Ghost Town USA’s

Guide to the Ghost Towns of

MISSOURI

The “Show-Me State”

INTRODUCTION

Unlike my other state listings, the webpage listings for the ghost towns of Missouri are much more extensive, with a lot of this information having previously appeared on the Rootsweb Missouri Ghost Town discussion forum (THE LIST). Much of the information from THE LIST was originally posted by Mike Flannigan (MF) and appears here with his and the group’s permission. Due to the huge size of the database these pages will be broken down into subdirectories (SEE INDEX BELOW). Mike is an avid Missouri ghost town chaser and has a tremendous amount of information which he has shared with the group and me. Thanks Mike!

Unless noted otherwise, information on this web page is from original research by Gary B. Speck. However, as noted above, much of the information in these Missouri ghost town listings is quoted from postings to Rootsweb’s Missouri Ghost Town discussion forum (MO-GT), and that information is indicated as follows:

· Specific information and/or personal comments will be appropriately credited with either names or initials, like (MF - Mike Flannigan), or (GBS) {Me}.

· In some cases, I may not have saved the name on my E-mail files, so those will be indicated generically as MO-GT. ALL information without accreditation is from my own personal research.

Additionally over the past couple of years, I have received a lot of information from folks reading these web pages. Their contributions are appropriately credited. These pages are online to help foster the history of Missouri Ghost Towns. Many thanks to all the readers who have contributed. Also, IF you have contributed information, and don’t see it on these pages fear not. I have a ton of info to still add, and will be focusing on updating these pages during the upcoming year (2010).

The two main criteria for listing on these pages are:

· The town must have a population of 0-99, or have its population listed as “rural” by Rand McNally in its Commercial Atlas.

· If the population figure is 100 or more, then the “town” must have lost over 50% of its population between its peak and the 2000 census.

Also notations will be periodically given indicating a DEAD NAME. These indicate old or historic names for current towns (or counties) that are NOT listed in this work. These dead names periodically appear in research, but the names have disappeared from current maps, making it difficult to track them down. Posting them here will enable the researcher to discover some of the old names that may have disappeared from current maps. My 1990 census figures were obtained from the 1995 Commercial Atlas and Marketing Guide, and the 2000 census figures from the 2002 edition (or online). Both atlases are published by Rand McNally, Chicago, IL.

A BRIEF HISTORY of the STATE

The history of Missouri is an interesting one, as it is one of the older states in America’s Heartland. As it is located at the junction of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, what became Missouri was an important location for the early settlement of the United States. As a result, settlement by Americans here dates back to just a few years after the American Revolution. However, the earliest settlers were obviously the various tribes and nations of Native Americans, most of whom were eventually driven out by European, and later, American settlers. The earliest Europeans were the Spanish, French and English, all of whom saw the strategic and commercial opportunities here. In 1720, the French established a major military outpost along the east side of the Mississippi River in what later became Illinois. Fort Chartres was established in 1720 by a man named Renault. He came from France with some 200 settlers and 500 slaves, who were “purchased” in St. Domingo (Dominican Republic?). The fort remained France’s keystone in the region until 1765 when the Union Jack was raised over the post, and British rule began.

The Louisiana Purchase and The War of 1812 pretty much secured what is now the entire heart of the USA. What was soon to become Missouri was now a part of the United States, and settlement began in earnest. Lead and iron mines developed. Agriculture and the resultant river traffic for shipping those products encouraged growth. Hundreds of tiny towns developed, along with mills, river ports, stage stations, roadside taverns/inns, rural post offices and so on. Many of these communities and settlements eventually faded away and were replaced by other towns in better locations. As a result, more members of Ghost Town USA were born.

These pages are designed and posted to help preserve a little of the history of these communities, and keep them from being forgotten. Please be advised that I have not personally traveled to all of the listed towns and locations, and therefore cannot verify their current status. IF you see any errors of omissions, please feel free to contact me and I will modify the listings as needed to incorporate any updated information. However, it may not happen immediately as I maintain well over 350 individual pages. I still have a tremendous amount of information about Missouri Ghost Towns that has not been posted yet. Any information you folks reading these pages wish to share, and want me to post, will be appropriately attributed.

A number of correspondents are looking for information that is NOT on these pages. Can you HELP them?

Thank you and enjoy your foray into Missouri’s Ghost Towns!

STATEWIDE ALPHABETIC Listings

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | PQ | R | S | T | UV | W | XYZ

STATEWIDE GROUP Listings

FERRIES | MILLS | MINES | RURAL POST OFFICES | WAY STATIONS

HELP: Please check here to find a list of ghost towns that various contacts are looking for. IF you have any information on these places please e-mail me and I can respond back to those looking for info on these ghosts.

COUNTY-BY-COUNTY Listings

INDIVIDUAL SITE Listings

Blythedale | Haran | McLellan Springs | Rivermines

OUTSIDE MO GT Links

MIDWEST GAZETTEER: This is a database of 2,815 place names in the Midwest, past and present. It focuses on Southeast Missouri, but also features cities, towns, villages, and wide spots in the road for northeast Arkansas and Southern Illinois.

IMPORTANT

The listings and historical vignettes of ghost towns, near ghost towns, and other historical sites in MISSOURI above are for informational purposes only, and should NOT be construed to grant permission to trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure hunt at any of the listed sites. If the reader of this guide is a metal detector user and plans to use this guide to locate sites for metal detecting or relic hunting, it is the READER'S responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners. Be advised, that any state or nationally owned sites will probably be off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or local laws restricting the same. For more information on the classification of Missouri’s ghost towns, visit our classification explanation page.

When you are exploring the ghost towns of MISSOURI, please abide by the Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics

For more information on the ghost towns of MISSOURI, contact us at

Ghost Town USA.

E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE:

Due to the tremendous amount of viruses, worms and “spam,” out there, I no longer open any e-mails with unsolicited attachments, or messages on the subject lines with “Hey”, “Hi”, “Need help”, “Help Please”, “???”, or blank subject lines, etc. If you do send E-mail asking for information, or sharing information, PLEASE indicate the appropriate location AND state name, or other topic on the “subject” line. THANK YOU! :o)

Thank you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail!

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Also visit: Ghost Town USA’s

CURRENT Ghost Town of the Month | PAST Ghost Towns of the Month

Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics | Publications | Genealogy | License Plate Collecting

A few LINKS to outside webpages:

Ghost Towns | Treasure Hunting | License Plate Collecting | Genealogy

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First Posted: June 23, 2001

Last Updated: April 23, 2009

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ON THIS PAGE, copyright is NOT claimed for information quoted from the Missouri Ghost Town discussion group,

which is marked as noted in the introduction above.

All other unmarked information falls under Gary B. Speck Publication’s copyright protection.

The MO GT DISCUSSION FORUM information is posted as a public service for all members of the group and is posted with their permission.

It is not to be used for commercial gain without the express written consent of the individuals who make up this discussion forum.

If you have any questions regarding this disclaimer, please contact me at GTUSA