The elements have besieged ten abandoned buildings

These ten abandoned mansions may or may not be haunted, but they certainly have a lot of stories to tell.

Many of the houses are in the United States and are the result of tiny communities falling into disrepair as employment and population decline.

In most circumstances, the cost of repairing the property would be substantially larger than the cost of purchasing it. However, some inventive uses have been discovered, such as one house being hired out as a haunted house film set, and another being added to a list of ghost tours.

The copper roof on this lovely abandoned house in Quebec has weathered over time

Tower House 2 on Shaw Avenue in McKeesport, Pennsylvania is one of the larger houses that has been left behind as the town has deteriorated over time

There are several abandoned houses in Detroit, but this is one of the most impressive

The historic Beckett residence in Los Angeles was erected in 1905 as a Colonial Revival property. Although it is currently uninhabitable, it has been hired out as a set for haunted home movies for many years and is thought to be for sale

The Gothic-style Old Hickory Inn in downtown Coudersport, Pennsylvania, is the epitome of a haunted home

Downtown McKeesport, Pennsylvania, has undergone a long and tragic fall, as have so many other Ohio Valley boom cities of the industrial period. Appalachian coal and steel once powered the nation

The Walter B Palma home was built in 1896 in Ottawa, Illinois

The Graves Mansion is located in a historic district in the northern Adirondack Park

The location of this abandoned house is unclear, but it is full of character

This Tudor-style structure was built for the Virginia Renaissance Faire (1996 to 1999). It has since been besieged by the elements and is gradually deteriorating

There are several abandoned houses in Detroit, but this is one of the most impressive.