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Town USA Column Index for Arkansas |
If you
know of any ghost towns in Arkansas that are not listed here, or know the
current status of towns listed with little information, please contact us… One of the contributors to information on this
webpage summed up the feeling of ghost towns and what I am trying to do with
these pages… “These places are rich in history. Although, our people respect all
that these towns are, I don't think they will ever know all of the importance
of all these old places and as to how it pertains to missing pieces of
Arkansas History.” Teri Gentry, May 09, 2006.
Thanks Teri for your
contributions to helping save the history of some of Arkansas’ ghost towns. Some of the vignettes below contain specific
words that are listed on our DEFINITIONS
page. If you are unfamiliar with the
meaning of the word in a ghost town sense, click on the link and scroll down
to that term. You can use the BACK
button on the browser to return to this page. HELP! Please check here to find a list of ghost
towns that various contacts are looking for.
IF you have any information on these places please e-mail me
and I can respond back to those looking for info on these ghosts. PLEASE NOTE: Where
photos are indicated, please use your browser’s “BACK” button to
return to this page. More photos will
be added over time. |
|
Arkansas
Co. |
A class B
river port located on ·
T8S, R3W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude: 34.0189903 / 34° 01’ 08” N ·
Longitude: -91.3490083 / 91° 20’ 56” W |
(OLD)
|
Lonoke
Co. |
(Original site)
This old town was founded in 1821, and its remains lie near the
junction of SH 319/321, 20 AIR miles northeast of ·
SE¼ Sec 9, SW¼ Sec 10, T4N, R9W. Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude: 34.9867542 / 34° 59’ 12” N ·
Longitude: -91.9640322 / 91° 57’ 51” W |
BARTHOLOMEW
AKA – Baxter |
Drew
Co. |
Bartholomew was located on ·
Ctr Sec 34, T13S, R4W. Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude: 33.5292786 / 33° 31’ 45” N ·
Longitude: -91.4970672 / 91° 29’ 49” W |
BINGEN
|
Hempsted
Co. |
“Hello, I always
enjoy your articles about the travels and towns you visit. If you ever get to
southwest Arkansas you need to visit the only true ghost in our area. It is
called Bingen and has seven or eight remaining
stores and homes (all abandoned) from the 1870's period.” Contributed by Rick
Steed, May 30, 2005 It is located in the
northwest corner of the county, at the junction of the Bingen-Corinth
Road (CR 27N)/Bingen Cutoff Road (CR 351), just
south of the railroad crossing, 0.75 miles south of SH 26 and about eight
miles southwest of Murfreesboro. (GBS) ·
NW¼ Sec 16, T9S, R26W. Fifth
Principal Meridian ·
Latitude: 33.9756677 / 33° 58’ 32” N ·
Longitude: -93.7840712 / 93° 47’ 03” W |
BLANCHARD SPRINGS
|
Union
Co. |
“This area 5-10 miles east of the border town of
Contributed by Dan Futch
(07/08/2004) Blanchard Springs was located about 10 miles due
south of El Dorado, 3.5 miles east of Junction City and about 0.8 miles north
of the state line. The Blanchard Springs Post Office was in operation
1881-1919. (GBS) ·
NW¼ Sec 33, T19S, R15W.
Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude: 33.0265263 / 33° 01’ 35” N ·
Longitude: -92.6668221 / 92° 40’ 01” W |
|
Lonoke
Co. |
This class B, former county seat is
located at the southwest part of the junction of SH 31/ ·
NE¼ Sec
8, T2N, R8W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
34.8195346 / 34° 49’ 10” N ·
Longitude:
-91.8793054 / 91° 52’ 45” W |
CADRON
|
Faulkner
Co. |
Northwest of Little Rock, this class A steamboat port sits on
a bluff on the east side of the Arkansas River, overlooking the confluence of
Cadron Creek with the Arkansas River, several miles
northwest of Conway and just southwest of I-40. Cadron
was founded in 1814, and by 1820, Cadron and ·
Ctr Sec 36, T6N, R15W,
Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
35.1153623 / 35° 06’ 55” N ·
Longitude:
-92.5501598 / 92° 33’ 01” W |
CHAMPAGNOLLE LANDING
AKA – |
Union
Co. |
A class B river port, just south
of the ·
W½ Sec
23, T16S, R14W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
33.3129022 / 33° 18’ 46” N ·
Longitude:
-92.5212619 / 92° 31’ 17” W |
|
Chicot
Co. |
In the far southeastern corner of the state,
this former river port/county seat is all but forgotten. The site is not listed on GNIS. |
DAVIDSONVILLE
|
Randolph
Co. |
Now “Davidsonville Historic
State Park,” this class B town is on the south
end of SH 166, at the Black River, nine miles south of US 62 at a point two
miles west of Pocahontas. Davidsonville was established around 1815. In 1817 the first post office in ·
SW¼ Sec
35, T18N, R1W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
36.1542356 / 36° 09’ 15” N ·
Longitude:
-91.0556796 / 91° 03’ 20” W |
AKA – Doddville, Doddsville |
Marion Co. |
“You might find Dodd City of interest, too. I
grew up there and played in the old two story one room school house. It was
built by a doctor and his wife. It was
located near Yellville.” Contributed by Teri Gentry May 09, 2006 Located northwest of Yellville on ·
NW¼ Sec 4, T19N,
R17W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
36.3272913 / 36° 19’ 38” N ·
Longitude:
-92.7929465 / 92° 47’ 35” W |
AKA - French |
Fulton
Co. |
This tiny bump in the road is a onetime
important traveler’s stop. In the 1860s, it was located on the old ·
SE¼ Sec 26, T20N,
R7W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
36.3606209 / Latitude: 36° 21’ 38” N ·
Longitude:
-91.6934780 / 91° 41’ 37” W |
FROG LEVEL
|
Columbia
Co. |
This unique name was applied to a small
community about eight miles northwest of Magnolia. It dates to the 1850s, and
in 1853 a court was established here. At one time there were a couple stores,
a hotel, and a blacksmith shop. GNIS lists it as a variant name for
Magnolia. ???? (GBS) |
|
Logan
Co. |
A long forgotten gold-mining town established
during a short-lived gold rush to the area south of Booneville in 1886-1887.
