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Ghost towns in Missouri

Missouri's ghost towns are mostly small farm and crossroads hamlets rather than boomtowns, many remembered mainly for a country post office that closed in the late 1800s or early 1900s. They cluster in the Ozark counties of the south, led by Texas, Wayne, Washington and Phelps, and in the Bootheel lowlands of Pemiscot and New Madrid counties.

The best-known ghost towns emptied for unusual reasons. Far West and Hawn's Mill were Latter-day Saint settlements abandoned after the violence of 1838 and the expulsion that followed. Floods destroyed Franklin on the Missouri River in the 1820s and drove Pattonsburg off the Grand River bottoms after 1993. Greenville moved two miles in 1941 for Lake Wappapello, and the Army took Hamburg, Howell and Toonerville for the Weldon Spring Ordnance Works the same year. Times Beach was bought out and torn down after dioxin contamination in the 1980s, and a 1961 realignment of Route 66 left Spencer behind. Little is standing at most of these places; Spencer's roadside buildings are the exception.

313Sites indexed

86Counties

288Mapped

7Town guides

County

Town guideOther sitesCity

Select a dot to see the site. 288 of 313 sites have reliable coordinates so far.

Town guides

7 full Missouri town guides

Our complete guides, most-read first: history, what's left, current access, photos, maps and directions.

The green steel truss bridge that carried Route 66 over the Meramec River at Times Beach, between wooded banks

Times Beach

St. Louis County

A summer resort town of the 1920s on the Meramec River that grew past 2,000 people. Dioxin in the oil sprayed on its dirt roads led to a federal…

State parkMill, lumber and companyRoute 66

Map around Belmont

Belmont

Mississippi County

A river landing platted in 1853 across the Mississippi from Columbus, Kentucky. Grant had his first test as a battlefield commander here in 1861, and…

Not verifiedRiver and lake

An abandoned one-storey stone house with a sagging hip roof and dormer, standing in tall grass across the road from the Phenix quarry

Phenix

Greene County

A company town built around a marble quarry on Sugar Creek, once among the biggest stone producers west of the Mississippi. The town emptied, but the…

Stone house · 2017 photosOther mining and oil

Map around Arlington

Arlington

Phelps County

A railroad town where the Little Piney meets the Gasconade, later a Route 66 stop with resorts and cabins. The highway moved, the interstate went…

Private homesRailroad and roadRoute 66

A two-story church with a white columned portico and a domed roof beside a grain bin, under a blue sky

Old Pattonsburg

Daviess County

A railroad town on the Grand River that flooded again and again, until the flood of 1993 finished it. The town moved uphill, and the old streets now…

Fields and a few buildingsRailroad and road

Map around Carson

Carson

Howell County

A village on the Frisco railroad by Jack Carson's iron mines, with a post office from 1908 to 1928. The record is thin and we don't know what is…

Extinct town · 1945 reportOther mining and oil

A low concrete foundation in leaf litter beside a paved path, with bare trees behind

Old Greenville

Wayne County

The county seat of Wayne County for more than a century, moved two miles north in 1941 when Lake Wappapello was built. Its streets, sidewalks and…

Foundations in a Corps park

Where to start

Missouri's best-known ghost towns

Open attractions, living towns and true ruins, with their current status.

The green steel truss bridge that carried Route 66 over the Meramec River at Times Beach

Times Beach

St. Louis County

Resort town of 1925 on the Meramec River that grew past 2,000 people. Evacuated over dioxin and demolished by 1992, it is now Route 66 State Park, open daily from 7 a.m.

Spencer Station's stone garage, Phillips 66 sign and storefronts beside the old concrete highway

Spencer

37.18, -93.70

Lawrence County

Route 66 stop where Sydney Casey built a store, garage, café and barbershop in 1926 to 1928. Bypassed in 1961, the row is being restored by its owner beside a stretch of original 66 pavement.

Being restored

Granite monument with inscribed panels at the Far West temple site

Far West

39.67, -94.13

Caldwell County

Latter-day Saint town of 1836 that grew to about 5,000 people and emptied after the 1838 expulsion. Temple cornerstones and a monument stand on a site open around the clock.

Church historic site

A Hawn's Mill Historic Site sign beside a split-rail fence and a grassy field edged by trees

Hawn's Mill

39.67, -93.84

Caldwell County

Mill settlement on Shoal Creek where a mob killed 17 Latter-day Saints on October 30, 1838. The mill is gone; a quiet field with parking marks the site, and the roads can flood in wet seasons.

Memorial site

A concrete foundation among bare trees beside a paved path at Old Greenville

Old Greenville

Wayne County

The original Greenville, moved two miles north in 1941 for Lake Wappapello. Its streets and foundations lie inside a Corps of Engineers campground, with a one-mile Memory Lane trail.

