Virginia holds more layers of American history than almost any other state — from colonial-era tobacco plantations and Civil War battlefields to Cold War military infrastructure and the eugenics program that influenced Nazi Germany. Its abandoned landscape reflects all of these chapters: a 1932 psychiatric hospital whose founder publicly admired Adolf Hitler's sterilization policies, forgotten coal company towns in the Appalachian southwest, decaying industrial complexes along the Shenandoah Valley, and military relics on the Atlantic coast. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Virginia, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Virginia Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
Virginia's urbex landscape spans three centuries and every category of American history — colonial ruins, Civil War infrastructure, Gilded Age industrial complexes, institutional sites tied to the eugenics movement, and Cold War military remnants. The state's geography concentrates these into distinct regions: the Shenandoah Valley carries industrial and institutional history, Southwest Virginia holds coal country ruins, and the coast holds military infrastructure from two World Wars.
1. DeJarnette Sanitarium – 1932 Eugenics Asylum Founded by Virginia's Most Infamous Sterilization Advocate, Abandoned Since 1996, Staunton (Known Location)
Founded in 1932 by Dr. Joseph DeJarnette — the superintendent of Western State Hospital who performed hundreds of forced sterilizations and publicly stated that Nazi Germany was "beating us at our own game" — the DeJarnette Sanitarium operated as a private psychiatric facility for middle-income patients for over six decades. In 1975 the state took over the campus and converted it to a children's hospital; in 1996 it relocated to a new facility, leaving the original Georgian Revival brick buildings entirely abandoned on their hillside above Staunton. The complex still stands in advanced decay — long wards with original iron window frames, a landscaped approach now overgrown, and the steam tunnel network connecting the buildings still intact underground. One of the most historically charged urbex sites in the American South. Virginia formally apologized for its sterilization program in 2001.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – DeJarnette Sanitarium
2. Southwest Virginia Coal Company Town – 1910s Company-Built Community Emptied After Mine Closure, Stores and Housing Still Standing, Wise County (Known Location)
One of dozens of company towns built by coal operators across Southwest Virginia's Appalachian coalfields in the early 20th century — the company store, worker housing rows, the bathhouse, and the mine superintendent's house all still standing in various states of decay after the mine that supported them closed. Southwest Virginia's coal economy collapsed across multiple decades from the 1960s onward, leaving entire communities suspended in their last working year. The combination of Appalachian setting, complete company town infrastructure, and the region's coal industry history makes this one of the most distinctive and least-crowded urbex destinations in Virginia — a genuinely rare example of company town archaeology in nearly complete condition. One of the most visually and historically compelling abandoned places in Virginia.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Abandoned Shenandoah Valley Textile Mill – 1890s Multi-Story Brick Mill Complex Closed in the 1980s, River Setting Still Intact (Exclusively on Our Map)
A multi-story brick textile mill along the Shenandoah Valley waterway system, operational from the 1890s through the 1980s when Virginia's textile manufacturing collapsed under foreign competition — the original looming floors empty now, steel columns rusting from floor to ceiling, the millrace channel alongside the building still carrying water past the loading dock ironwork. Virginia's Shenandoah Valley industrial history is far less documented than its Civil War or colonial past; this complex is one of the most complete surviving examples of that era in the region. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Abandoned Virginia Tobacco Barn Complex – 1920s Curing Barns with Original Ventilation Slats Still Intact, Southside Virginia (Exclusively on Our Map)
A cluster of 1920s tobacco curing barns in Southside Virginia — the distinctive vertical ventilation slat construction that allowed air to flow through the drying tobacco still intact on multiple structures, the flue-curing systems still partially in place inside, and the farm buildings surrounding them in various states of collapse and preservation. Virginia's tobacco farming heritage shaped the entire Southside for three centuries; the curing barn complexes that remain are among the most distinctively Virginian abandoned structures in the state. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Abandoned Coastal Artillery Battery – WWI-Era Concrete Emplacements with Gun Platform Rings Still Cut in the Floor, Hampton Roads Area (Exclusively on Our Map)
A WWI-era coastal artillery installation built to protect the Hampton Roads naval complex — concrete gun platform rings still cut in the floor of the emplacements, observation posts with original iron fittings, and underground magazine rooms accessible through rusting hatch doors. Hampton Roads has been militarily strategic since the Civil War, and the concentration of fortification infrastructure along the Virginia coast is extraordinary. This battery is one of the least-documented surviving WWI installations in the region. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Virginia
- Humidity & mold: Virginia's humid summers accelerate mold growth in abandoned buildings — always wear an FFP2 mask in any enclosed structure and avoid prolonged exposure to visibly moldy interiors
- Asbestos: common in institutional and industrial buildings built before 1980 — never disturb insulation, ceiling tiles, or pipe lagging
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in Virginia
What is the most famous abandoned place in Virginia?
The DeJarnette Sanitarium in Staunton — a 1932 psychiatric facility founded by one of Virginia's most aggressive eugenics advocates, who performed hundreds of forced sterilizations and publicly admired Nazi Germany's sterilization policies. Closed since 1996, the Georgian Revival brick complex still stands abandoned on its Staunton hillside. Virginia issued a formal apology for its sterilization program in 2001.
Why does Southwest Virginia have so many abandoned towns?
Southwest Virginia's economy was built almost entirely on coal mining from the late 1800s through the mid-20th century. Coal operators built complete company towns — housing, stores, churches, schools — for their workers. As mines closed from the 1960s onward, entire communities emptied, leaving behind the built infrastructure of the company town era in various states of preservation across Wise, Dickenson, and Buchanan counties.
Are there abandoned military sites in Virginia?
Yes — Virginia's strategic coastal and inland position means the state has extensive military infrastructure from the Civil War through the Cold War. Hampton Roads, the Northern Neck, and the Shenandoah Valley all contain abandoned fortifications, training facilities, and support infrastructure from multiple eras.
🎯 Summary
Virginia's abandoned buildings carry the weight of American history at its darkest and most complex — a eugenics asylum whose founder admired Hitler, coal company towns that built and abandoned entire communities, and coastal artillery batteries that defended the nation's most strategic harbor. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Virginia captures a different dimension of a state shaped by three centuries of ambition, conflict, and consequence.
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