the rebublic rubber company in youngstown, ohio produced many rubber products including fire hose, belts & molded goods. the earliest reference we could find was from 1905, it was probably built around the turn of the century.
we're not sure how long this place has been abandoned but it was a mess, some of the buildings were completely caved in and falling apart, there were holes in some floors and even holes in the ground outside. generally, it was the most dangerous place we've ever explored.
we walked through overgrown weeds and down an embankment to enter the site. the factory complex was HUGE with several buildings, we're not exactly sure how many but we tried to explore them all. we entered the first & largest building and stopped because there were huge gaping holes in the concrete floor, we didn't spend too much time in there, just enough to photograph and see piles of old tires and other debris. oddly, we saw several children's items strewn about, including baby dolls & a turtle sand box.
Unfortunately, our exploration was cut short because we spotted a security guard driving around the premises, luckily he didn't see us and we got the hell out of there.
for more photos of the republic rubber works visit: