Abandoned in Virginia Facebook page goes viral

LYNCHBURG, VA (WWBT) - A Facebook page dedicated to capturing images of abandoned buildings around Virginia has caught fire.

Kipp Teague of Lynchburg published his first post on the Abandoned in Virginia page Monday and in about 48 hours more than 40,000 people had "liked" the page, leaving him "absolutely stunned."

"I think that the popularity... is a good indication that many photographers, both pro and amateur, find these old places aesthetically pleasing," said Teague. "I hope the success continues, and I may create some spinoff pages, as well."

Teague personally photographed old abandoned houses and buildings for years and created the page to showcase the photos. He created the page in October, but didn't post on it until this week. Since then, hundreds of photos have flooded in from contributors across the state.

"The goal of the page is merely to share images of these old places, many of which are haunting in their beauty," he said. "I suppose a secondary goal would be to promote restoration and preservation, but that was not the purpose for creating the page, and many of these sites are beyond repair... or have been abandoned for practical and other reasons that no collective sentiment or movement can reverse."

The page picked up 800 "likes" in the hour after Teague's first post. It was up to 15,000 the next morning and continues to gain steam.

Copyright 2014 WWBT NBC12. All rights reserved