expired

     The destroyed and abandoned cabins on the 1200 acre residential treatment facility in rural Georgia started their lives in the early 60s as a wilderness treatment center. They were built by “troubled” youth with staff assistance. The ideology behind such vocational therapy was to build character by demonstrating the value of hard work, paying attention to detail, and showing pride in craftsmanship, all while learning a useful trade. Some opposed this model, claiming is was little more than child labor.

     The property has since changed many hands but has always served the same purpose: to rehabilitate young people with emotional and behavioral challenges. Today the youth no longer build or inhabit the cabins. Most of the original structures remain standing, although many have been condemned for safety reasons and some torn down with only a pile of debris left to testify to their existence. Expired tells the story not only of these buildings but of treatments and practices similarly abandoned, some might argue for the better.