Uploaded May 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Gary, Indiana decades ago was a thriving city on the shores of Lake Michigan. As Gary’s steel industry grew, so did its fortunes. Architecturally significant theaters, churches, and schools emerged during this expansion. And, perhaps most famously, Gary was the birthplace of pop superstar Michael Jackson.
In 1928, Horace Mann High School opened on Gary’s upper west side. The school, showcasing a Tudor Gothic architectural style, boasted a sprawling campus of three large buildings, rolling lawns, rock gardens, and a large pond. The school was the pride of Gary and became a beacon that attracted educators from across the country. But now, the school lies in ruins – a victim of vandalism and arson, and the site of multiple homicides.
Horace Mann was home to more than 2,600 students at its peak in 1956. However, as the American steel industry faced international competition, Gary's fortunes began a long downward spiral. Unemployment rose, and the population declined. By 2003, Horace Mann's enrollment was down to 20% capacity. As a result, Gary's board of education decided to close the historic school the following year.
Join me as we investigate what’s left of the school and go exploring past the present future.
C H A P T E R S
⇢ 00:00 – Introduction
⇢ 01:53 – Entering the school
⇢ 03:16 – Auditorium
⇢ 05:14 – Gymnasium
⇢ 07:57 – Hallways and classrooms
⇢ 09:12 – Attempting a drone flight
⇢ 10:36 – Hallways and classrooms
⇢ 27:27 – Basement storage
⇢ 30:15 – Mysterious locker noises
⇢ 32:50 – Outro
J O I N T H E C O M M U N I T Y
⇢ Instagram – instagram.com/chrisluckhardt
⇢ Discord – discord.gg/q4m4z9Eck9
⇢ TikTok – tiktok.com/@chrisluckhardt
⇢ Reddit – reddit.com/r/chrisluckhardt
⇢ Twitter – twitter.com/chrisluckhardt
M U S I C
⇢ Intro Music – "Past the Present Future"
⇢ Theme Music – "Freaky Rider" (Winning vote by my Instagram audience!)
⇢ All music written, recorded, and engineered by Chris Luckhardt.
B I O G R A P H Y
Chris Luckhardt has documented and photographed some of the most iconic and viral images of abandoned places around the world. He was among the first photographers to publish photos in the press from legendary abandoned places like Hashima Island, Nara Dreamland, Michigan Central Station, and Six Flags New Orleans. His body of work led to collaborations with The White House, Netflix, Ford, GQ China, ABC News, Good Morning America, Scholastic Canada, Yahoo! Japan, and many more. In 2016, the Obama administration invited Chris to photograph a private citizen "haunted" tour of The White House.
#PastThePresentFuture #Abandoned #UrbanExploration
Gary, Indiana decades ago was a thriving city on the shores of Lake Michigan. As Gary’s steel industry grew, so did its fortunes. Architecturally significant theaters, churches, and schools emerged during this expansion. And, perhaps most famously, Gary was the birthplace of pop superstar Michael Jackson.
In 1928, Horace Mann High School opened on Gary’s upper west side. The school, showcasing a Tudor Gothic architectural style, boasted a sprawling campus of three large buildings, rolling lawns, rock gardens, and a large pond. The school was the pride of Gary and became a beacon that attracted educators from across the country. But now, the school lies in ruins – a victim of vandalism and arson, and the site of multiple homicides.
Horace Mann was home to more than 2,600 students at its peak in 1956. However, as the American steel industry faced international competition, Gary's fortunes began a long downward spiral. Unemployment rose, and the population declined. By 2003, Horace Mann's enrollment was down to 20% capacity. As a result, Gary's board of education decided to close the historic school the following year.
Join me as we investigate what’s left of the school and go exploring past the present future.
C H A P T E R S
⇢ 00:00 – Introduction
⇢ 01:53 – Entering the school
⇢ 03:16 – Auditorium
⇢ 05:14 – Gymnasium
⇢ 07:57 – Hallways and classrooms
⇢ 09:12 – Attempting a drone flight
⇢ 10:36 – Hallways and classrooms
⇢ 27:27 – Basement storage
⇢ 30:15 – Mysterious locker noises
⇢ 32:50 – Outro
J O I N T H E C O M M U N I T Y
⇢ Instagram – instagram.com/chrisluckhardt
⇢ Discord – discord.gg/q4m4z9Eck9
⇢ TikTok – tiktok.com/@chrisluckhardt
⇢ Reddit – reddit.com/r/chrisluckhardt
⇢ Twitter – twitter.com/chrisluckhardt
M U S I C
⇢ Intro Music – "Past the Present Future"
⇢ Theme Music – "Freaky Rider" (Winning vote by my Instagram audience!)
⇢ All music written, recorded, and engineered by Chris Luckhardt.
B I O G R A P H Y
Chris Luckhardt has documented and photographed some of the most iconic and viral images of abandoned places around the world. He was among the first photographers to publish photos in the press from legendary abandoned places like Hashima Island, Nara Dreamland, Michigan Central Station, and Six Flags New Orleans. His body of work led to collaborations with The White House, Netflix, Ford, GQ China, ABC News, Good Morning America, Scholastic Canada, Yahoo! Japan, and many more. In 2016, the Obama administration invited Chris to photograph a private citizen "haunted" tour of The White House.
#PastThePresentFuture #Abandoned #UrbanExploration
