Record

About Brownsville

Brownsville, also known as Avalon, Esther's Place, and Anderson's Place, is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The town was originally a lumber camp, and it was named for contractor David Brown.
From Wikipedia, "Brownsville, South Dakota", CC BY-SA 4.0.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Brownsville, 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 Brownsville is

USGS topographic map around Brownsville — USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

8 historic USGS maps cover Brownsville

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.

1894 Deadwood sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
1899 Sturgis sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
1901 Deadwood sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
1915 Sturgis sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
1916 Deadwood sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
1953 Rapid City sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
1957 Rapid City sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
1961 Deadwood South sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directions Apple Maps OpenStreetMap

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 Brownsville

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our South Dakota index.

Roubaix1.4 mi E · Lawrence
Galena4.8 mi NE · Lawrence
Flatiron5.1 mi NW · Lawrence
Lead6.5 mi NW · Lawrence
Terraville6.9 mi NW · Lawrence
Terry7.3 mi NW · Lawrence
Blacktail7.3 mi NW · Lawrence
Nahant7.5 mi SW · Lawrence

Sources

ghosttowns.com, "Brownsville": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
Wikipedia, "Brownsville, South Dakota": coordinates and summary.
Wikidata Q4976759.
USGS GNIS 1265621.
USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).