Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Prince William County, Virginia

Joplin

Unincorporated community in Virginia.

Record

About Joplin

Joplin is an unincorporated community and former town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The town was located on land taken to form Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area and is now part of Prince William Forest Park, a National Park Service property located adjacent to Marine Corps Base Quantico.

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

USGS topographic map around Joplin
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

18 historic USGS maps cover Joplin

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.

Showing the first 16.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

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 Joplin

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

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Joplin, Virginia": coordinates and summary.
  2. Wikidata Q6276171.
  3. USGS GNIS 1495769.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).