Record
About Machens
Machens is an extinct town in St. Charles County, in the U.S. state of Missouri.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Machens, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Machens is

Historic maps
12 historic USGS maps cover Machens
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1927 St Charles sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1933 Saint Charles sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1933 St Charles sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1949 Saint Louis sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1949 St Louis sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1954 Elsah sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1954 St Charles sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1962 St Louis sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1963 St Louis sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1966 St Louis sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1985 St Louis sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1991 Elsah sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Machens
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Missouri index.
- Wilkie3.7 mi W · St. Charles
- Columbia Bottom Conservation Area11.7 mi SE · St. Louis
- Firma18.5 mi W · St. Charles
- Sterling Landing24.3 mi NW · Lincoln
- Burr Oak25.6 mi NW · Lincoln
- Owen28.7 mi W · Lincoln
- Times Beach30.9 mi SW · St. Louis
Sources
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Machens, Missouri": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q28035700.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).