NAVISTAR
The old Navistar plant was located at 508 Richmond Street in Chatham, until it closed permanently in 2011. Navistar is a truck assembly plant that produces trucks and diesel engines and sells them all over the world. At the businesses peak in the late 1990s, the Chatham location employed approximately 2,200 people. In 2009, the company found it necessary to start laying off workers to keep operating costs low and to ensure more money would be profited. Unfortunately, in 2011 all the employees were laid off and the Chatham location filed for bankruptcy. Demolition of the building began in late 2013, and the property has been sitting vacant since then. In the photograph you can tell that the land is currently a large, empty lot, with the ruins from the demolition still present.
The business decided to move to the States, where they had more opportunities to expand and prosper. However, this decision affected many locals and the employees that worked there. My father was one of the many people in the office who helped to design and engineer the parts that would be incorporated into each truck. When he was laid off, he was forced to find work elsewhere, like all of the other 2,200 employees. This was a difficult process for some, due to the fact that Chatham-Kent is already a smaller community, and there are limited job opportunities for that amount of people.
Fortunately, this land was purchased in the last year by a few locals who have plans to turn it into a commercial business space. This growth will benefit the community immensely, and I’m looking forward for the construction to begin!
WALLACECBURG
In the 2000’s, the town of Wallaceburg was hit with a large economic downturn and the population of roughly 10,000 people, 3,800 people lost their jobs (Baxter, 2019). This caused a considerable amount of closures, especially in the east end where the industrial buildings are located. If you were to drive through this part of town today compared to 50 years ago, you wouldn’t even be able to recognize that it is the same area. Everything is dark and gloomy, and many buildings are extremely overgrown with weeds. It is immensely obvious that nobody has touched these structures since the day they closed.
This is a photograph of an old abandoned industrial factory in Wallaceburg. This image captivates the emptiness of the east end of the town. I am unsure of the purpose this building had when it was active, but there are many properties that look very similar to this. Wallaceburg used to be a very industrial town, and many factories surround this particular property. However, over time many businesses started to move elsewhere in hopes that they would be more successful and see more growth. When a couple businesses first moved, it was hard for the others to remain active and prosperous, so eventually they followed suit and moved as well. This resulted in the east end of Wallaceburg being almost completely abandoned, and it is still remains that way today.
DARLING RENDERING PLANT
The Darling Rendering Plant is located at the east end of Chatham at the very end of King Street. Many of the locals refer to this location as the “Glue Factory,” however many of the people are unaware of the purpose it served when it was in operation. When I went to research this building, I found very limited information on the internet. I asked my grandparents if they knew what this place was, and they had a great deal of knowledge about its function. My grandpa said it closed roughly 50 years ago and nobody has used the space since. To their knowledge, the Darling Rendering Plant produced glue to be sold around the world. However, the process is a little disturbing. If a local had a dead animal, an employee would come to your house to pick it up, or you could drop it off at the factory. The workers would then incinerate the animals and use the by-product to create the glue.
In the image, you can see two large smokestacks in the background, which were needed for the incineration process. My Gramma said when you would drive by and they were burning, the smell would be intolerable. The photograph portrays an eerie and ghostly sense due to the abandonment. Many locals refer to this place as “sketchy,” and it seems to be the home to a few homeless people. My grandparents also mentioned that the old incinerator that is still standing, gets used by thieves in the area to this day. They use the furnace to burn any remaining plastic insulation off the stolen copper wire before trying to sell it to a scrap yard for money.
This place is very hidden due to the location, and you barely notice it when driving by.
Nonetheless, it is still an abandoned building in Chatham-Kent that hasn’t seen any changes in 50 years.
Resources
Baxter, M. (2019). How Locals Helped Bring a Struggling Ontario Community Back to Life. Retrieved from TVO: https://www.tvo.org/article/how-locals-helped-bring-a-struggling-ontario-community-back-to-life