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Dust in the Wind

A Guide to American Ghost Towns

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When most people think of ghost towns, Alabama is NOT one of the states that comes to mind, yet here in the Heart of Dixie they do exist.

Listed below are only a few of the hundreds of sites that exist in this state.

HELP!  (NEW FEATURE) 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.

PLEASE NOTE: 

Where photos are indicated thusly (PHOTO!), please use your browser’s “BACK” button to return to this page.  More photos will be added over time.

ARBACOOCHIE

Cleburne Co.

This is an old gold mining town on CR-42 between SH 46 & SH 9, nine miles southeast of Heflin.

ARCOLA

Hale Co.

A French village and early river port along the south bank of the Black Warrior River, 4.5 miles northeast of Demopolis. May be under the waters of Lake Demopolis.

Lat: 32° 33’ 25”N, Long: 87° 46’ 03” W

32.5570792, -87.7675111

BAINBRIDGE

(AKA–Bambridge)

Lauderdale Co.

An old river crossing on the south bank of the Tennessee River, six miles east of Florence.  Probably underwater now.

Lat: 34° 49’ 15”N, Long: 87° 36’ 00” W

34.8209204, -87.6000270

BLUFF CITY

(AKA-Bluff, Monroe)

Morgan Co.

Early river town/ferry on south bank of Tennessee River, four miles north of Somerville. Once had a post office and a river landing.

Lat: 34° 32’ 44”N, Long: 86° 46’ 53” W

34.5456482, -86.7813890

CAHABA

(AKA-Cahawba)

Dallas Co.

Former state capitol at the confluence of Alabama & Cahaba Rivers, at end of SH 9, 3.5 miles southeast of a point nine miles southwest of Selma on SH 22.

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for February 2005

CHULAFINEE PLACERS

Cleburne Co.

In the southwest corner of the county along Carr & Chulafinnee Creeks.

DUMPHRIES

Washington Co.

A former Tombigbee River landing, along the west bank 18 miles south of St. Stephens, just north of the confluence with Biloa Creek.

ERIE

Hale or Greene Co.

Early county seat located four miles southwest of Sawyerville (Hale Co.) on the west bank of the Black Warrior River.  West of SH 49, north of SH 50.  GNIS shows it on the southeast side of Martin Lake which puts it in Hale Co.

Lat: 32° 42’ 55”N, Long: 85° 48’ 15” W

32.7154078, -85.8041249

FINCHBURG

Monroe Co.

1990 pop 50. Just east of the Alabama River 20 AIR miles northwest of Monroeville. It once had a post office and a river landing.

Lat: 31° 38’ 34”N, Long: 87° 30’ 39” W

31.6426574, -87.5108251

FORT GAINES

Mobile Co.

Historic old coastal defense fort off Bienville Blvd, on the east end of Dauphin Island, at the west side of the entrance to Mobile Bay.

Lat: 30° 14’ 53”N, Long: 88° 04’ 32” W

30.2480556, -88.0755556

FORT MORGAN

(AKA – Ft. Bowyer)

Baldwin Co.

This historic old coastal defense fort is located on the east side of the entrance to Mobile Bay, at the tip of the peninsula jutting west from Gulf Shores.

Lat: 30° 13’ 43”N, Long: 88° 01’ 23” W

30.2285373, -88.0230530

GOLD LOG MINE

(AKA – Storey Mine)

Talladega Co.

Gold mining camp on west side of Talladega Creek, 7.5 miles southeast of Talladega, just south of Waldo and west of SH 77 in the Talladega National Forest.

Lat: 33° 22’ 42”N, Long: 86° 02’ 35” W

33.3784435, -86.0430250

HOUSTON

Winston Co.

Former county seat on CR 63, two miles south of US 278 at a point five miles southwest of Addison.  Had 120 people in 1990.  The post office was established in 1853.

Lat: 34° 08’ 29”N, Long: 87° 15’ 29” W

34.1414925, -87.2580686

JONESVILLE

Jackson Co.

DEAD NAME.  This was the original name for Bridgeport (population about 3000).  The name was changed in 1854 or so.

Information contributed by Karen H in November 2004.

LARISSA

Winston Co.

