03 February 2023 , 11:46
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Chilling photos have emerged of a so-called "crying room" in an abandoned funeral home where kids mourning their dead relatives could be seen but not heard.
The room allowed children, who were normally excluded from funerals over fears they would cause noise and commotion, to pay their respects to their loved ones without disturbing adult mourners.
Over the years, several additions were added to the funeral home, transforming the haunting Alabama building into a complex maze.
Several coffins were left behind in pristine condition as well as urns, medical equipment, embalming fluid and two hearses.
These images were captured by urban explorer Leland Kent known by his online alias Abandoned Southeast.
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Coffins of all sizes were left behind (mediadrumimages/@AbandonedSouthE)Leland said the funeral home opened in 1952 and operated for nearly 70 years before closing in 2018.
According to Leland, one of the funeral directors died in 2018, and the co-owner decided to close the funeral home before opening another one a short distance away under a different name.
The chapel contains a glass room, believed to be a "cry room" or quiet room for babies and young children.
A hearse left at the abandoned funeral home (mediadrumimages/@AbandonedSouthE)However well-meaning the feature is intended to be, the glass room contains nothing, simply offering a viewing box whilst mourners are sitting in the chapel.
"I visited here on a hot, summer day earlier this year and it felt like a sauna inside," said Leland.
"I noticed the building does not have a lot of windows which made it really dark in places and a really unusual layout, especially for a funeral home.
The crying room was for children to be able to mourn without disturbing adult mourners (mediadrumimages/@AbandonedSouthE)"For being closed for several years, it was still fairly clean inside.
"I was surprised to see a hearse and limo sitting in the garage.
"Local newspapers list funerals dating as far back as 1952, with the last one in 2018.
The front of the funeral home in Alabama (mediadrumimages/@AbandonedSouthE)"Many additions and renovations through the years have made the building feel like a maze when you walk through it.
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"One unique feature that stands out is the glass room in the chapel, which may be a 'cry room' or quiet room for babies or young children."
It comes after Leland took more haunting images of another funeral home that has been left untouched for years.
A child's coffin and urns in the funeral home (mediadrumimages/@AbandonedSouthE)Items including human ashes as an image show a box marked "handle with care of human remains" and another shows a bag containing ashes stating they are the "cremains" of Miss Susan, cremated in 2016.
Several other chilling images were taken, one including a hearse covered in dust marked "funeral" despite the interior being in immaculate condition.