Corps of Engineers park

A yellow-brick church with a white portico, columns and a domed cupola beside a grain bin in Old Pattonsburg, July 2026

Old Pattonsburg

Daviess County

Original site of Pattonsburg on the Grand River, left behind when the town rebuilt nearby after the Flood of 1993. A photo of July 18, 2026 shows its yellow-brick Christian church still standing beside a grain bin.

Church standing (2026 photo)

Near a city

Ghost towns near St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield

Driving distance and time from downtown, routed over OpenStreetMap roads. Dirt roads are usually slower than the estimate.

Near St. Louis drive

Times Beach26 mi35 min
Machens27 mi47 min
Mud Town65 mi1 h 33 min
Fourche a Renault78 mi1 h 52 min
Old Greenville124 mi2 h 28 min

Near Kansas City drive

Pink Hill24 mi32 min
Far West55 mi1 h 11 min
Old Pattonsburg73 mi1 h 28 min
Ovid59 mi1 h 35 min
Hawn's Mill76 mi1 h 40 min

Near Springfield drive

Spencer24 mi34 min
Phenix22 mi40 min
Possum Trot23 mi43 min
Radical44 mi1 h 07 min
Monark Springs77 mi1 h 38 min
Georgia City80 mi1 h 47 min

Directory

All 313 Missouri sites

Every town, camp and settlement in our Missouri index, with its county. A ◦ marks sites already on the map.

313 sites

A

AbattisWarren ◦
AdelbertWashington ◦
AjaxStoddard ◦
AlamodeReynolds ◦
AlhambraStoddard ◦
AlmarthaOzark ◦
AltheaOzark ◦
AnnDouglas ◦
AntlerWright ◦
AratorPettis ◦
ArdathBarton ◦
ArkDent ◦
ArlingtonPhelps ◦
AsperCarroll ◦
AtchleyLaclede ◦
AveryCrawford ◦

B

BaconMoniteau ◦
BarlowWayne ◦
BarrenCarter ◦
BaxterNew Madrid ◦
BayfieldDeKalb ◦
BealShannon ◦
BelmontMississippi
BennettRipley ◦
Black IslandPemiscot ◦
BloodlandPulaski ◦
BlosserSaline ◦
BlyHowell ◦
BooneFranklin ◦
BoonesboroughBoone ◦
BoothPike ◦
BoxfordDeKalb ◦
Branums PointDunklin ◦
BrazilWashington ◦
BrentPemiscot ◦
BroadwayMaries ◦
BryantDouglas ◦
BuickIron ◦
Bunker HillLewis ◦
Burr OakLincoln ◦
BuschPike ◦
ByberryCooper ◦

C

D

DairyvilleReynolds ◦
DamonWayne ◦
De CampPhelps ◦
DecaturCole ◦
DeweyPolk ◦
DilliaOzark ◦
DingleyOsage ◦
Doylesport TownshipBarton ◦
Dupont

E

EagletteStoddard ◦
East LakeNew Madrid ◦
EaudevieChristian ◦
EdanvilleTexas ◦
EmmettDade ◦
Empire Prairie (Couchtown)
EnoughIron ◦
EnterpriseMcDonald ◦

F

FeuersvilleOsage ◦
Finley FallsWebster ◦
FirmaSt. Charles ◦
FisherCarroll ◦
FlagTaney ◦
Flory
Forest SpringsKnox ◦
FortyvilleLafayette ◦
Fountain FarmWashington ◦
Fourche a RenaultWashington ◦
Fourteen BendPemiscot ◦
FrailieNew Madrid ◦
FugetMississippi ◦

G

GaitherLawrence ◦
GarberTaney ◦
GarrettCallaway ◦
GascondyOsage ◦
GenovaLivingston ◦
GeorgeFranklin ◦
Georgia CityJasper ◦
Gravel PointTexas ◦
Grays PointScott ◦
Greene SpringsVernon ◦
GreenfieldMississippi ◦
GreshamPolk ◦
GroganTexas ◦

H

HaileyBarry ◦
HalcyonDent ◦
Half RockMercer ◦
HallettMississippi ◦
HannaPulaski ◦
HartMacon ◦
HattieTexas ◦
Hauns Mill
HawleyWright ◦
HazletonTexas ◦
HebronShelby ◦
HelveyReynolds ◦
HematiteJefferson ◦
HiattWebster ◦
Hickory CreekAudrain ◦
HicoDallas ◦
HimmelStoddard ◦
HobartLincoln ◦
HolmanWebster ◦
HowlandPutnam ◦
HulstonDade ◦
HurstTexas ◦
HydesburgRalls ◦

I

IndexCass ◦
IndustryHenry ◦
IngallsPolk ◦
InkShannon ◦
IshmaelWashington ◦
Iuka SpringsSt. Clair ◦

