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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

ALTON FERRY LANDING

Located on the Mississippi River opposite Alton

AUDRAINS MILL

-

...SEE Bulls Hell Mill

BAND MILL

-

...SEE Cog Wheel Mill

BELLANDS FERRY

Located on the Missouri River at St Charles. Founded by J.B. Belland in 1805.

BOONES FORT

-

...SEE Daniel M Boones Fort

BULLS HELL MILL

AKA – Audrains Mill

Location not determined.

CAMP KREKEL

Located near Cottleville. Named for Judge Arnold Krekel.

CAPPELN CUSTOM & MERCHANT MILLS

Mills at Cappeln in northwestern Femme Osage Township.

CASTLIOS FORT

A wooden fort near Howells Prairie.  Named for J Castilo.

This may be near the Francis Howell schools. (MF)

CHAIN OF ROCKS FERRY

Located on the Cuivre River near a series of exposed rocks.

CHARLESWORTH FARM

AKA – Janis Park

Located in the Cul de Sac neighborhood.

This is now sparsely populated, I think. (MF)

COG WHEEL MILL

AKA – Band Mill

Located on Howells Prairie. Built by Francis Howell.

This may be near the Francis Howell schools.

COMEGRIS MILL

AKA – Comegy’s Mill

Located in the Dog Prairie area.  Named for the owner.

This is in the northeastern part of St. Charles city. (MF)

“How do I post to the Missouri-St. Charles County ghost town list? I saw an entry for COMEGRIS MILL, and, since I grew up in that house, I have additional information. The Americanized family name was COMEGY, and the Dutch spelling was something like COMEN-GEESON. It is adjacent to Allen's Prairie - aka Josephville.

“In reference to Comegris Mill, I believe the name refers to Comegy's Mill, a log house built in 1812, at the intersection of Hwy P and Josephville/Eisenbath Roads. I know because I grew up in that house, and my parents still live there. The original 640-acre tract was deeded to the COMEGYs, who emigrated from North Carolina. Another in the party, a man named Allen, lent his name to the nearby hamlet, Allen's Prairie, which as since been renamed Josephville. The COMEGYs soon left for California, and the KERSTING family settled the property for the next 100 plus years. A portion of the 640 acres was donated to the St. Louis Archdiocese, and St. Joseph Church was built, I believe in the 1850s. A tornado destroyed the church, and another was built in 1872, which still stands today.

In 1880 a railroad was built between Gilmore and Hannibal. The St. Louis - Hannibal Railroad, known as the Short Line, skirted the western edge of Josephville on its way through Enon, another ghost town. A structure still remains where the train would stop to deliver and take on cargo, then proceed another mile or so before crossing into Lincoln County. I don't know when the rails were pulled up, but the old folks of Josephville still remember putting out small fires started by the burning coal cinders of the passing train.”

Contributed by Miles, Mar 17, 2004

COONS MILL

AKA – Coonz Mill

Located on the Dardenne in southeast Dardenne Township. Built prior to 1803.

COONTZ FORT

-

...SEE Coonz Fort

COONZ FORT

AKA – Coontz Fort,

Koontz Fort, Kountz Fort

An early fort near Cottleville.

COONZ MILL

-

...SEE Coons Mill

COTTLES MILL

Located on Dardenne Creek. Named for Dr. W. Cottle who came here around 1800.

DANIEL M BOONES FORT

AKA – Boones Fort

Located in Darsts Bottom in Femme Osage Township. Built by Daniel M Boone about 1800.

DENNYS MILL

An early water-powered mill on Dardenne Creek.

DIBBITS MILL

Location not determined.

FIRMA

On Firma Road, just off of Highway 79 in St. Charles County, outside O'Fallon, near where CR M (or K) hits CR 79 near Peruque Creek. 

GRAFTON LANDING

Located across from Grafton, IL.

GRIFFETHS FLOURING MILL

Oldest flouring mill in St Charles Co.  Built in 1838 by G.Collier.

HAYDEN SCHOOL

In the Firma Road area down Highway 79. Further northwest is Delbow Road and the abandoned Hayden School. Not sure if there was a town of Hayden or not.  (Mike Flannigan)

HAYS MILL

A water mill on Femme Osage Creek.

HOFMANS MILL

An early water-powered mill on the Dardenne.

HORSE SHOE LAKE STATION

A railroad station northeast of Horseshoe Lake.

HOWELLS FERRY

Located in southern Dardenne Township.

I think this is where Hwy 40 crosses the Missouri River. (MF)

JANIS PARK

-

...SEE Charlesworth Farm

JONATHAN BRYANS MILL

Located on a small stream in southern Femme Osage Twp, 1mi from Nathan Boones Home. Built in 1801, this is the first water-powered mill west of the Mississippi River.

KLINGERS MILL

Located in the commons of St Charles. Named for the owner, George Klinger.

KOONTZ FORT

-

...SEE Coonz Fort

KOUNTZ FORT

-

...SEE Coonz Fort

L’HABITATION

A place down the Missouri River, near St Charles.

LASOURIS

An Indian Village once located on the Mississippi River in southern Portage Des Sioux Township.

MAPLE LAKE STATION

A stop northeast of Maple  Lake.

I think this is the town of Firma, which is abandoned now. (MF)

McSPADDINS MILL

Located on Callaways Fork.

MILL

Located in Central Twp.

I wonder where Central Township is.  I don't show a Central Township for St. Charles county.  (Mike Flannigan)

MISSOURITON

A village in northeastern Femme Osage Township, on the northwest bank of the Missouri River. Founded by Daniel Boone and his son. Declined after the failure to locate the capitol there.

Sounds like this is where the Femme Osage goes into the Missouri River.

MOLLITORS MILL

An early mill on the Peruque.

OLD MONROE FERRY

The ferry opposite Old Monroe.

POLLARDS FORD

A crossing on Eagle Fork of Cuivre River.

I can't find the Eagle Fork in St. Charles County.  I think this may be in Lincoln County.  Can anybody locate Eagle Fork Post Office?  (Mike Flannigan)

PRIEURS LANDING

A landing on the Mississippi River.

REMOU

A village possibly named for Remoux a Baguette.

SPREKELMEYER PARK & CAMPING GROUNDS

A roadhouse and campground 2.5 miles west of St Peters.

TAYLORS MILL

Located on Femme Osage Creek. Named for Milton Taylor.

ZUMWALTS MILL

 A water-powered mill on Peruque Creek.

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.