This brought back memories! I remember the old ladys doing laps ....the stores were crowded... Kb toys ,sears , tonys pizza , fye , and Halloween was the best time every store had someone outside saying trick or treat giving out candy ! ....the DQ the radio shack ! Flashbacks
We used to go hang out there and then walk over to a movie where McDonald is now. Best times of my life. Could hang out, and not worry about getting shot or stabbed. Teens have nowhere to go these days.
Most states have laws protecting the moving or destruction of graveyards, so they stay in place no matter what is around them or would like to build over them.
My Mom & I were both born in Wilson. My first 2 jobs were there in Parkwood Mall. The Orange Bowl & Kinney's Shoes. It was built in 1964, they just didnt keep it up at all. I don't remember a 50's diner in there. I havent been in that mall since the 80's Im pretty sure, I don't live there anymore. A lot of the stores changed. It could be where The Orange Bowl was, or the Pizza place was. It would be nostalgic to walk back thru there. I really dont remember seeing the graveyard, BUT, I never walked around outside there. I was always dropped of by the door. I will be going back soon, my Mom is buried there, Not THERE, but Maplewood. May just ride by. I did hear they were going to do something there tho, but if it's a Mall, they sure need to tear that mess down & not try to fix it. I've probably seen that cemetary 1000 times & was just too young to not even notice it was strange for it to be there.
I would be so freaked out being in there ALONE!! That wind is so creepy. I live in the CA desert and we get winds so bad that they sound like that but much worse and way more creepy. Love your content.
that newspaper that you found with the date Aug 7, 2008 that is my son's birthday!!! that is so cool you found that. i have a mall that i live close by is dying out as well, i watched it being built and now watching it slowing dying out which is very sad to see, i remember going there every weekend or weekday since it opened up with all the cool store back in the 90s with the neon lights everywhere and a hug fountain in the middle. now almost all the "main" stores are gone or went out of business and have 2 soon to be down to 1 "big" name department store on each wing of the mall. i dont mind ordering things from online but not everything mainly like clothes or shoes i like to get them from an actual store bc i dont want to order something and then have it in a wrong size and then make a huge hassle of returning it just a pain in the ass to do lol. it is truly sad to see all the indoor malls are becoming something in the past now bc i live where i have all 4 seasons of the year and it is nice to go somewhere when you are bored and what to go somewhere and have a good time, yet you are out of the climate. hoping our next generation in the future will realize that geez maybe it is a good idea to have an indoor mall when shopping, food, movies, and entertainment all in one place and out if the climate too would come back into our neighborhoods and towns lol....
Grew up in Wilson…I used to shop at that mall. I always wondered what it looked like on the inside nowadays. It once had a Foot Locker & Chick Fil-A among many other stores. I played Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, & Killer Instinct in that old arcade room as a boy too! ✌🏾
Honestly, can't say that it's spooky, more depressing with so much vandalizing and neglect to the structure. Built in 1964 as Parkwood shopping center. Enclosed into Parkwood Mall in 1979. Renaming to Wilson Mall in 2005. 2006, Belk, one of the Mall's anchor stores, relocated. Somewhere around that time the Mall was renovated and remolded to some stores enclosed from the main mall. And that Movie Theater took over what was part of the parking lot (allowing you to make full circles around the mall), Wendy's and a Mexican restaurant. The Mall announced closing in January 2013. A handful of anchor stores did not close until a few years later. There were even events held inside the empty mall for a short bit. Leaving Roses to close off from the Mall and remain open to this day. Which is probably why you're seeing power still running on the opposite side. Carmike Theater changed to AMC Theater, which by the way is still open. K&W did not close until recent 2020. A few quick searches and you can find video footage of the Mall closing, even a blogger post of their comparisons of closing to their own exploring in 2017, as well some more history of the stores, along with maps of the former layouts. Finding random graveyards really isn't uncommon around here. While that's an interesting tale, I HIGHLY DOUBT it had any relations to the Mall's downfall. With all the issues the Mall had while it was running, none of it correlates to it being anything supernatural that you're alluring to. High rent, poor managing, town area slowing progressing more to poverty, stores relocating, gangs started hanging around, online purchases becoming more acceptable, started becoming an indoor track for elderly, so many outside reasons.
This was originally Parkwood Mall. Our children, born in 1973 and 75, had all their pictures with Santa taken here. They drove themselves here when they got their driver license.
At the time it was built, that WAS the "Main" part of Wilson. Main intersection. The hospital is right across the road, not far down. That WAS Wilson, , I had commented before I finished, as I watching. I had no idea someone was buried there in 2013! There's a downtown area, I barely even remember, it was old a LONG time ago. These graveyards were the norm here, nobody local prob even thinks anything about it. This is an OLD country town. Tobacco country. There's rich & there's poor, but not much n between. This mall was probably under water when florence came thru. Parts of eastern nc sat 2 stories under water for 3 weeks.
I am from Wilson. This mall was once known as Parkwood Mall. I dont know how long the mall was open but to my knowledge maybe 25-30 years at the very least maybe even 35 years so I dont think it being built by a graveyard had anything to do with it closing. That area used to be the hot spot of everything 30 something years ago. It had other places close by thats also no longer there. Wendys, Burger King, KFC, Kroger. I remember walking threw that mall so many times. I think the Roses store is still open its just been blocked off from the rest of the mall
I am 68 and that mall was open I know when I was 12. I don't know how old it was before that. The mall was in business probably longer than most malls. I went shopping at that Roses today so it is not 100 percent gone yet. And as far as that graveyard, they are old graves and mall beside the graveyard...no buildings built atop of it. I think the graveyard is a historic place to visit moreso than the mall.
I know why all theses Abandoned Malls around the world are so abandoned. It’s all because of the COVID pandemic 😷 and people were Forced to go and that they couldn’t afford to pay their bills and rent. Or were forced to Bankrupt. It’s so sad that theses malls are not able to afford to stay open.
I live about 8 minutes from this mall. I always wondered what it looked like in there. I've lived here in Wilson for 5 years now. Edit: Graveyards are everywhere here. There's many small cemeteries in peoples yards. You'll see them all around if you drive around.
I feel they could easily refurbish this place, even if it’s just a typical outdoor shopping center, and with the amc that’s actually incredibly nice I feel it could easily draw in crowds.
Originally in the 60's it was an outdoor center, they closed it in & made it Parkwood Mall. They might have, I heard they were going to do something there.
I grew up in Wilson. This video bring backs memories. We used to love going here. Tony's pizza, the Arcade, Andy's, Belk's, aww man the Christmas decor!! memories!!😢❤❤❤
Can't believe you was in my hometown. I know everything about that mall and area you was in like the back of my hand. Just watching you in the area have me like, "I go thru there all the time" 😅 love this vid. And it definitely had a creepy vib to it. Your the only one with the most recent video of the old mall. I enjoyed this so much! Great vid, buddy! 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽
This is where me and my true love to hang out in 85-86 and on up used to cruise the parking lot listening to the hot 9 at 9 the big theater was not there great times with all our friends at Tony's Pizza the best years of my life picking my girl up in my Monte Carlo
Wow, i didn't know that mall had closed down like that. It's been several years since i've been to Wilson, even longer since i've been by that mall. And i only live about 40 minutes from there. I remember going there a lot as a kid and teenager.
I remember going on a trip to fikehigh school. We stopped by the mall after our trip and ate at pizza shop Tony’s . that was probably 2001 or 2002. I went by the mall the other day ago took some pictures. It’s crazy what it looks like today, great video.
Btw, most of the stores that were housed in that mall like Belk moved to a location not far from there. It's a strip mall with Best Buy, Belk, Target, food shops etc.
I live in Wilson, 10 min from the mall, homeless ppl were living in there making fires to keep warm, they won't tear the mall down because it's full of asbestos. As for the graveyard i really never noticed it smh. The Rose's & the theater are still open.
that “animal” u saw in 2:17 was actually a deer they used in a episode of the walking dead correct me if I’m wrong but this was a few years ago prob from all the vandalazation they tore it apart
I saw this place recently when I went to amc and it’s so wild seeing an abandoned mall, also funny seeing graffiti next to an abandoned police station.
Why does so many subdivisions have old family graveyards in them, because it cost to much money to relocate the graves, the same applies for commercial development in many instances, including this mall.
Yea i live in goldsboro about a 30 min drive from this mall. The 50s restaurant was a Andy's or Hwy 55 which were started around NC if im not mistaken. Anyway i went to this mall many a night when nothing was going on in Goldsboro. The mall we have here is going to gave a similar fate to this one. Malls are only doing good in big towns im noticing now, for instance Charlotte, Raliegh/Durham area. Probably another 10 years they will become obsolete. Time is a funny thing. When you are young, you want to be older, when you are old you want to be young again. Alot of nostalgia watching this. Id love to do ho around and explore abanded places but i think theres already too many doing that. If a 100 ppl have a vid on youtube on wilson mall it will get old so props to the explorers out there. Respect 👊. I think that it was disrespectful to build on the land. Cementaries are a place that should be respected by people but its not anymore. I had no idea their was a graveyard,never thought to look for one there. 😮
also i think the restaurant with the checkered floor was called andy’s? i don’t exactly remember but im pretty sure it changed to a highway 55 before the mall closed
You have to get signatures from family members to move a graveyard. If the family members are dead I’m not sure how they will proceed in moving it. They probably can’t move it without the signatures. Tracking down the family members is probably easier these days with the internet. But convincing the family member to sign is whole other issue. I guess money would be the motivation to convince someone to sign off.
Im from Wilson and it's so sad to see this. The graffiti came , well most of it, from the black lives matter riot. They destroyed alot of Wilson. Shootings, fires, drugs, you name it. How did you get in? The last time i was there i thought about walking through there but couldn't see where people have been going in at
I currently live in wilson & omg you brought back memories 😢 i remember going here a lot as a little girl with my grandma going shopping I'm now 25 & that 60's restaurant was Andy's or what they call now Hwy 55 I loved them 🥰 best hotdogs and I believe it's still power because of Roses . Roses is the only part of the mall that didn't leave so they probably need lights for the whole building to support roses & every year they did a thing to decorate the mall around Christmas and have Santa Claus'e and reindeers out there and had things set up for kids to take photos with him
I live an hour from this mall and have been wanting to go explore inside :( Every time I go there are cops driving around outside. I've been in Rose's, I guess that's as close as I'll get!
Yeah the cops still patrol over there to this day. I would know b/c I get off from work around 1am driving pass the mall/Bowling Alley. So apparently ppl still sell drugs or do illegal things over there.
I’m about 20 mins from there, I’ve been trying to find some locals to do some urban exploring around NC. I’m a sucker for exploring abandoned buildings lol
I was in Wilson a couple of months ago. I thought I would stop by the mall to do some browsing. To my shock it was closed. I had no idea. It used to be real nice. I am in even more shock at the deterioration and current state of the interior of the mall. I am glad I did not attempt to go inside of it.😢
I live in Wilson NC. Last time i was in that mall, heck i think it was 2014 or 2015...it was winding down. I came from ETN, and found it odd to.say the least that town hall and the PD had a kiosk in there. Convenience? Cant say. I too think the cemetery is in an odd location there. Good work on this. Been curious as to how that place looks today. Well mar2023 is close enough snapshot for me. Again Thanks
I have heard they were doing something there. That Police Station wasnt there last time I was, so it wasnt always a thing. Prob just since drugs have gotten so bad everywhere.
It’s rumored that they are planning on tearing it down and they something with the space. It’s said how that area used to have a lot of people during the weekend when I went to The Luna Bean but now everything is being built around Walmart and Target.
There is a cemetery in the same parking lot as at Washington square mall outside Portland. It always gave me the creeps at night going to my car. But this is waaaayyy more creepier. I guess shop til you drop?
the place still has some power for the security and fire suppression systems. If a sign like that is still lit, it's because whoever installed it illegally tapped into that supply.
I live in the Wilson area and worked at that mall for a few years. I worked at the restaurant next to GNC. It was an Andy's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers at the time which is now branded Hwy 55 restaurants.
My first 2 jobs were there! The Orange Bowl & Kinneys shoes 80's. I wonder if they put Andys where the orange bowl was? I couldnt make anything out in the video really.
@@natalie306642 I do not recall either of those stores so they were probably gone when Andy's was there. Andy's was located like if you go in where the movie theater is now and take a left in the main area, it was about 3 or so doors down on your left.
I do not feel that we should disturb established cemeteries or graves. The dead has a right to rest in peace. However, the video did remind me of an airport where the runway goes over several graves. I can not remember where it is but I do think it is in the U.S. They do have smooth markers on the graves so the planes can land with no problem. However, I am not comfortable with it. I live about 20 miles from the Old Wilson Mall.
It's actually nice little store I usually go there to buy stuff like shirts, snacks, or appliances. Edit: Rose's is the only part of the mall still functioning as a store