J

K

Keener CaveWayne ◦
KennedyPemiscot ◦
KerriganWayne ◦
KimeWayne ◦
KimptonCass ◦
KingbeeRipley ◦
Kirk
KylesWayne ◦

L

LambMarion ◦
LaMottePike ◦
LandmarkHoward ◦
LarissaDouglas ◦
LawingChristian ◦
LeducGasconade ◦
LeopolisLivingston ◦
LickskilletPutnam ◦
LindaNew Madrid ◦
LindersvilleAdair ◦
LisletownOsage ◦
Little Compton
LongvilleMacon ◦
LoringWright ◦
LouisaTexas ◦
LovejoyCape Girardeau ◦
LucernePutnam ◦
LunaOzark ◦
LutmanPettis ◦

M

MacedoniaPhelps ◦
MachensSt. Charles ◦
Main CityCass ◦
MandaGasconade ◦
MarcootReynolds ◦
Marion City
MarkMarion ◦
Marmaros
MartinsburgRipley ◦
MashekLincoln ◦
MaxDent ◦
McDonald TownshipBarry ◦
McFarlandTaney ◦
Medhill
MelvaTaney ◦
Mineola
MingsvilleWright ◦
MoarkDunklin ◦
Modoc
Monark SpringsNewton ◦
MorseyWarren ◦
MottHowell ◦
Mud TownWashington ◦

N

NagleTexas ◦
NanceTaney ◦
New GroveWright ◦
New LibertyOregon ◦
New YorkScott ◦
NoonanRalls ◦
NorfolkMississippi ◦
NormanPhelps ◦

O

OgdenNew Madrid ◦
OjibwayWayne ◦
Old Aurora Springs
Old Franklin
Old Greenville
Old PattonsburgDaviess ◦
OmbaDouglas ◦
OrleansPolk ◦
OscarTexas ◦
OvidRay ◦
OwenLincoln ◦

P

PalmerWashington ◦
ParksButler ◦
PashawVernon ◦
PassoBenton ◦
PauldingDunklin ◦
Paw PawSullivan ◦
Pea RidgeWashington ◦
PeruBates ◦
PhenixGreene ◦
PierpontBoone ◦
Pink HillJackson ◦
PinkleyReynolds ◦
PlatowWayne ◦
Pleasant GroveRipley ◦
Plum ValleyTexas ◦
Polepenhollow School
PonderRipley ◦
PoplinStoddard ◦
Possum TrotStone ◦
PowellCass ◦
PrairieviewWarren ◦
Prairieville

Q

QuoteCarroll ◦

R

RadicalStone ◦
RaftvilleTexas ◦
RailWright ◦
ReadingPike ◦
RectorShannon ◦
RedmanScott ◦
Reedville
RelfePhelps ◦
RembertWright ◦
RidgewayHarrison ◦
RippeeDouglas ◦
RiversideReynolds ◦
RivertonOregon ◦
RoarkBarry ◦
RoubidouxTexas ◦
RueterTaney ◦
Rushs RidgeMississippi ◦
RyorsOsage ◦

S

Salt River TownshipRalls ◦
SelkirkNew Madrid ◦
Senate GroveFranklin ◦
SeybertDade ◦
ShepardIron ◦
Sherwood
ShobeBates ◦
SignalPhelps ◦
SigsbeeShelby ◦
SilvertonDouglas ◦
SinkinShannon ◦
SligoDent ◦
SpartaChristian ◦
Spitlog
Spring CreekPhelps ◦
St John
StancilPemiscot ◦
Sterling LandingLincoln ◦
StewartPemiscot ◦
StrodervilleCape Girardeau ◦
SwiftPemiscot ◦

T

Taskee StationWayne ◦
TealCole ◦
TedrickDouglas ◦
Terre HautePutnam ◦
TerryPemiscot ◦
Three StatesMississippi ◦
Times BeachSt. Louis ◦
Times Beach
ToddMorgan ◦
TuckerRipley ◦
TullvaniaMacon ◦
TurleyTexas ◦
Turners MillOregon ◦
TurtleDent ◦

U

UpalikaWayne ◦

V

Valley ForgeSt. Francois ◦
Van Horn Tavern
VelsorChristian ◦
VessiePhelps ◦
VilanderCrawford ◦
VintonBates ◦

W

WalbertFranklin ◦
West LibertyPutnam ◦
West UnionCass ◦
WestbrookPemiscot ◦
WestcottPhelps ◦
WhiteWashington ◦
WilaNew Madrid ◦
WilkieSt. Charles ◦
Wittenburg

X

XeniaNodaway ◦

Z

ZetaStoddard ◦
ZodiacVernon ◦

Plan a trip

Visiting Missouri's ghost towns

01

Expect a field, not a main street

Many Missouri ghost towns left little behind. Old Franklin's last foundations washed away in the 1993 flood, Times Beach was demolished, and Hawn's Mill is woods and fields. Look for cemeteries, churches and old road alignments, and check the status line before you drive.

