An abandoned 19th-century farmhouse in New York has remained untouched for 5 decades — take a look inside

Gabbi ShawMay 29, 2024, 03:25 IST

Photos left behind.Bryan Sansivero

Photographer Bryan Sansivero was commissioned to photograph an abandoned farmhouse on Long Island.
It was built in the 1860s and was abandoned a century later — it hasn't been touched for 40 years.

When photographer Bryan Sansivero was commissioned to photograph a house in Commack, New York, he found a home frozen in time.

The property, which has been abandoned for at least 50 years, is known as the Marion Carll Farm. It consists of a house, a garage, a smokehouse, an outhouse, and more.

Sansivero told Business Insider in 2022 there had been a legal battle between the previous owners and the local school district, which was bequeathed the home.

"Once that lawsuit was settled, the district had me come in to photograph everything in the house as it was," Sansivero said.

Now, some of the land on the farmstead has been leased by the Commack School District to Long Island University, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The land will be used to graze animals, which veterinary students will monitor as part of their studies.

The AVMA said that LIU will pay "$50,000 for 6 acres of the property and will continue to pay $15,000 a year in rent for the first five years and $20,000 for the remainder of the lease."

However, the farmhouse will remain untouched.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the house.

The farmhouse in Commack, New York, was built in 1860 and has been abandoned for 50 years.

The exterior of the home.Bryan Sansivero

Once you walk into the home, you can see that the house retains much of its original look.

The entryway.Bryan Sansivero

This gilded mirror's elaborate frame has held up over the years, too.

A mirror.Bryan Sansivero

When looking at the dusty bottles left behind, it's almost like you've traveled back in time.

Bottles left behind.Bryan Sansivero

"I've always been drawn to the unknown. I'm a very curious person, and I just have always found abandoned buildings intriguing," Sansivero told Business Insider.

The hallway.Bryan Sansivero

"I studied filmmaking and did a documentary on an abandoned psychiatric hospital. I realized there was so much more out there than just that place," he said.

The closet.Bryan Sansivero

This is Sansivero's favorite photo of the house. "I think it gives a good overall feeling that the house had," he said.

A study.Bryan Sansivero

Whoever lived here left some of their photos behind. People usually feel "bewilderment over how things can be left behind in places" after looking at Sansivero's work, he said.

Abandoned photos.Bryan Sansivero

Whoever lived here left some of their photos behind. People usually feel "bewilderment over how things can be left behind in places" after looking at Sansivero's work, he said.

Sansivero shared with Business Insider some of the information he learned about the house's history.

An abandoned mannequin.Bryan Sansivero

"It was an old farmstead built in 1860," he said. "An elderly woman who was loved by her community lived there alone until she passed, I believe, in the 1960s."

A full dresser.Bryan Sansivero

But he said there's more to the story. "I could write a small book" on the house, he added.

The attic.Bryan Sansivero

His advice for aspiring photographers: "Don't be afraid of making art." He added, "Art can come from the strangest places, so whatever you're feeling, just follow that, and I think amazing things will happen."

The living room.Bryan Sansivero

His advice for aspiring photographers: "Don't be afraid of making art." He added, "Art can come from the strangest places, so whatever you're feeling, just follow that, and I think amazing things will happen."

Sansivero regularly shares photos of his work on Instagram.

An old shirt.Bryan Sansivero

He also published a book aptly titled "American Decay." As the title suggests, it is filled with homes like this one, left untouched for decades — just waiting for someone to come along and rediscover them.

Inside the home.Bryan Sansivero

He also published a book aptly titled "American Decay." As the title suggests, it is filled with homes like this one, left untouched for decades — just waiting for someone to come along and rediscover them.

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An abandoned 19th-century farmhouse in New York has remained untouched for 5 decades &mdash; take a look inside

The farmhouse in Commack, New York, was built in 1860 and has been abandoned for 50 years.

Once you walk into the home, you can see that the house retains much of its original look.

This gilded mirror's elaborate frame has held up over the years, too.

When looking at the dusty bottles left behind, it's almost like you've traveled back in time.

"I've always been drawn to the unknown. I'm a very curious person, and I just have always found abandoned buildings intriguing," Sansivero told Business Insider.

"I studied filmmaking and did a documentary on an abandoned psychiatric hospital. I realized there was so much more out there than just that place," he said.

This is Sansivero's favorite photo of the house. "I think it gives a good overall feeling that the house had," he said.

Whoever lived here left some of their photos behind. People usually feel "bewilderment over how things can be left behind in places" after looking at Sansivero's work, he said.

Sansivero shared with Business Insider some of the information he learned about the house's history.

"It was an old farmstead built in 1860," he said. "An elderly woman who was loved by her community lived there alone until she passed, I believe, in the 1960s."

But he said there's more to the story. "I could write a small book" on the house, he added.

His advice for aspiring photographers: "Don't be afraid of making art." He added, "Art can come from the strangest places, so whatever you're feeling, just follow that, and I think amazing things will happen."

Sansivero regularly shares photos of his work on Instagram.

He also published a book aptly titled "American Decay." As the title suggests, it is filled with homes like this one, left untouched for decades — just waiting for someone to come along and rediscover them.

An abandoned 19th-century farmhouse in New York has remained untouched for 5 decades — take a look inside