrasz8070 Рік тому +15

    Glad to see your channel continuing to grow. 40k so quickly!

  • @PortlandsTransport
    @PortlandsTransport Рік тому +4

    There's something about the way you present this material that actually creates the actual "feel" of the places you cover.

    • @lindapietrasz8070
      @lindapietrasz8070 Рік тому

      Yes, I believe it's because he doesn't use music and he doesn't narrate. He just lets us experience it as is.

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому +2

      Thanks so much for the comment. I try to make it feel like you’re there with me

  • @Salvaging-in-Az
    @Salvaging-in-Az Рік тому +5

    I would’ve watched an hour of this. Great stuff.!
    Steve.

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому +4

      Hey Steve! Thanks so much. I'll be doing some lengthy special editions coming up within the next month!

  • @allenscamaro2816
    @allenscamaro2816 Рік тому +7

    I've always wondered who owns these types of properties, where the owners are, and if they still pay the property taxes on buildings not worth anything. You do great videos and I agree with the rest, it's like we're there ourselves driving around. Thank

  • @jimpossidente5004
    @jimpossidente5004 Рік тому +5

    I went to Brownsville in 2010. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

  • @blueenglishstaffybreeder6956
    @blueenglishstaffybreeder6956 Рік тому +6

    Tells you how long it’s been since being abandoned when a Coca Cola sign says 5c, such a shame for a beautiful town

  • @azdrifter3968
    @azdrifter3968 Рік тому +1

    Watching videos like this made me decide that once my kids are on their own I'm going full time off grid living and spending time in these semi abandoned towns. I just bought a truck, now I just need a travel trailer to pull behind it to stay in. My kids are almost 17 and 18 and will be out of high school soon, ones already working and the other will be soon. We don't really have towns like this in Arizona, so I'm looking forward to exploring around the old parts of America in the Midwest and east coast. 👍

  • @craftygrandma8506
    @craftygrandma8506 Рік тому +1

    I live 20 minutes from Brownsville and I've never seen these places that you have shown. We only drive though there on rt. 40 to go to Uniontown so I never knew there were places like this on the back roads. Thanks for sharing.

  • @mikemartin6114
    @mikemartin6114 Рік тому +2

    Sad to see. I used to travel on business driving from Pittsburgh to Masontown and back around 2001 to 2003. Can't remember the highway number, but driving from Pittsburgh onto the bridge over the Mon, the view of Brownsville to me was a beautiful sight and I will always treasure that.

  • @royfrye333
    @royfrye333 Рік тому +4

    Reminds me of my hometown ; McKeesport, PA

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому +2

      I have McKeesport uploaded on the channel. Check it out thanks for watching !

  • @thejudgmentalcat
    @thejudgmentalcat Рік тому +4

    6:55 what a strange dead end, looks like it goes right in the river! 😳

    • @Whisthum
      @Whisthum Рік тому +4

      It does! most likely used as some sort of boat launch

  • @1940limited
    @1940limited Рік тому +15

    What a nice town it must have been at one time when people were prosperous enough to afford those homes. No place in America should look like this. Then there's always the "affordable housing" that also gets trashed. Despite everything, there's a big coal train sitting on the tracks, ready to go. Coal isn't dead yet.

  • @jjkdc62
    @jjkdc62 Рік тому +1

    I made a day trip to Brownsville about 10 years ago. There was a lot of truly beautiful architecture in that town. I didn't catch it in your video, but I most remember the General Hospital, which shut down decades ago. I may have been demolished by now.

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому

      Yeah unfortunately it was taken down. It would have been more towards the very end of the video I believe.

  • @703am
    @703am Рік тому +1

    i worked at a car dealership on route 40 back in the mid to late 90's and drove thru the downtown area on my way to work it was bad then, now looks even worse. if Brownsville ever makes a comeback, it will be years and years.

  • @giclat1098
    @giclat1098 Рік тому +1

    What horrifies and fascinates me is despite fire and neglect the bones of these former homes - built mostly by hand by skilled workers of many trades - still stand after these years of neglect and emptiness. Many of these houses I recognise as kit houses ordered from catalogues to be assembled on site. In Canada many of these homes still stand occupied and loved. It has been a tragic waste of trees and human resources to see what is happening in the US and to see the same decline in the American worker!

  • @yelapa999
    @yelapa999 Рік тому +2

    Quite a few scenes for "I Am Not Okay With This" (Netflix) were filmed in this town.

  • @williamburke6210
    @williamburke6210 5 місяців тому

    I was born and raised there in the 1960’s I had to leave when I turn 18. I still go back to visit. Many forgotten towns like this.

  • @Khryptic
    @Khryptic Рік тому +3

    sad to think theres so many homeless people and so many homes, less the people

  • @lindapietrasz8070
    @lindapietrasz8070 Рік тому +2

    Thanks! As promised...
    Keep on keeping' on.

