Lost Sinister School

By Zoe Cassell

SINISTER pictures from a derelict boy’s school where pupils were said to have been murdered by staff reveal a glimpse into a gruesome past.

The sinister photographs show the site where 55 of the dead were buried, plus abandoned classrooms, laden with towering piles of plastic school chairs.

In one room, rusting metal bunk-beds are flooded with daylight from a hole in the wall, which appears to once have been a fire exit. The empty beds are now inter-twined with vines from the surrounding grounds.

The creepy images were taken at Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida, by a photographer known as Bullet (28), using a Nikon D7000.

“I started exploring abandoned buildings in 2009 and soon picked up a camera so I can share where I have been with other people who are interested, but too scared to venture into them.

“Most people are amazed that places like these exist, especially so close to where they live,” he said.

The school, which opened in 1900 and closed for good in 2011, has a reputation for a murderous past, with numerous children mysteriously dying and being swiftly cremated while under state care.

Past students claim that they were beaten with a three-foot-long belt until they passed out, while others swear that there was a ‘rape room’ where some students were sexually abused.

Despite numerous investigations, no-one has been held accountable for the deaths.

The images show decrepit bathrooms, where the wooden roof has rotted away and rubble now adorns the floor.

“There was a lot of violence which occurred here, either by the students themselves or by the guards,” Bullet added.

“I’m sure there are people who knew of the abuse, but kept quiet about it.

“I want people to see what happens when nothing is said, when people turn a blind eye to abuse and violence, especially to those who can’t defend themselves.”