Abandoned Wisconsin Estate Is Incomplete, Massive, A Little Creepy, And You Can Hike It
This uninhabited island in Door County Wisconsin was supposed to be a luxurious playland for an early 20th century millionaire.
Chester Thordarson was an Icelandic-born inventor that eventually came to live in Chicago. Thordarson was responsible for hundreds of electrical patents including those that help run our power grids today.
This made Thordarson a VERY rich man. And what does a rich man want more than anything? To get away from all the poor people in the world.
That's what Thordarson had in mind when he purchased a rocky, uninhabited island off the coast of Door County, Wisconsin.
Thordarson intended on building a massive compound that he could use to entertain and escape the rest of the real world.
Unfortunately, Thordarson's vision was never completed. Complications with construction, and the fact that Thordarson seemingly lost interest in the project, means that the unfinished compound still stands today.
Rock Island is now one of the many tourist attractions in Door County. It takes two separate ferries to reach Rock Island, but it is worth the trek.
One of the highlights of Rock Island is a massive boathouse that still stands today. It is large enough to house 2 50-foot yachts and the walls are adorned with old Icelandic runes.
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