  • @daveburrows9876
    @daveburrows9876 Рік тому +2

    I've spend 63 of my 65 years within a 20 mile radius of Brownsville. This is what happens when greedy unions and greedy company execs force business to move so many of our jobs to other countries, who are now prospering.

  • @cordeliabuffy6419
    @cordeliabuffy6419 Рік тому +2

    Years ago there was a revitalization project , but like so many of these things the people in charge took the money and nothing got done. All the river towns are like this to some degree.
    Its Pennsylvania and nothing good ever comes from that state .

  • @kellysavage7073
    @kellysavage7073 Рік тому +1

    the one sad thing i noticed is that almost all of the business are all closed but the BARS are in open running fashion

  • @dorisdaumann5914
    @dorisdaumann5914 Рік тому +1

    Here in Germany are abandoned houses also ... but I've never seen so many in one place ... + I'm 64 ...

  • @morganchatsworthiii9178
    @morganchatsworthiii9178 9 місяців тому

    7:00 Fiddles Diner. We ate their today. Such a cool place and location. Nice people, great food, and nicely priced. What was the building at 7:20?

  • @sueclark2399
    @sueclark2399 Рік тому +4

    This really isnt do bad, sime of these homes are quite nice and quaint little ones too... Not that bad at all!!

  • @HackHunter1835
    @HackHunter1835 Рік тому +3

    Well the residents there dont have to far to drive for a Walmart, theres one right across the river. That being said, that place was bad, real bad. There was a FOR SALE sign on one of those houses. Interested?

  • @jayjaynella4539
    @jayjaynella4539 Рік тому +2

    5 cent coca cola sign looks fresh. The paint used must have been top grade paint. Up there since the 1950s.

  • @richard1849
    @richard1849 Рік тому

    some serious old world stuff still there...thanks for sharing, peace.

  • @AlaskanInsights
    @AlaskanInsights Рік тому +1

    a shame,. I love some of them old houses...

  • @darknessislight3689
    @darknessislight3689 Рік тому

    So much joy 😊 has turned into so much pain 😔 if this town could talk.

  • @micheleemcdaniel389
    @micheleemcdaniel389 8 місяців тому +1

    It would look beautiful in the Summer.

  • @mcarlkv53
    @mcarlkv53 3 місяці тому

    family in brownsville since the late 1800's....only one relative left....sad

  • @huskboo
    @huskboo Рік тому +1

    0:24 that’s literally my dads old house. Lots of memories there.

  • @InnocentPotato-pd7wi
    @InnocentPotato-pd7wi 3 місяці тому +1

    Looks like Browsville would be a good place for Habitat for Humanity to come and restore houses! Many peoome prefer living in a quiet small town!

  • @786otto
    @786otto Рік тому +2

    Looks like a lots off opportunity.

  • @gazoontight
    @gazoontight Рік тому

    I used to have family in Brownsville. So sad to see what it has become.

  • @flavaflav7769
    @flavaflav7769 Рік тому +1

    so sad to see these small towns dying

  • @stephenmorton8017
    @stephenmorton8017 4 місяці тому +1

    Total Pennsylvania vibe.

  • @maxxbenzz7842
    @maxxbenzz7842 Рік тому +3

    Welcome to America

  • @kathleencollins3960
    @kathleencollins3960 Рік тому +1

    So sad. I think of all the homeless people who could use a home.

  • @micheleboris2851
    @micheleboris2851 Рік тому

    No jobs, no way to pay bills.
    Also, love the video. Can you make the captions larger? Thx.

  • @gerrymarten4558
    @gerrymarten4558 Рік тому +8

    A town full of fixer upper's

    • @lindapietrasz8070
      @lindapietrasz8070 Рік тому +3

      I think they are beyond fixing.

    • @_Lightning_Dog_
      @_Lightning_Dog_ Рік тому +1

      That’s what I see as well as more people are working from home.

  • @toddglover1121
    @toddglover1121 Рік тому +1

    Nice video as always of times gone by,thanks for sharing.

  • @masterspin7796
    @masterspin7796 Рік тому +1

    I just checked the real-estate sales you can get some good deals on a house...

  • @bigboy4438
    @bigboy4438 10 днів тому

    I'm trying to make a post apocalyptic movie, now I know what town to film it in.

  • @victorponce7238
    @victorponce7238 Рік тому

    Wow. It looks aged. Like an antique store full of old dusty things....quiet and peaceful slowly fading away......

  • @edbrown6985
    @edbrown6985 Рік тому

    There's probably a hundred old towns like that in Pennsylvania.

  • @dgrombach1
    @dgrombach1 Рік тому +3

    There were a few b movies made there, no people so filming was easy.

