I’m going to assume that if you’re here you know Neil Gaiman’s work. That being said, I’m not going to assume that you have read American Gods, but I will assume that you’ve heard of it. One of the major concessions of the book is that in America we’ve managed to subvert the naturally powerful places on earth into roadside attractions. The most spiritually important of these is House on the Rock, located in picturesque Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Being from the Midwest I always knew that House on the Rock was a ridiculous tourist trap, akin to the Mystery Spot in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula or SEE ROCK CITY down south. I never really investigated it or visited it, so when it came up in American Gods I assumed that Gaiman took some artistic licenses with the decrepitude of his portrayal of what could have been a once proud roadside attraction. This flickr set however begs to differ. The utter disarray of the whole place is amazing to me. I can’t believe that something as well known as House on the Rock could fall into such disrepair, almost as though it had been abandoned.

If I hadn’t been planing on checking it out, I certainly am now, if only to see the terrifying carousel!