Ghost Towns of Missouri, O-R

Ghost Town USA’s

Guide to the Ghost Towns, Mining Camps,

and Other Formerly Inhabited Places in

MISSOURI.

Locations beginning with O

PLEASE NOTE:

Unless noted otherwise, most of these listings are quoted from postings to Rootsweb’s Missouri Ghost Town discussion forum (THE LIST). Some minor editing for editorial consistency and spelling WAS made, as well as spelling out of directions (N, SE, NNW, etc), and numbers less than ten.
Unless noted otherwise, indicated population figures are from the 1990 census. (In the next year these should be updated to the 2000 census.) If the population is listed as 0*, the asterisk indicates “assumed”, based on other facts.
Many of these listed locations may be just rural post offices, country churches schools, forts, stage stations, crossroads stores, mills or river fords, rather than what we normally consider towns. The reason for that is that many of these types of locations had small communities grow up around the main business.
When a current town that is not listed in this work went by a different name, or a name markedly different than its present name, it is indicated by the DEAD NAME entry. These are noted due to the fact that these names MAY be discovered in research, and by listing them here, it makes it easier for the researcher to discover the current name.
In all the listings below, personal comments will be noted with either names or initials, like (MF) {Mike Flannigan}, or (GBS) {Me}. In some cases, I didn’t write down the name, but only an e-mail address, so I left them in. If you know of any Missouri ghost town location not listed on these pages, please contact THE LIST if you are a member, or me if not. I will pass on the information to THE LIST.
Highways are marked thus...

CR – County Roads
SH – State Highway
US – US Highway
I – Interstate Highway

Locations marked with a $ indicate an admission fee is charged to visit the site.
Locations with part of the name HIGHLIGHTED are linked to a page listing “all” locations of the same type such as those listed below. Many times these type of locations acted as a magnet for a small community that later faded away. Some of these locations included: Ferries, Mills (These include flouring, grist and logging mills.), Mines (and the associated mining camps), Rural Post Offices (These were usually small “post offices” located in a farmer’s home or out building. They served folks in outlying farming areas, and often acted as a community center or gathering place to catch up on the latest gossip or commodity prices.), Way Stations (These include railroad & stage stations, rural stores, taverns, or other stopping points along transportation routes.).
See also our Ghost Town Index, listed by County.

Without further ado, let’s visit some of Missouri’s many hundreds of ghost towns!

-O-

O'MEARA St. Francois Co.

A station on the Missouri-Pacific Railroad five miles southeast of Farmington.

OAK DALE Shelby Co. -

In 1835, this was designated the first county seat. In 1836 it was moved to Shelbyville. There is an Oak Dale Church indicated on GNIS about 6.5 miles southeast of Shelbyville. This could possibly be the site of the town. (GBS)

OAK GROVE St. Louis Co.

A settlement in Bonhomme Township.

I suspect this is near Oak Grove School near Chesterfield. (Mike Flannigan)

Chesterfield is located in the northwestern part of the township on the St. Louis & Southwestern Railroad,

and in 1990 had over 41,000 people. (GBS)

OAK ISLAND SCHOOL New Madrid Co.

Exact location of this historical location not determined.

OAK RIDGE Lincoln Co.

Oak Ridge was located in east-central Hurricane Township.

OAK RIDGE St. Louis Co.

Located in northwestern Carondelet Township.

OAK RIDGE SCHOOL New Madrid Co.

Exact location of this historical location not determined.

OAKFIELD Franklin Co. 30 (1880)

This former village was located on SH 100, four miles north of Pacific in NE¼ Sec 26, T44N, R2E, Boles Township. It was established in 1842 and by 1888 had faded. It had a post office, general store, Evangelical Church, a gunsmith and a school - Oakfield Academy. (GBS)

The school was located:

· Lat: 38.5272753, Long: -90.7567976

· Lat: 38º31’38”N, Long: 090º45’24”W

OAKLAWN CAMP Warren Co.

A tourist camp west of Warrenton.

OETTINGS GROVE Warren Co.

A picnic ground in Gore.

OFFSETS MINE Madison Co.

…SEE Mine La Motte

OHIO St. Clair Co.

Ohio was on County Highway "A" just west of Lowry City, MO.

Contributed by John Williams, Jan 15, 2006

OLCOTT STATION St. Louis Co.

Located near Wellston.

OLD ALEXANDRIA Lincoln Co. 0

Old Alexandria was a town on the old site of Alexandria. Old Alexandria was established about 1860 and deserted by1886.

OLD BLOOM LANDING Maries Co. 0

Old Bloom Landing was a landing on the Gasconade River in Jackson Township. Iron “blooms” were hauled here from the old Meramec Iron Works in Phelps Co. It was already abandoned by 1938.

This must be near Indian Ford Lodge. (Mike Flannigan)

OLD CHARITON Chariton Co.

…SEE Chariton

OLD FRANKLIN Howard Co.

...SEE Franklin (1st site)

OLD JEFFERSON Saline Co.

…SEE Jefferson

OLD MILL Lincoln Co.

Old Mill was located on a fork of Mill Creek in Union Township.

OLD MONROE FERRY St. Charles Co.

The ferry opposite Old Monroe.

OLD MONTEVALLO Vernon Co.

…SEE Montevallo (1^st site)

OLD RED MILL Lawrence Co.

…SEE The Old Red Mill

OLD SYLVANIA Dade Co.

Old Sylvania was platted by a coal company from Allegheny, PA., and named for that state. The Civil War came, ending the project. At the end of the war a new town was laid out three miles to the north and also given the name Sylvania. The original site was renamed “OLD” Sylvania.