  • @rajeevbhatia9243
    @rajeevbhatia9243 Рік тому +2

    any homes for sale?

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому +1

      I seen about a dozen for sale at least. There's probably many just sitting in the repository for tax sales.

  • @dorisbrinkerhoff8124
    @dorisbrinkerhoff8124 Рік тому

    i wish i had a huge house like these

  • @karlkalasky6066
    @karlkalasky6066 Рік тому

    They didn't show the famous Bowman's Castle...

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому

      I actually couldnt get to it. They had the roads closed off unfortunately.

  • @desawnporter6431
    @desawnporter6431 Рік тому

    This is where my family the laws on the law funeral home for years. They came to a close somewhat in 2012

  • @jan_phd
    @jan_phd Рік тому

    I've watched many 'ghost town' videos like this, and think... if I were there, I'd buy a 6,000 sq. ft. brick church and build it into a laser laboratory. 7 years ago I bought a large chunk of the City I live in. It was in this 'ghost' condition, and I've been making it into a high tech laboratory. It's now like a manicured park... folks, don't lose hope.

  • @sierrachoco5271
    @sierrachoco5271 Рік тому +2

    "The American Dream"????

  • @franciscaalvesmachadoqueir9861

    Nossa, que triste, lugar lindo abandonado.

  • @ardiris2715
    @ardiris2715 Рік тому

    One big problem with these buildings is they simply could not be brought up to code. especially after the ADA.
    (:

  • @richardyoung4616
    @richardyoung4616 Рік тому +1

    Have these people ever seen the sun?

  • @gailbarejka77
    @gailbarejka77 Рік тому

    Blight.. no other description… not sure what can be done with this decay.. l think it just has to fall to the ground.. too pervasive to do anything about it…

  • @jimgomez5396
    @jimgomez5396 Рік тому

    Very sad,

  • @FLPAN1993
    @FLPAN1993 Рік тому

    Some of the homes look like it can be salvage.

  • @Oracles001
    @Oracles001 Рік тому

    Looks like a scene from The Walking Dead

  • @narutouusi-maki8483
    @narutouusi-maki8483 Рік тому

    i remember when i was younger my grandparents lived in pike mine, we would walk along the railroad tracks to the A&P at 6:02 and pick blackberries on the way

  • @ksero1000
    @ksero1000 Рік тому

    The area wasn't favored by any of the industrial developers & social engineers of the world. Perhaps it's considered too rural america or not coastal enough

  • @d.l.hemmingway3758
    @d.l.hemmingway3758 Рік тому

    Thanks to different economic declines in my lifetime much of America now looks like it belongs in one of the Fallout Games.

  • @gailspaw5521
    @gailspaw5521 Рік тому

    Oh my

  • @michaeldaniel73
    @michaeldaniel73 Рік тому +1

    Where’s the taco bell?

  • @lindapietrasz8070
    @lindapietrasz8070 Рік тому +1

    Why not try doing a LIVE filming? You wouldn't have to talk, you could just do the same thing you do with your videos. Just drive around and then you put your money thing up where people can donate to you while you're filming. Maybe your wife can type in some answers to chat questions. Just keep it short for the first time, you try it like a 10 minute trial. 🤷

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому +1

      I've definitely debated on doing that. I'd have to look into it a little more. I deal with multi cams and theyre a total pain for staying connected, but I'll see in the near future

  • @anderander5662
    @anderander5662 Рік тому +1

    Jobs to China.

  • @AdamKruse-yc3kv
    @AdamKruse-yc3kv 8 місяців тому

    Rather live in brownville than McKeesport for surw.

  • @1940limited
    @1940limited Рік тому +72

    If the people in that graveyard could talk, what stories they'd tell. Imagine what this place was like in their life time. Same old story: Jobs go away, town falls apart.

    • @FloridaGirl-
      @FloridaGirl- Рік тому +6

      🎯 bingo

    • @renatoamaral8259
      @renatoamaral8259 Рік тому +3

      Believe it or not, parts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, also falling apart. Same mechanism, same thing happening here.

  • @cynthiacrowe4899
    @cynthiacrowe4899 Рік тому +26

    This is my hometown and watching this hurts because when I drive home every couple of weeks to see my family, it gets worse! Uniontown is starting to die off as well. I grew up in Republic and graduated from BHS class of 09. I lived in old coal mining houses over in Thompson/Pencraft area. We grew up calling these "patches" so we were know as Patch kids! I'd love to see another video of those little towns that are within Brownsville. Great video, very nostalgic

  • @Biofeedback1975
    @Biofeedback1975 Рік тому +23

    This is truly heartbreaking 💔. These are the beautiful and peaceful towns that need to be restored and brought back to life.

