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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

ASHER

0

Location not determined.

BASS MILL

In 1915, the ruins of this 1858-1867 era steam-powered grist mill were still visible near the Pomme de Terre River and Fair Grove.  In 1863 the small community of Bassville (SEE below) was established at the mill.

BASSVILLE

Bassville doesn't have many residences either, but it's got a large cemetery and nearby church.  (Mike Flannigan)

I have a farm at Bassville.  The Church has 200 members and is very active.  The cemetery is very well maintained.  The old store, post office and blacksmith shop were torn town in the late 60's.  By my count we have about 20 families in a one-mile radius.  (BQ)

CANNEFAX MILL

Dating to 1832, this small mill on Walnut Creek never became important.  Actual location not determined.

CASONS MILL

Cason's Mill was one of the oldest in the county, and was located where the James River bridge was (1914).

DORCHESTER

15 (1880)

Located in the southwest part of the county, but the exact map location is not determined.

DYSART & HEADLEE SAWMILL

On the Sac River, this sawmill was built in 1848. 

SW 1/4 Sec 16, T30.

EVANS MILL

Located in Robberson Township, this gristmill was built by Joseph Evans.

FRIEND MILL

Augustine Friend built a corn mill in 1832 or 3 at Jones Spring, in Sec 27, T29, R 21 four or five miles east of Springfield.   The Henderson Jones' distillery was built at the site later.

FULBRIGHT MILL #1

It is claimed that this was one of the first mills in the county, established around 1823 by William Fulbright near the head of the Little Sac.  The original “tub-mill:” was torn down in 1859 and replaced by a new one, which operated until sometime after 1883.

Sec 3 T29 R22.

FULBRIGHT MILL #2

William Fulbright built a second mill in the 1820s or 1830s “just below the great spring flowing from under a bluff on Little Sac”, about 2.5 miles north of Springfield.  It operated until about 1870.

Sec 3, T 29 R 22

GATES

20 (1880)

Location not determined.

GIBSONS MILL

The reconstructed Gibson's Mill is on the east side of Wilson's Creek, within Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. Its dates of operation are not known, but it was active in the 1860s.

GODLOVE

0

Location not determined.

GOODNIGHT MILL

Located about 25 miles northeast of Springfield near the Greene-Polk County line. There was also a small town located here.  The first mill was burned during the Civil War and the second one was washed away. In 1914 a third mill was built, and operated until 1942.

HACKNEY MILL

The Hackney Grist Mill was located along the Sac River.  It was named for the owner.

I suspect this is near Hackney Mill Bridge.  (Mike Flannigan)

HAVEN

AKA: Johns Mill

Was built on the site of Johns Mill, a pioneer mill named for its owner.

Anybody heard of Johns Mill?  The only Johns Mill I know of is in Douglas Co.  (Mike Flannigan)

HICKORY BARREN

60 (1880)

Location not determined.

HUNT MILL

Hunt’s Mill is located along a branch of the Sac River.  A general store was also at the mill.  Actual location not determined, nor were the years of operation.

Sec 22, T30.

INGLE MILL

This 1822 era gristmill was located at Ozark Road ford of the James River.  It is claimed that this was the first mill in Southwest Missouri.  Historical Marker # 4 marks the site near the northwest corner of the Old Ozark Bridge, which is just west of the US 65 bridge, just south of Galloway.  A small village developed at the mill/river ford.

NW ¼, NE ½ NE ¼ Section 21, T 28N, R 21W, Galloway Quad.

INGRAM MILL

Sidney N. Ingram’s gristmill was located on the James River.  It was built in 1859 and was destroyed by a tornado in 1880. 

It was apparently near Casons Mill.  (Mike Flannigan)

JOHNS MILL

This water-powered gristmill was built on the Sac River in 1855 by William Johns. In 1872 William’s son built another mill on the south side of the Sac River nearby. A dam across the river about one half mile east of the mill formed a millpond. The mill was torn down around 1920.

…Also SEE Haven (above)

JONES SPRING

An unidentified mill was built here in the 1800s.

LAWSON FULBRIGHT MILL

This was another unidentified mill with an undetermined location and time of operation.  Like the Jones Spring mill, it is just mentioned by name in some old records.

LITTLE YORK

0

Location not determined.

MARSHALL MILL

This old steam-powered gristmill was established on the James River, at the mouth of Finley Creek, by John Marshall.  He relocated the old Ingle Mill to Franklin Township around 1858.

Section 16, T30.

McCRACKENS MILL

Was built in 1822, on the James River near the mouth of Pearsons Creek, and named for the owner.

Anybody ever hear of Kershner Cemetery.  It may have been near or west of there. (Mike Flannigan)

PEARSON MILL

Another very early gristmill/distillery was built by Jeremiah Pearson, c1828-1831. The mill was set up on the headwaters of Pearson Creek, near Pearson (Powell) Spring in Section 5.

PERKINS MILL

The Perkins gristmill was also known as Carey & Perkins’ and McElhanon & Perkins Mill.  It was located on Clear Creek in Boone Township in Sec 4.  It was built around 1848.       

SACVILLE

I really wonder about Sacville.  It was VERY small back in 1961, but still showed a school (probably inactive).  I see only about 5 active residences back in 1961, with some more places surrounding it.             

(Mike Flannigan)

WALNUT FOREST

Located two miles from Strafford, was named for the nearby walnut forest.

WHINNERY MILL

The Whinnery Mill site is near Ash Grove.  Exact location not determined.

WHITE OAK GROVE

15 (1880)

Located in the southeast corner of the county, but the exact map location is not determined.

WOMMACK MILL

Located in Fair Grove, the steam-powered Wommack Mill was built in 1883, by Joe Hines and John Boegle.  It operated until 1969 when the Fair Grove Historical and Preservation Society purchased and restored the mill.

YEAKLEY

25 (1880)

Location not determined.

YOAKUM MILL

The Yokum Mill was in operation in 1914.  Its location on the Sac River is not determined.  It was named for the pioneer owner.

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.