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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.

SITE NAME

POPULATION

1990

U.N.O.

DESCRIPTION & LOCATION

BALLARD

20 (1880)

Location not determined.

BATES COUNTY POOR FARM

0

The old Bates County Poor Farm was located just northwest of Butler.

BATESVILLE POST OFFICE

0

Batesville Post Office was an office located at Harmony Mission in 1841, and moved to Papinsville in 1848.  It was named for the county.

BELLS MILL

0

Bells Mill was a sawmill on the Marais Des Cygnes built shortly after the Civil War and named for James S. Bell.

This might be present day Athol or Nyhart.  (MF)

CAMPBELLS STATION

0

Campbells Station was a hamlet on the Marais des Cygnes River

established after the Civil War. It was named for a family who had a store

there. It was abandoned by 1933.

CHORETTES MILL

0

Chorettes Mill was located on the Marais des Cygnes two miles from the Harmony Mission in 1833. It was named for John B. Chorette, a Frenchman.

CORNLAND

20 (1880)

Location not determined.

COVE CITY

0

50 (1880)

Cove City was a town located in northeastern Mingo Township. It was of great importance in the 1870s, but abandoned by 1933. It was named for the creek.

It is probably located fairly close to Mullins Cemetery.  (MF)

CRESCENT HILL

40 (1880)

Location not determined.

DANA

AKA – West Point

0

75 (1880)

Dana was a post office occupying the town site of West Point. It was established in 1886. West Point was located less than a mile from the Kansas line in northwestern West Point Township. It was so named because it was the last outfitting place after Westport on the state.

Looks like this is just south of Merwin.  (MF)

DIAMOND MILL

0

Diamond Mill was erected in 1869 in the northern part of Butler by D. S. Fairchild and named by him.

ELK FORK POST OFFICE

0

Elk Fork Post Office was located at the home of William Crawford near Elk Fork Creek, for which it was named. It was established in 1861 and discontinued in 1863.

ELKHART

0

Elkhart was a town in the center of Elkhart Township, and founded after 1872.  It was named for the township.

FAIR OAKS

0

Fair Oaks was a settlement in Hudson Township established in 1920 by Dr. Troy Brown, and named for the large number of oak trees there.

GODDARDS MILL

0

Goddards Mill was located in Charlotte Township on the Goddard Branch. It was named for Dr. Goddard.

HAYMAKERS MILL

0

Haymakers Mill was located on the Marais des Cygnes River about 1870 and named for Mr. Haymaker.  It was washed away in 1880.

HUDSON

0

Location not determined.  A Civil War battle was fought here in 1861.

KISNER POST OFFICE

0

Kisner Post Office was located in north-central Hudson Township. It was named for Charley and Will Kisner, who had the store where the office was established. 

This probably isn't too far from Hudson. (Mike Flannigan)

LEFKER MILL

0

Lefker Mill was established on the Marais des Cygnes River in 1870. It was named for J. A. Lefker.

LONE OAK

25 (1880)

Located in the south-central part of the county. Exact map location not determined.

LOUISVILLE

0

Louisville was a town located near the mouth of Mine Creek.  It was started by McDaniel before the Civil War. The town ceased to exist after the war.

This is relatively close to Worland. (Mike Flannigan)

LUTSENHIZER MILL

0

Lutsenhizer Mill was erected on Straight Branch in 1841 and named for Jacob Lutsenhizer. The Mill existed until about 1854.

Probably fairly close to Smith Cemetery.  (Mike Flannigan)

MARVEL POST OFFICE

0

Marvel Post Office was located on the Marais des Cygnes in New Home Township. It was discontinued after 1876. It was named for the man who ran the post office.

McPEAK SWITCH

0

McPeak Switch was located on the St Louis and San Francisco Railroad close to the Kansas Line. It was named for John G. McPeak, who had a coal mine.

MID WAY

0

Mid Way was a filling station on Highway 71 established about 1930. It was named because it was Midway between Rich Hill and Butler.

This must be near Athol. (Mike Flannigan)

PARKERVILLE

0

Parkerville was a town laid out in 1857 on land granted by Wiley Parker, for whom it was named, in East Boone Township. It was extinct by 1933.

PEORIA POST OFFICE

0

Peoria Post Office was discontinued after 1870.

POWERS MILL

0

Powers Mill was a stream saw and grist-mill erected in the southern part of Butler in 1867. It was named for M. S. Powers.

REYNARD

10 (1880)

Location not determined.

RIVELY

0

Rively was a mining town located in New Home Township. It was named in 1888 for J. T. Rively. It was extinct by 1933.

Sure would like to find this one.  (Mike Flannigan)

ROSIER

0

Rosier was a town founded in 1881 in West Boone Township. It was named for A. C. Rosier. It was extinct by 1933.

SELDEN

0

Selden was a town site two miles east of Papinsville laid off in 1842 for the county seat. It was later nicknamed Seldom because it was very seldom that anyone went to the place. It passed out of existence when the county seat was placed at Papinsville.

SETTLE FORD MILL

0

Settle Ford Mill was erected by N. Poage about 1850. It was named for Morgan Settle, who was an early settler.

SHOBE

0

75 (1880)

Shobe was a mining town located in New Home Township. It was named for Haley Shobe, who settled there about 1881. The town was abandoned by 1933.

STUMPTON

AKA – Lone Oak Post Office

0

Stumpton was located in west-central Pleasant Gap Township near the confluence of the north and south branches of Double Branch Creek. It was named for the stumps left standing in the area cleared off for the site of the office. 

VINTON

30 (1880)

Located in the west-central section of the county.  Exact map location not determined.

WALNUT CREEK POST OFFICE

0

Walnut Creek Post Office was established in 1876 and named for the stream on which it was located. It became extinct when Walnut grew up two miles away.

This is probably near Thomas Cemetery.  (Mike Flannigan)

A Civil War battle was fought here in 1861.  (GBS)

WEST POINT

0

Location not determined.  A Civil War battle was fought here in 1861.

WHITES MILL

0

Whites Mill was located at Rosier in West Boone Township in 1882. It was named for H. White.

WRIGHTSBURG

0

Wrightsburg was filling station on Highway 71 established about 1930 by F. Wright.

YOCUM

0

Yocum was a hamlet in Walnut Township named for G. P. Yocum. It was abandoned by 1933.

ZINNS MILL

0

Zinns Mill was located in 1870 in Elkhart Township.  It was named for M. Zinn.

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.