| City/Town: • Cushing |
| Location Class: • Industrial |
| Built: • 1953 | Abandoned: • 2003 |
| Status: • Demolished |
| Photojournalist: • Michael Schwarz • Mary Evans |
Established as Dalton Precision in 1953, it opened as a Steel Foundry. Locals often complained that Dalton was steel dust through the air that would ruin the paint on your car. until 1980 when the factory was purchased by Robert Evans. Cushing is sometimes referred to as the “capital of the American oil kingdom,” and it seems as though Mr. Evans wanted to capitalize on that industry in that area. The community contains the biggest bank vault of U.S. oil in the country, with more than 80 million barrels of oil storage capacity, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
Mr. Evans reopened the factory as “Evans Cushing Incorporated,” they repurposed the facility into an oil drum factory and by the looks of the newspaper clipping and records left behind, the company was doing very well, until the late 1990’s when inspections of their operations came into question.
According to USA.com Evans was producing harmful and hazardous chemicals in the area:
“A national inventory of emissions data of both hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and criteria air pollutants. Criteria air pollutants include ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, lead, and fine particulate matter and HAPs, or air toxics, are defined in section 112(b) of the 1990 clean air act amendments.” – Read More from USA.com
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Demolished sometime between 2012 and 2014 according to satellite imagery.
So, you're going to single handedly spearhead the prosecution of a photog because you were the caretaker of an abandoned Building? That's more bizarre than someone being a "caretaker" of an abandoned building.
really nice i like it!
Closed in 1998? Then how come one of the two dry and cracking cartoons taped to the wall is copyrighted 2001?
[…] Evans Cushing Industry lasted less than a couple decades in Cushing, Okla., as the company closed in 1998 after it was determined the smoke the plant created was a significant health hazard to the community. […]
[…] Evans Cushing Industry lasted less than a couple decades in Cushing, Okla., as the company closed in 1998 after it was determined the smoke the plant created was a significant health hazard to the community. […]
Sad that the building is gone. There is however a nice parking lot in it's place.
Did they tear it down? When?
I really love this place and I really wonder if any of my relatives own it…I don't know to much about my dad's side of the family (last names Evans) but it be cool if I find out my family really does own it! We own another business…anyway amazing pictures!
Originally was not Evans Cushing. Originally was Dalton Precision ( A steel foundry) It operated until about 1980 and was closed. Later was bought and opened by Evans. Dalton Precision did leave a sort of steel dust through the air that would ruin the paint on your car and had to be bad for health. I once helped deliver bolts and misc supplies to Dalton when I was 14 and working at Billings hardware. It was a busy place in the early 70's
The company was not forced to close, it was sold and the new owners left what was in there. All employee information was removed and sent to the home office long before the plant closed. The plant was never given any adverse write-ups by OSHA, EPA, DEQ or the State of Oklahoma and was in compliance for all the years in Cushing. Competition bought them out. I wonder how the picture taker got into private property without permission. Was the picture taker part of the crowd that stripped the building of all copper? Who gave them permission to enter the building…Mr. Evans? I would like the name of the picture taker…Cushing police would love to have some leads on the persons who entered the private property without permission,
How about before you start accusing you actually ask? If you had bothered at all to look at the rest of the site this is one of the few that makes it into places legally and has a reputation of being respectful.
I was the care taker for over 5 years, at Evans, and I do not remember anyone asking permission to enter to take pictures. The new owners erected a fence and locked gates after Evans sold it and they may have given the picture taker permission. I know that Evans did not grant anyone access to the building while they still owned it. Although it was broken into many times over the years the family did not give permission or anyone to go into the building. If the picture taker got into the building recently then they got permission from the current owners then they did it legally. If they picture takers entered after vandals repeatedly spray painted, emptied training film lockers (computer disks and videos on floors) and looted the place and Evans still owned it, then they entered without the owners permission. I am not questioning anything, just stating the facts as I know them. No EPA violations, No Employee files left abandoned and No permission for pictures while Evans still owned property. Police could have used some of the pictures as we persued vandals and thieves over the years…. if I knew the time frame on the pictures. Wish you could have taken the pictures while the vehicles were parked outside loading the copper.
Picture Taker = Photographer. Just thought I'd throw that out there…
I went there a couple years back and saw lots of Employee data, but hey that's just me.
Abandoned Oklahoma members always ask permission BEFORE entering the abandoned lots and to post on their site, just to inform you.
Photographers are not there to strip metal. They take only pictures to document the buildings before they are gone. I find it funny that someone would claim to be a 'caretaker' when the entire place is a shambles due to neglect. Great work!
LOL. I find it fitting that the polutionist Mr. Evans' personal parking sign was uprooted and tossed aside, as though saying 'you're not welcome in our town any more.' it's so nice how they leave all their employees personal pay info (and probably SS numbers, etc) around on floppy discs for anyone to find and abuse. And what a waste of Lowry's seasoned salt. I can't live without the stuff. Another great set of photos.
Well thanks! It was a good and fun find!!! I don’t think they purposely left the employee info. They just walked out and never came back… U can tell because they left huge machinery as well.