Step Inside This Eerie Graveyard In New York Where Motorcycles Go To Die
By Lea Monroe|Published September 30, 2016
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Lea Monroe
Author
Writer for Only In Your State. Scribbling about all things New York and Buffalo related while also keeping you updated on the latest travel news! Inquiries: Lmonroe@onlyinyourstate.com
New York is home to many incredible abandoned places, many of which tend to have stories of restless spirits and haunting tales surrounding them. But out in the city of Lockport there once stood a warehouse unlike anything you’ve ever seen, a graveyard filled with pieces of history that will completely fascinate you.
Hiding within a warehouse that was built sometime in the 1800s, the motorcycle graveyard of Lockport was once home to a thriving business.
While city records state that the warehouse was built back in 1875, the hand-cut canal stone that the structure was built with suggest that its history dates back even further. Taking up over 53,000 square feet, the warehouse was long hiding in plain sight with those passing by having no clue as to what treasures were wasting away inside.
So where was this place located? The warehouse was located at 17 Gooding Street in Lockport, New York.
In the 1970s, the warehouse became the home of Kohls Cycle Sales.
What was once a roaring business for the owner, Kohl had been collecting motorcycles and other scraps for over 50 years. Sometime around 1997, Kohl would eventually sell the building and business to Frank Murrell, the last owner to ever take care of the building. Frank would go on to run the business as Kohl's Cycle Salvage, where he would sell many of the motorcycles that were remaining in the warehouse. Sadly, somewhere around the year of 2007, Frank would close down the business.
Eventually the city of Lockport would take over the building within a couple years of of Frank closing down the business. The warehouse became known as the Motorcycle Graveyard of Lockport and became a popular place for vandals to visit. In 2011 there were rumors circling around the city that the building was going to be demolished but would never actually happen due to issues with the State Historic Preservation Office. The office felt that building held great historical significance to the area and shouldn't be torn down.
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Sadly after the building became a motorcycle graveyard, a group of teenagers would set the warehouse on fire in 2013.
While many in the area made an effort to explore the motorcycle warehouse in the years that it was abandoned, the history left remaining inside the building would forever be lost in the fire in July of 2013. Those who felt that the building held a great deal of history point out that New York may never see another industrial graveyard like this ever again. Most of the motorcycles and scraps that were left in the building were from bikes that came out of the 1960s and 1970s. Nowadays, motorcycles are much more costly and less likely to be tossed away to a graveyard.
For those who lived in the area at the time, the day of the warehouse fire was one that they'll never forget. If you click here you can see footage of the roaring fire.
Want to see even more of what was once hiding in this graveyard? Then don’t miss what Urban Exploration – Abandoned Places was able to capture and showcase on YouTube below!