I have moved this ghost from the HELP! Page to here, however, I still have no historical info or firm location other than the county.  Anyone know about it?

“Hi, I saw where you’re looking for proof of Larissa (being) in Winston Co. I have a claim filed by my g-g-grandfather to the US for property and provisions taken by General Wilson in 1865. His witnesses were listed as living in Larrissa, Winston County.  James Wilson, Emily Wilson, Jonathan Barton, and William Bush.   

Contributed by Debbie, August 27, 2006

MASSILON

Dallas Co.

On railroad, just south of US 80, 14 miles west of Selma.

MONTEZUMA

(AKA – Covington Courthouse)

Covington Co.

Montezuma was an early settlement in our County. It was first designated as Covington Courthouse, then in 1823 it was named Montezuma. This location was our first County Seat. The County Seat was moved to a new seat in July 18, 1844 and called Andalusia.

Contributed by G. Sidney Waits, Aug 26, 2005

NOTTINGHAM

(AKA - Jones Camp Ground)

Talladega Co.

A paper town that actually had a few buildings. It was located a mile northeast of Alpine, five miles southwest of Talladega.

Lat: 33° 21’ 44”N, Long: 86° 13’ 22” W

33.3623327, -86.2227522

ODENA

Talladega Co.

This class A community was located about four miles northwest of Sylacauga, and at one time had about a dozen stores and a post office, elementary school, a couple churches, sawmill and grist mill.  Odena means "village" in the Algonquian Indian tongue.  There may be just some archaeological evidence beside the train tracks of where the town was, west of Odena Road.

The land was first purchased in 1835 by the Taylor family, who called it Shirtee Plantation.  In 1854 it was sold to Capt. John Oden.  He called it Odena Plantation.  The original site of the town of Odena is now on the property owned by Tekside Industries, adjoining the Oden-Sanford Farm.

There ARE some later buildings, built in the 1920s-50s, located down the road, and others near the 1904 church, which was not "downtown," and most people today think of those as Odena, but the original pre-1910 town site was around the train depot. 

Above information contributed by Ray Isbell, May 2003

Lat: 33° 12’ 39”N, Long: 86° 16’ 43” W (New Odena)

33.2109483, -86.2785860 (New Odena)

PORTLAND

Dallas Co.

On the south side of the Alabama River and west of SH 41 and Shepherdville.

RIVER RIDGE

Monroe Co.

It is along the railroad six miles east of Franklin. It also once had a post office. Latitude: 31E 42'49" N, Longitude 087E 18'47" W

ROCKCASTLE

Tuscaloosa Co.

On SH 216, nine miles east of Brookwood, about 25 miles east of Tuscaloosa. At or near Abernant.

SPANISH FORT

Baldwin Co.

Old Spanish era fort located off I-10, on the outskirts of the town of Spanish Fort, just east of Mobile.

TANNEHILL IRON WORKS

Jefferson Co.

On Tannehill Parkway, 2.5 miles east of I-59/I-20 at Exit 100. At the southern point of county, 23 miles southwest of Birmingham.

VALHERMOSO SPRINGS

Morgan Co.

Old health resort located on SH 36, 20 miles northeast of Hartselle, 12 miles south of Huntsville. Some population remains.

(AKA...Chunn Springs, White Sulphur Springs)

WALDO

Talladega Co.

On SH 77, five miles southeast of Talladega.

Historians estimate that there may be as many

as 50,000 ghost towns scattered across the United States of America. During the next five years, Gary B. Speck Publications will be publishing unique state, regional, and county guides called

The Ghost Town Guru's Guide

to the Ghost Towns of *** ™

These original guides are designed for anybody interested in

ghost towns. Whether you are a casual tourist looking for a new and different place to visit, or a hard-core ghost town researcher, these guides will be just right for you. With over 30 years of research behind them, they will be a welcome addition to any

ghost towner's library.

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

For more information on the ghost towns of ALABAMA,

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)

IMPORTANT

These listings and historical vignettes of ghost towns, near-ghost towns and other historical sites in ALABAMA 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. Please 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.

When you are exploring the ghost towns of ALABAMA, please abide by the

Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics.