Urban Exploration - The Edmond House
We received photos from a traveler and compiled them into a historical summary.
Here is a visit to an abandoned house deeply buried in vegetation and brambles, somewhat lost in the forest. This explore was pointed out to me by Raïou, whom I thank warmly. Indeed, this dwelling is so lost in the middle of nowhere that it is, to say the least, impossible to find. It is a house where Edmond Sr. and Edmond Jr. lived; also—subject to confirmation—Mireille, the ex-wife of Edmond Jr., and Michel, for whom Edmond Jr. served as guardian.
We could call it the "Ricoré House"! A fridge is filled with old tins of the brand, which were used to store a bit of everything and nothing. The house is in very poor condition, reflecting a good 25 years of neglect. The investigation, therefore, primarily involves digging through the rubble.
Edmond (Jr.) was born on August 14, 1940, in La Grand-Combe and passed away on October 19, 2007, in Alès at the age of 67. Small press clippings found in the house suggest he was a coal miner. It would be logical to assume he worked at Le Martinet. Beyond his job at the mine, Edmond was a collector of vintage cars. Four vehicles remain on-site, two of which are very old.
Edmond married Mireille. If these are indeed the right people, the wedding photos have a late-1950s style. We currently know nothing about her. At the same time, we note the presence of someone close to the family, Margarete, who was German. In 2003, a letter was addressed to her at 5 Rue Albert Premier in Alès.
Michel was born in December 1962 in Alès. We know nothing of him. Additionally, we found a single letter addressed to an Edouard. A photo of two children, placed at the head of this documentary, might suggest that Edouard was Michel's brother-in-law, though nothing allows us to confirm this. Edmond Jr. was not Michel's father, but his legal guardian.
The house is in such a state of abandonment and dereliction that it is difficult to trace the course of history. According to research conducted by Stéphanie (whom we thank greatly), it seems that while the house was inhabited, it did not belong to Edmond Jr., but to Edmond Sr.
Edmond Sr. and his wife, Marie, were of Polish origin and carried a Czech surname; their parents had immigrated to France. Margarete (Marguerite) was likely Edmond Sr.'s sister. He worked in Germany from 1941 to 1945, as evidenced by 1946 repatriate cards. Margarete returned to the Bouches-du-Rhône with her two children, using these repatriate cards as identity papers. Edmond Jr. became a French citizen at age 16. Later, he participated in security operations in North Africa—though our limited information doesn't specify if this was during his mandatory military service.
Mireille, the ex-wife of Edmond Jr., was born in Le Teil in May 1942 and passed away in Alès in May 1994 at the age of 51.
No grave in the family name was found in the two local cemeteries. After a long and obstacle-strewn investigation: Edmond died at the hospital at 5:15 AM. The declaration was made by a funeral home employee three days later, meaning Edmond was entirely alone in his passing. He was buried in a common plot with a 5-year lease. Due to non-renewal, the expired lease remained untouched until 2022. During 2023, his remains were moved to the Carré de Grâce (Gleaners' Plot) at the Tamaris cemetery.
Une possible photo de mariage d'Edmond fils et de Mireille.
Mireille et (peut-être) son père.
Eventuellement, père et mère lors du mariage.
Probablement la chambre de Michel.
Une photo de classe. Deuxième rang vers le haut, extrémité de droite, serait l'un des enfants.
Une Peugeot 202.
