In this video, fine art photographer Keith Dotson makes photographs of epic abandoned houses in the cities of Mounds and Cairo, Illinois
Join me on a photography road trip back to southern Illinois, where we visit the small town of Mounds, and spend more time in Cairo, where I’ve made photographs previously.
Thanks to a comment from a channel on YouTube called “An Unlikely Explorer,” I can confirm that the final building in the video is the old Mounds High School. Click here to walk around inside the building with him.
![This map, courtesy of Google Maps, shows the approximate location of this video in the American heartland.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/NM-Map-1-960x609.jpg)
![Black and white photograph of an abandoned house in Mounds, Illinois.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/KD000010-1X-Huge-Abandoned-House-Mounds-Illinois-copy-960x640.jpg)
![On-location photo shows my camera in position to capture this incredible big abandoned house in Mounds, Illinois.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IMG_8731-960x1280.jpg)
![This is a view of the interior of one of the epic abandoned old houses in Mounds, Illinois.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-19-at-5.43.22-PM-960x540.png)
![I was fascinated with the ivy growing on the column of this abandoned building in Mounds, Illinois. You can see the trashed interior of this building in the next photo below.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IMG_8728-960x1280.jpg)
![This screen capture shows the inside of the building with the corner column shown in the photo above.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-19-at-8.35.58-PM-960x539.png)
![This faded wall ad is difficult to decipher, but you can barely read in yellow letters the slogan, "The Beer of Quality." It was the slogan of the Pabst Brewing Company in the years 1900-1920.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-20-at-8.45.07-PM-960x538.png)
![Black and white photograph of an abandoned house in Cairo, Illinois. Fine art prints are available.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/KD009949X-Big-Abandoned-House-Cairo-Illinois-copy-960x640.jpg)
![Black and white photograph of a tattered curtain snagged on the woodwork of an open window frame in Cairo, Illinois.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/KD009960X-Open-Window-Cairo-Illinois-copy-960x1440.jpg)
![Black and white photograph of a weathered wooden door on an abandoned house in Cairo, Illinois.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/KD009956X-Door-of-Abandoned-House-Cairo-Illinois-copy-960x1440.jpg)
Thanks for reading.
Be sure to visit me on Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest, or on my website at keithdotson.com.
~ Keith