OLD TOWN Benton Co.

…SEE Fristoe Town

OLDENBURG Gasconade Co.

The county history says this place was on the Gasconade River just below the mouth of Sugar Camp Creek, but local inquiry produced no information. It was perhaps named by the German settlers for the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg in Holstein, Germany. There are a large number (about 20) of houses and at least two cemeteries still in this area. (Mike Flannigan)

OLNEY (FORD) Lincoln Co. 100

AKA – Ninevah

Apparently this little town began as a ford crossing the river. The farmer on whose land it was didn't really give it a name, but the post office was called "Lost Creek" or "Lost Branch". When it grew up and was called Ninevah and for some unknown reason was changed to Olney. That's about all I know……There was a mill there, too, called Richardson's Mill, I think.

Ninevah was established in 1855 by Joseph Wells. It later became known as Olney. (From the book Map of Lincoln County Missouri, first published in 1860 by Edmund Ellis, reproduced in atlas form by the Lincoln County Genealogical Society, 1993)

Contributed by Shellie Allen (Feb 2002)

ONYX Pulaski Co.

This could be Stillhouse Springs, or it could be over by Clementine, or it might be elsewhere. (Mike Flannigan)

ORLEANS Polk Co. 0

Orleans was near Aldrich. It was a very old trading point on the Little Sac River, south of Aldrich. It was named for New Orleans, with which it traded. (Mike Flannigan, Mar 02, 2002)

ORRVILLE St. Louis Co.

Was located on Highway 109, north of Clayton Road. (Michelle Robinson)

Orrville is also building up quickly. It had only about five occupied structures in 1982. (Mike Flannigan)

It isn’t listed in the 1995 Rand McNally (GBS)

OTTEN MINE Franklin Co. 0

This lead mine opened in late 1887 or early 1888, and was located in the southwestern bend of the Bourbeuse River in Sec 3, T42N, R1E, Boles Township. (GBS)

OTTO SPUR New Madrid Co.

Exact location of this historical railroad spur is not determined.

OVID Ray Co. 0

Located at the 90º bend on CR E, three miles north of its junction with CR K, in the northeast corner of the county 6.5 AIR miles southeast of Cowgill (Caldwell Co.), and nine AIR miles southwest of Braymer (Caldwell Co.). There are no buildings shown at that location on GNIS. (GBS)

· Lat: 39.4675127, Long: -93.8841041

· Lat: 39º28’03”N, Long: 093º53’03”W - elevation 925’

OWENBY SETTLEMENT Macon Co.

…SEE Bloomington

OWENS FORT St. Louis Co.

DEAD NAME – This was one of the several early names for the city of Bridgeton, (1990 population - 17,000) (GBS)

OWENS STATION St. Louis Co.

DEAD NAME – This was one of the several early names for the city of Bridgeton, (1990 population - 17,000) (GBS)

OWINGS STORE Montgomery Co.

This store was in southern Bear Creek Township, and was operated by and named for David R. Owings. The High Hill post office operated here for a short time after its removal from the present site of Jonesburg. (Mike Flannigan)

OZARK IRON WORKS Phelps Co.

I think the Ozark Iron Works is different. I have three different locations for the Ozark Iron Works,

all within about 2.5 miles of each other. But all three are about 12.5 miles south-southwest of the Buckland Mine, down in Spring Creek Township. It's entirely possible - even probable - that ore from the Buckland Mine was processed at the Ozark Iron Works, but I just don't know. That Ozark Iron Works is down by the old Pleasant Hill School.

(Mike Flannigan Sep 15, 2002)

The Ozark Iron Works is a registered historic site. All that remains today is a single furnace stack. It is about two miles west of Newburg on CR P, near the confluence of Mill Creek/Little Piney Creek. There was a post office 1873-1882. The name was changed to Knotwell, and that post office operated 1882-1884). I think it was at or near York (or Yorks). I believe it was operated by the last owners of Maramec Iron Works. It became too expensive to operate Maramec because they had to haul ore and wood from too far away, plus they did not have direct access to the railroad. As a result, they moved to Ozark, which was beside the railroad.

I came across a map that calls Bucklands 'Cabeen'. I also remember a map - which is now lost - calling the mines in the area 'Beaver Valley Mines'. The map also showed a railroad spur running up Beaver Creek near where it meets Iron Ore Creek. I don’t know if it was built or just projected.

W½ Sec 21, T37N, R9W (Dave P Sep 16, 2002)

The site you describe (above) is the remains of the Ozark Iron Works and is five miles west of the Buckland Mine. The Alhambra Grotto was located near there, probably north of the railroad tracks. Unfortunately, I hear some local kids burned that place to the ground about 15+ years ago (ca.1987 ??? – GBS). I think the other large, old building located just south of the railroad tracks was a hotel.

Here are my notes on Alhambra Grotto: "This was a club gathering place. An iron furnace that was a copy of the Maramec Iron Furnace at St. James was built in this area. A local doctor, Richard E. Myers, bought the property and attempted a restoration in the ~1980's, but the structure burned to the ground. The club was probably on the N side of the RR tracks."

(Mike Flannigan Sep 17, 2002)

OZARK MILLS Iron Co. _

Location not determined

* * *

Also visit:

Ghost Town USA’s Ghost Towns of Missouri

Missouri Ghost Town locations with names beginning:

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

Detailed information on individual locations:

Blythedale | Haran | Rivermines | McLellan Springs

Listings of related groups of locations

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First Posted: July 27, 2001

Last Updated: April 05, 2009

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