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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

ASH LANDING

A car stop on the St Francois County Electric Railroad at Paca Ashburns residence.

There is an Ashburn Cemetery southwest of French Village, but it might have little to do with this.  (Mike Flannigan)

BARRY TOWN

A short distance from Doe Run.

This might be about 1.5 miles west of Doe Run.  (Mike Flannigan)

BIG RIVER MILLS

AKA – Georges Mill, Tyler Mill

Located on the Big River.  Built in 1825.

This is probably about two miles southeast of Bonne Terre.

(Mike Flannigan)

According to the 1888 Goodspeed’s History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford & Gasconade Counties, Missouri, this pioneering settlement was established in 1796. (GBS)

BLAIRSVILLE

Located one mile north of Bismark.  The plat was filed on April 14, 1858.

This looks like an interesting place.  There is a very large cemetery nearby.  (Mike Flannigan)

BLUE GOOSE HILL

Blue Goose Hill is located around the 800 block of West Main St. in Park Hills. Refers to an old tavern that was there named the Blue Goose.  (L Patterson, Jan 20, 2004)

BOGYTOWN

Once located outside the limits of Bonne Terre.

BONNE TERRE MINE

Just outside the town of Bonne Terre, about 60 miles south of St. Louis. This 1864-1961 era lead mine now attracts SCUBA divers into some of its 17 miles of flooded tunnels. $

CANTWELL

Now part of Desloge.

CEDAR FALLS

Location not determined

CLARDY

A stop on the St Francois Co. Electric Railroad, about one mile west of Farmington.

CRAWFORD TOWN

Located near Doe Run.

CRAWLEY BOTTOM

Located in northwestern St. Francois Township. (Mike Flannigan)

Along the Flat River creek, by Haney, Reuter & Crane Sts.

(L Patterson, Jan 20, 2004)

DENTS SETTLEMENT

AKA – Dents Station

Located south of Bismark on the Missouri-Pacific Railroad.

DENTS STATION

…SEE Dents Settlement

DOE RUN JUNCTION

Located five miles southwest of Farmington. 

This appears to be just over one mile southeast of Doe Run. (MF)

DOG TOWN

A mining settlement. Located not determined

ELECTRIC PLACE

AKA – Power House

Located in southern St Francois Township. The St. Francois Electric Railroad generating station was there. Surveyed in 1907.

ELVINS

1548 (1980)

DEAD NAME…On Jan 01, 1994, it was incorporated into the town of Park Hills.

ESTHER

1038 (1980)

DEAD NAME…On Jan 01, 1994, it was incorporated into the town of Park Hills.

FAIRVIEW ACRES

Now part of Flat River, which itself is now a DEAD NAME, as on Jan 01, 1994, it was incorporated into the town of Park Hills.

FEDERAL

Not listed in the 1986 Rand McNally atlas, it was listed in 1995 as a part of Park Hills.  It is located on the south edge of that community, west of Leadington, and southeast of Rivermines.

FLAT RIVER

4474 (1980)

DEAD NAME…On Jan 01, 1994, it was incorporated into the town of Park Hills.

FOUR HOUSE TOWN

DEAD NAME...Now called Leadington.

GUMBO

100

Located between Park Hills and Leadwood, my grandparents lived there.  The tornado of 1957 also went thru there.

(L Patterson, Jan 20, 2004)

HAGGAI

AKA–Fairview, Hog Eye

Located between Doe Run and Iron Mountain.

HAWKIN FORD

Located on the St Francois River near Snake Den.

We should be able to find this one, but I can’t. (Mike Flannigan)

HERODS FORD

Over Big River at Desloge.

HIGHLEY FORD

A crossing between Leadwood and Potosi on Big River.

HIGHLY HEIGHTS

Now part of Desloge.

HUNT

Located on the St Francois Co Electric Railroad near Ash Hill.

This might be near Leadwood. (Mike Flannigan)

HURRYVILLE

60

Located about three miles east of Leadington, east of Park Hills on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

JAY-BIRD TOWN

Jay-Bird Town was near, and absorbed into, Flat River. (M. Flannigan)

KNAUSS

A stop on the St Francois Co Electric Railroad on the Knauss farm.

LEDBETTERS

Located on the St Francois Co Electric Railroad near Farmington.

MISSOURI MINE

Located on US 32, near the town of Flat River at the north end of St. Joe State Park, this SHS is the site of the lead-milling complex for the St. Joe Mine.

MITCHELL

100

(25 – 1980)

Located about a mile south of Leadwood and about four miles west of Park Hills.  It had 25 folks in 1980, but 100 in 1990.

MOONTOWN

Once located near Bonne Terre.  Sure would like to find this one.  (Mike Flannigan)

Moon Town is located (on the) south edge of Bonne Terre on rock quarry hill.  Parks salvage is on top.  (Angie, May 31, 2001) 

MORRIS TOWN

Located just west of Doe Run.

Welbourn Town was also in this area.  I think these are near German Cemetery, but I'm not sure.  (Mike Flannigan)

O’MEARA

A station on the Missouri-Pacific Railroad five miles southeast of Farmington.

PEACH ORCHARD

Location not determined

PIMVILLE

Located on the Pim Tract.

Looks like this may be a little southeast of Derby.  (Mike Flannigan)

POWER HOUSE

...SEE Electric Place 

PRATT

Located on the St Francois Co Electric Railroad in St Francois Township.

Probably located near Bonne Terre.  (Mike Flannigan)

RED ONION TOWN

Located at Red Onion Lead Shaft.  This is barely south of Leadington. (Mike Flannigan)

My 82-year old father says it is about where the KFC is in Leadington and there used to be a cave by the same name. (L Patterson, Jan 20, 2004)

RIVERMINES

A municipality that has been incorporated into Park Hills.  Due west of Flat River on Old 32.   (L Patterson, Jan 20, 2004)

This was our Dec 2007 Ghost Town of the Month

SAINTE WILLIAMS

Located on the Saline Valley Railroad near Libertyville.

This is a fascinating area.  Somebody should know about this.  (MF)

SARCY

Located on the Missouri-Pacific Railroad.

SCAGGSTOWN

Located east of Doe Run.

SNYDERS FORD

Located on Terre Blue Creek near the east side of Marion Township.

STOB TOWN

Location not determined

SWINK

A stop on the St Francois Co Electric Railroad at the Swink farm.

This might be located near Womack.  (Mike Flannigan)

TAYLOR

Located on the St Francois Co Electric Railroad.

THREE-TOWN

This I am not sure, but I think it is off of CR P just on the outskirts of Desloge, an old miner's settlement, a bunch of small houses.

(L Patterson, 01/20/2004)

TURPIN

Located in Pendleton Township.

This is probably very close to Delassus.  Might even be Delassus.  (Mike Flannigan)

WELBOURN TOWN

Located west of Doe Run.

WHITENER

A stop on the St Francois Co Electric Railroad on the Whitener farm.

WOODLAND PARK

Located 3.5 miles northwest of Farmington.

Sounds like this is near the drive-in theater northwest of Farmington.  (Mike Flannigan)

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.