    • @r.pres.4121
      @r.pres.4121 Рік тому +3

      You have to make these impoverished towns attractive to new investment and diversify their economy. Otherwise you will spends millions cleaning up, repairing and renovating buildings but end up still with a dead impoverished town.

  • @jonzaremba
    @jonzaremba Рік тому +29

    Maybe it was the weather or time of year but this is probably the most dismal of your videos i've seen so far. I love it.

    • @jchoward6451
      @jchoward6451 Рік тому +2

      That's what i was thinking: the weather suited the scene.

  • @lisabunnie22960
    @lisabunnie22960 Рік тому +22

    "Haunting" is the perfect word. "Devastating" is the next.

  • @norwoodwildlife9849
    @norwoodwildlife9849 Рік тому +14

    They've lost 75% of their population since the
    end of WW2.

  • @ruthmccurdy8623
    @ruthmccurdy8623 Рік тому +22

    Although this was sad. The lack of graffiti and intentional destruction made it less sad. Thank you.

  • @rdmeenach
    @rdmeenach Рік тому +14

    You are creating art with these videos. Urban decay drive by in silence. A beauty in these sad quiet images. Nice job.

  • @marz_mitzi
    @marz_mitzi Рік тому +12

    when even detroit has more future, this breaks your heart
    houses in detroit of all places are being renovated while this... is dying-

    • @1940limited
      @1940limited Рік тому +7

      Many of those homes look liek really nice places, especially the brick construction models. How beautiful they'd be restored.

  • @toolsteel8482
    @toolsteel8482 Рік тому +5

    The steamboat Arabia was built in Brownsville. Brownsville was once more important than Pittsburgh .

  • @BWowed
    @BWowed Рік тому +10

    Its a shame to see such a nice small town so abandoned. Great video. Very peaceful.

  • @circlepfarm9729
    @circlepfarm9729 Рік тому +11

    What a crying shame! America…how you have fallen!

  • @jamesyman007
    @jamesyman007 Рік тому +8

    Very haunting, sad and cool at the same time.

  • @l.salisbury1253
    @l.salisbury1253 Рік тому +4

    9:50 - piece of trivia: "Esso" is now Exxon!

  • @stephentepper976
    @stephentepper976 Рік тому +5

    I went to California state college 1970~1974, not far from Brownsville. my roommate was from. Brownsville. Fiddles is still in business

    • @Reggie-The-Dog
      @Reggie-The-Dog Рік тому +2

      I haven't been to Brownsville since 2000 and I am glad to hear that Fiddle's is still open!

  • @caracoates4834
    @caracoates4834 11 місяців тому +3

    I grew up in the Mon Valley. We moved 30 years ago and it was dying then. When the mills closed, the state never really replaced the jobs there. It is really sad, I had a wonderful childhood in PA.

  • @jasonpopielarczyk7511
    @jasonpopielarczyk7511 Рік тому +13

    I grew up 10 miles south of Brownsville in Fredericktown. Very sad. I remember mid 80's as coal and steel industries started to leave, these towns fell apart. Not much left of the area.

  • @WhimsicalHelvetesfönster
    @WhimsicalHelvetesfönster Рік тому +4

    So tragic but you're right- those churches were beautiful!

  • @lindapietrasz8070
    @lindapietrasz8070 Рік тому +4

    01:30 Stop sign has a sign attached that says "Smile you're on camera."
    *NO, YOU'RE ON CAMERA* !

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому +1

      LOL! I say that to myself all the time when i see those

  • @maticbukovac6966
    @maticbukovac6966 Рік тому +2

    We usually think of homes being traded.... But if there is noone to buy these abandoned homes they just become derelict and their owners have to start afresh somewhere else...

  • @pikachu7118
    @pikachu7118 Рік тому +3

    Unbelievable, just looking at theses homes and businesses, what it must have been like when it was a great place to live, it’s so sad that money rules this sad world 💔💔💔💔♥️😪😪😪

  • @bobdagres4010
    @bobdagres4010 Рік тому +6

    that church at the end is awesome. 😍

    • @hoodsnhollers
      @hoodsnhollers  Рік тому +3

      There’s so many of them and it’s sad to see they probably won’t be restored anytime soon..if at all

    • @robinsmith8252
      @robinsmith8252 Рік тому

      @@hoodsnhollers It's an old coal mining town. So many groups came to work. I know someone from that area by the way they speak and the foods they know. The families helped each other when times were hard.

  • @TheManInTheMasks
    @TheManInTheMasks Рік тому +9

    I’ve never seen a town in my life where the projects are the nicest part.

  • @kellystillwell3122
    @kellystillwell3122 Рік тому +4

    I can tell you what happened. Poor leadership. Plain and simple

  • @Imnotyourdoormat
    @Imnotyourdoormat Рік тому +2

    Anytown U.S.A. What the hell happened?.....