02

Ask before you cross a fence

Unless a site is a park or other public land, assume it is private. Missouri's trespass law covers fenced or posted land, and owners may post it with purple paint: vertical stripes on trees or painted fence-post tops mean no trespassing.

03

Watch the water and the ticks

Many of these towns sat in floodplains, and roads to sites like Hawn's Mill can flood after heavy rain. Never drive into flood water: the National Weather Service says over half of flood drownings happen in vehicles. Ticks are most active from April to July in weedy, overgrown ground like old townsites, so use repellent and check yourself.

04

Leave graves and relics alone

Old town cemeteries are often all that is left. Disturbing a marked or unmarked burial site in Missouri is a felony, and on federal land such as the Mark Twain National Forest or Corps lakes, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act covers digging and collecting.

FAQ

Common questions

How many ghost towns are in Missouri?

No one has a complete count; Wikipedia's list is marked incomplete. Our index lists 313 sites in 86 counties, most of them small hamlets known from Wikipedia articles. Texas County has the most, with 13.

What is the most famous ghost town in Missouri?

Times Beach. More than 2,000 people lived there before dioxin contamination led to a federal buyout in 1983, the end of the town in 1985 and demolition by 1992. The site is now Route 66 State Park, off I-44 at Eureka.

Can you visit Times Beach?

Yes. Route 66 State Park is open daily from 7 a.m. to half an hour after sunset. Nothing of the houses remains, but the visitor center in the 1935 Bridgehead Inn covers Route 66 and the town's history.

Which ghost towns are near Kansas City?

Far West is about 1 hour 10 minutes from downtown Kansas City, Old Pattonsburg about an hour and a half, and Hawn's Mill about 1 hour 40 minutes. Far West and Hawn's Mill are both in Caldwell County, so they pair well in one day. Pink Hill, in eastern Jackson County, is about half an hour away.

Are Missouri ghost towns on private land?

Many are. Treat fences, gates and purple-painted trees or posts as no trespassing. Four of the sites featured here are exceptions: Times Beach is a state park, Far West and Hawn's Mill are church historic sites, and Old Greenville is a Corps of Engineers campground.

Sources

List of ghost towns in Missouri, Wikipedia, October 2026: incomplete list and the Weldon Spring towns.
Missouri Ghost Towns, Legends of America, updated March 2026: which sites are best known.
Times Beach, Legends of America, 2026: the Bridgehead Inn, the park and the old Route 66 bridge.
Spencer, Missouri: Back to Life on 66, Legends of America, updated August 2026: Spencer history, 1961 bypass, 2022 sale and restoration.
Old Franklin, Legends of America, updated December 2025: the town's loss to floods and the 1993 flood.
Spencer Station, owner's site, 2026: building dates and restoration.
Route 66 State Park and park hours, Missouri State Parks, 2025 to 2026: visitor center and daily hours.
Far West and Hawn's Mill, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2026: hours, services, the 1838 massacre and road flooding.
Greenville Recreation Area, US Army Corps of Engineers on Recreation.gov, 2026: campground on the Old Greenville townsite and the Memory Lane trail.
RSMo 569.145, 569.140 and 194.410, Missouri Revisor of Statutes: purple-paint posting, trespass and burial sites.
Archaeological Resources Protection Act, National Park Service, 2026: protection of sites on federal land.
Turn Around Don't Drown, National Weather Service: flood deaths in vehicles.
Ticks, Missouri Department of Conservation: tick season and habitat.
Coordinates for featured towns: USGS Geographic Names Information System, October 2026, except Hawn's Mill (Wikipedia).
Christian Church in Old Pattonsburg, photograph by SamuelNelsonGISP, Wikimedia Commons, taken July 18, 2026: the church standing beside a grain bin.
Town summaries: Wikipedia articles on Times Beach, Spencer, Far West, Hawn's Mill massacre, Greenville, Old Greenville, Old Pattonsburg, Franklin and Hamburg, October 2026.
Drive times: OSRM routing on © OpenStreetMap contributors data (ODbL), October 2026.
Site index: ghosttowns.com Missouri lists and Wikipedia, October 2026. County outlines: US Census via us-atlas (public domain).

Photo credits

Times Beach: Kbh3rd, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Phenix: Diedrichb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Old Pattonsburg: SamuelNelsonGISP, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Old Greenville: Jon Roanhaus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Spencer: Edklein69, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Far West: John Hamer at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Hawn's Mill: HM History Buff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Old Greenville: Jon Roanhaus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Old Pattonsburg: SamuelNelsonGISP, Wikimedia Commons, CC0