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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

AVORY

This town was in southern Johnson Township.  An Avory family is known to have lived in Johnson Township, but the location of the town is UNKNOWN and the origin of the name uncertain.

Light and Veto are in this area.  Could be one of those.  (Mike Flannigan)

BARNETT

…SEE Barnetts Station

BARNETTS STATION

AKA – Barnett,

Barretts Station

This village was abandoned by 1938. It was located in northern Boone Township and was named for Dr Harrison Barnett, who was a physician there in the early 1850's.

I suspect this might be southeast of Meta in Sugar Creek Valley, but that's just a guess.  (Mike Flannigan)

BARRETTS STATION

…SEE Barnetts Station

BERT

…SEE Honseville

BLOOMGARDEN

AKA – Blumengarten

Bloomgarden was on the Gasconade River in the center of the county. It was named Blumengarten by Charles James (a German), for his fine garden. It has been Anglicized.

BLUMENGARTEN

…SEE Bloomgarden

BUCKSNORT

…SEE Richey

CARNES CAMP GROUND

Carnes Camp Ground was located in Boone Township. It was named for Reverend Carnes.

DAN

Dan was a rural post office in northeastern Jefferson Township. It was named for Daniel Boone Crider, an early settler.

This might be outside the county, over in Gasconade or Osage counties, but I'm not sure. (Mike Flannigan)

FAINSWICK

Fainswick was located in northwestern Jackson Township. By 1938 no trace of this place could be found.

HADLEY

AKA – Heck

Hadley was located in Jefferson Township. It was originally named Heck after the storekeeper, Balentine Heck. The name was changed after Herbert S. Hadley was elected Governer of Missouri.

HECK

…SEE Hadley

HIGHGROVE

Highgrove was a rural post office in Johnson Township. It was discontinued before 1938.

This is a little over a mile south of Safe.  (Mike Flannigan)

HONSEVILLE

AKA –  Bert

Honseville was a store and rural post office in Spring Creek Township. It was named for Robert Honse, storekeeper. It was formerly called Bert for Bert Allen, postmaster.

KINDERHOOK

Kinderhook was located on the Gasconade River. It was the first post office in the county (1837), and was named for President Van Buren's birthplace.

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

LACON

Lacon was a rural post office in Boone Township. It was relocated several times, and discontinued before 1938.

MENTON

Menton was a rural post office in northern Boone Township that was discontinued by 1938.

(In) 1987 a group of 4-5 homes (were still located) up on the hill on the north side of CR JJ, just 0.24 miles southwest (of) the intersection of CR JJ/V. I'm guessing Manton may be the correct name, and Menton and Maintain may be corruptions of this.  Just a guess though.  (Mike Flannigan - Dec 09, 2001 )

OLD BLOOM LANDING

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)

PENDLETON SETTLEMENT

Nothing could be learned of this place.

Probably near Old Van Cleve.  (Mike Flannigan)

RADER

Rader was a rural post office in Jackson Township, and named for Reverend Rader. It was abandoned by 1938.

RICHEY

AKA – Bucksnort

Richey was a store in Miller Township, and was named after the storekeeper. Also known as Bucksnort because Mr. Richey said he could hear a buck snort every morning.

SANTEE

Santee was a rural post office in Miller Township named for Addison Santee, a civil engineer for the Frisco Railroad. It was abandoned by 1938.

STEEN PRAIRIE

Steen Prairie was a rural post office in Jefferson Township that was discontinued before 1938.

TUCKERS STORE

Tuckers Store was located in Miller Township. It was named for the first storekeeper.

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.