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INTRODUCTION

Unless noted otherwise, information on this web page is from original research by Gary B. Speck.  However, much information in these ghost town listings is quoted from postings to the Rootsweb 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 didn’t save the name, so those will be indicated as MO-GT. 

If you know of any Missouri ghost town location not listed on these pages, please contact the MO-GT discussion forum, if you are a member.  If you are not a member, please contact me and I’ll pass on the information to the group.  If you are interested in Missouri ghost towns and would like to join the group, let me know and I’ll tell you how to join the forum. 

Please note that 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.

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.

Unless noted otherwise, all indicated population figures are from the 1990 census. 

GNIS stands for the US Geologic Survey’s Geographic Names Information System. 

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 smaller locations had small communities grow up around the main business. 

Memories of the past glory of these one-time active communities still float like dust in the wind over Missouri’s hillsides and prairie.  The winds of time that created these ghosts reach deep into America's Heartland and those gentle zephyrs take those past memories and deposit them in front of you.  Reach out and grab them!  Without further ado, let’s visit some of Missouri’s many hundreds of ghost towns!

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.

LOCATION

POPULATION

1990

U.N.O.

DESCRIPTION & LOCATION

BARNEYVILLE

…SEE Hickory Creek

BLUES STORE

AKA –

Littleby Post Office

This store later became Littleby Post Office, which was named from Littleby Creek, about two miles west.  Blues Store was named for Duncan Blue, proprietor.

(GNIS - Mike Flannigan - Dec 12, 2002)

It appears this store was located about two miles east of the creek.  Exact location not determined.  It is listed by GNIS as “Historical”.  A Littleby Baptist Church is shown on the GNIS topo map on CR J, about a quarter mile east of Littleby Creek, west of Farber and just northwest of Worcester.  Using the above info, that would place Blues Store about a quarter mile east of where CR J takes a slight jog where it crosses the township line.  (GBS)

APPROXIMATELY:

SW corner Sec 18, T52N, R7W, 5^th Principal Meridian.

Lat: 39.281567, Long: -91.737857 – Elevation 771’

(nearby benchmark)

CHURCH:

Center of north line Sec 23, T52N, R8W, 5^th Principal Meridian.

Lat: 39.2219840, Long: -91.7746095

Lat: 39º 13’ 19”N, Long: 91º 46’ 29”W - elevation 781’

CARROLL STORE

AKA

Midway Store

This store is on the C & A Railroad in Cuivre Township, and was named for the owner of the land on which it is located. It is also known locally as Midway, from its middle position between Vandalia and Farber.  (GNIS via Mike Flannigan - Dec 12, 2002)

There was also a Carroll Mine in the vicinity.  The above location would place it around 2.5 miles southwest of Vandalia and 2.5 miles northeast of Farber along US 54.  There is also a rail line along the highway here.  The site may have been razed for construction of either the road or railroad.  (GBS)

APPROXIMATE LOCATION:

Sec 7, 13 or 14, T52N, R6W 5^th Principal Meridian.

Lat: 39.290734, Long: -91.531391

FELTON STTAION

…SEE Francis Station

FRANCIS STATION

AKA

Felton Station

This was a station on the C B & Q Railroad, at its junction with the C & A Railroad near Mexico, in Salt River Township.  This station was named for David R Francis, governor of MO from 1889 to 1893 and later prominent in national politics.  It was formerly called Felton, for Samuel Morse Felton, president of the C & A RR. The name was changed because it was frequently confused with Fulton in Callaway county.  

(GNIS - Mike Flannigan - Dec 12, 2002)

GANT

38 (1880)

Located at a 90 degree bend in CR 977, about ten AIR miles west-southwest of Mexico and nine AIR miles southeast of Centralia (Boone Co.).  GNIS aerial photo shows a farm at the location.  There was also a school and post office in the vicinity, neither of which have their locations listed on GNIS. 

The post office and school were in Wilson Township and named after Thomas Gant.   (GBS)

NE¼ Sec 8, T50N, R10W, 5^th Principal Meridian.

Lat: 39.1300413, Long: -92.0604550

Lat: 39º 07’ 48”N, Long: 92º 03’ 38”W - elevation 892’

HAWKINSVILLE STORE

This post office, store, and blacksmith shop were all abandoned by 1933. The location was named for Davenport Hawkins, owner. The site was located in Saling Township. 

(GNIS – Mike Flannigan – Dec 12, 2002)

HICKORY CREEK

AKA

Barneyville

START

This was a settlement and post office in Cuivre Township, established as early as 1853 and discontinued before 1876. It is named from its location near Hickory Creek. 

(GNIS – Mike Flannigan – Dec 12, 2002)

Formerly located 22 miles east of Mexico. (GNIS)

HICKORY GROVE

This was a trading point in Wilson Township that was named from the hickory trees in the vicinity. There was also a post office by the same name here.  It was discontinued by 1933. (GNIS)

LITTLEBY CHURCH

…SEE Blues Store

LITTLEBY POST OFFICE

…SEE Blues Store

LITTLEBY STATION

This was a railroad station in western Linn Township. It was named from Littleby Creek, about one mile distant. (GNIS)

This former railroad station is located on the railroad about four miles northeast of Mexico and about a mile south of the Bean Branch of Littleby Creek.  (GBS)

N half of the section line Sec 21 & 22 T51N, R8W, Fifth Principal Meridian

Lat: 39.1886508, Long: -91.7948889

Lat: 39º 11’ 19”N, Long: 91º 47’ 42”W - elevation 804’

MODOC

25 (1880)

In 1861 a minor Civil War battle occurred here.  Exact location not determined.  It isn’t listed in GNIS.  (GBS)

MIDWAY STORE

…SEE Carroll Store

MOUNT CARMEL

10 (1880)

This was a trading point and post office in Cuivre Township, run by Gregory Douchant and discontinued at his death in 1932. It is a Bible name, for the mountain where Elijah overcame the priests of Baal.  (GNIS)

It was located on the northeast corner of the junction of CR 620 and an unnamed road running north from 620, 0.8 miles east of CR W, due east of Scotts Corner and due south of Vandalia. It is north of the West Fork of the Cuivre River and about a quarter-mile west of the Payne Cemetery. (GBS)

NE¼ Sec 29, T51N, R5W, 5^th Principal Meridian.

Lat: 39.1675406, Long: -91.4887688

Lat: 39º 10’ 03”N, Long: 91º 21’ 20”W - elevation 758’

SALING

0

At the junction of CR 140 (E-W)/EE (S)/117 (N), four miles east of SH 151, about seven miles due north of Centralia and due west of Rowena in the western panhandle of the county.  The GNIS topo map shows a large church on southwest corner of the junction.  What looks like a farm is on the northeast corner.  (GBS)

At the junction corner of Sec 4, 5, 8 & 9, T52N, R11W, 5^th Principal Meridian, Saling Township.

Lat: 39.3133732, Long: -92.1585086

Lat: 39º 18’ 48”N, Long: 92º 09’ 31”W - elevation 840’

WORCESTER

-

Worcester was located on CR J out of Mexico. It was about ten miles northeast of Mexico and about seven or eight miles east of Molino, as the crow flies, and about the same distance West of Farber.   (Howard Fitzpatrick, Apr 30, 2002)

GNIS shows it about 0.4 miles south of CR J.  (GBS)

W-Central Sec 24, T52N, R8W, 5^th Principal Meridian.

Lat: 39.2736507, Long: -91.7540522

Lat: 39º 16’ 25”N, Long: 91º 45’ 15”W - elevation 768’

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 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 an 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 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. 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 MISSOURI, please abide by the

 Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics.