Annie Lytle Elementary School is an abandoned, creepy school in Jacksonville, Florida that is rife with terrifying urban legends. This run-down ruin is now a haven for graffiti artists and has been a squat for vagrants. It is purportedly a site used for Satanic rituals. We have no way of knowing if some of the stories are true, but it’s thrilling to look at the place and wonder.
Originally christened Public School Number Four, this school was renamed Annie Lytle Elementary School in 1957 after a former principal.
Jerry Rice/Google
The building of freeways right next to the school made it both noisy and isolated and it was untenable to keep it open. It was shut down in 1960 and became a storage facility for Duval County for a short time before it was left to the elements.
Joshua Newman/Flickr
In 1995, a fire broke out resulting in part of the roof caving in. The cause of the fire consists of many rumors. It may have been vagrants, Satanists, or perhaps just mischievous teens who get the thrill of being in this creepy haunt.
Mike Gigante/Flickr
One urban legend states that one principal was a cannibal who would call students to his office, reportedly for a chat about their bad behavior. It’s said he had a closet where he’d keep the students’ bodies for later consumption.
Erin Murphy/Flickr
Another story tells of an evil janitor who would capture students and drag them to the boiler room to cook them alive. One student tried to escape causing a malfunction resulting in an explosion that killed several students.
Mike Gigante
Supposedly, when classes resumed, the ghosts of the dead children roamed the halls causing several teachers to quit.
Erin Murphy/Flickr
Another principal was said to have gone mad from stress and went on a murderous rampage, clubbing students to death.
Erin Murphy/Flickr
The decaying remnants of this school are sure to conjure up scenes of horror in one’s imagination.
Mike Gigante/Flickr
Those who venture here do so illegally as it is fenced off and signs state no trespassing. Several related arrests have been made here.
Joshua Newman/Flickr
Time and nature continue to reclaim this husk of what once was a functioning Florida public school. Florida is littered with countless creepy abandoned sites. Have you seen any of these or heard other urban legends about the school and other abandoned sites in Florida? Let us know all about them.