The boom busted, and ·
NW¼ Sec 36, T5N,
R28W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
35.0592612 / 35° 03’ 33” N ·
Longitude:
-93.9260361 / 93° 55’ 34” W |
GRAPHIC
|
Crawford
Co. |
“GRAPHIC is in Crawford County,
near Mountainburg. Its elevation is
900 feet and it is on the USGS map titled Mountainburg SW. It was a post
office from 1883 - 1905. When it was closed Contributed
by Ed Sanders, Nov 08, 2002 It is
located just northeast of the junction of W. Graphic Road/S Graphic Dr./N Graphic Cutoff, north of I-40, east of I-540, about 13
AIR miles northeast of Van Buren ( ·
NW¼ Sec 1, T10N,
R30W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
35.5734184 / 35° 34’ 24” N ·
Longitude:
-94.1435387 / 94° 08’ 37” W |
|
Clark
Co. |
Located at the junction
of Graysonia/Marrlow/No
Name roads, east of the railroad
tracks and the Antoine River southwest of De Gray Lake, and 10 miles south of
Amity, about 80 miles southwest of Little Rock. It is along the western county line due
west of Arkadelphia. Rubble and ruins
remain of this one-time company-owned
lumber town that once had a population of 700. It was active from
1907-mid 1930s. The post office closed
in 1950. Click here for more
information on GRAYSONIA. |
|
|
|
Craighead
Co. ? |
“ I'm
61 years old and as a child I can remember the little town that was dying
off. There's nothing there - on highway 351 just off highway 49 north - now
except a small sign hidden in some weeds and the remnants of an old store. I
can remember going into that old store and having the proprietor make big,
thick bologna sandwiches for us. He would slather on the mayo and the bread
would be so fresh it was almost gooey. Then we would top that off with a big
Dr. Pepper and be on our way. Boy, have times changed!! The reason Contributed by Judy Furr, Apilr 09, 2005 Shown by GNIS on SH 351,
at junction with Minnie Jones (Rutherford) Lane, 2.6 miles west of SH 1/US
49, midway between ·
SW¼ Sec
2, T15N, R4E, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
35.9547939 / 35° 57’ 17” N ·
Longitude:
-90.6223324 /90° 37’ 20” W |
|
|
Union
Co. |
Shown on an
1898 map of River: ·
E½ Sec 33, T15S, R17W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
33.380999 ·
Longitude:
-92.771004 (Railroad bridge over creek) GNIS: ·
SE¼ Sec
20, T18S, R16W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
33.1368007 / 33° 08’ 12” N ·
Longitude:
-92.7715489 / 92° 46’ 18” W |
|
HIX'S FERRY |
Randolph
Co. |
In 1800 William Hix
established a ferry across the The rural community of Pitman is in the
northeast corner of the county, 1.5 miles south of the state line, and three
miles west of the county line, which bisects the Pitman: ·
E-Ctr Sec 11, T11N, R2E, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
36.4783947 / 36° 28’ 42” N ·
Longitude:
-90.8226205 / 90° 49’ 21” W |
HOPEFIELD
|
Crittenden
Co. |
Located along the Mississippi River on the
northeast side of Hopefield Point south of Hopefield Chute, just east of ·
W-Ctr Sec 7, T6N, R9E, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
35.1553677 / 35° 09’ 19” N ·
Longitude:
-90.0748139 / 90° 04’ 29” W |
LANESPORT
AKA - Laynesport |
Little
River Co. |
This former bustling river port and cross roads
community was tucked into the little corner of the state on the north side of
the Red River, northwest of Texarkana, and just ¾ mile east of the Oklahoma
state line and south of SH 108. ·
Ctr of S line of Sec 12/N
line Sec 13, T13S, R33W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
33.6492828 / 33° 38’ 57” N ·
Longitude:
-94.4729830 / 94° 28’ 23” W |
LEWISBURG
|
Conway
Co. |
A former ·
SW¼ Sec
20, T6N, R16W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
35.1420286 / 35° 08’ 31” N ·
Longitude:
-92.7351647 / 92° 44’ 07” W |
MARIANNA
Original
site |
Lee
Co. |
The ORIGINAL SITE of this
former river port is on the L'Anguille River, 1.5
miles from the present town. The original site once was the head of
navigation on the L'Anguille River. It is located due east of One source claims the original town was established as
Walnut Ridge in 1848 by Colonel Walter H Otey along
the L’Anguille River. According to GNIS, there was a post office
called Walnut Ridge in operation from 1848-1852. Then the Marianna Post Office opened in
1852, so the closing of the Walnut Ridge PO and the opening of the Marianne
PO at may have indicated the name change.
The city website claims Marianna was established in 1870, so that may
be the year the town relocated. If the
Walnut Ridge/Old Marianna location is in section 4 as indicated by GNIS that
would place it northeast of Felton. Felton is a fading rural community and had
a post office from 1873-1925 as Walnut Ridge Post Office (1848-1852): ·
Sec 4, T2N, R3E, Fifth
Principal Meridian (GNIS) ·
NO Lat/Long #’s given. Present Marianna Post
Office: ·
NW¼ Sec
23, T2N, R3E, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
34.7734304 / 34° 46’ 24” N ·
Longitude:
-90.7595556 / 90° 45’ 34” W |
NAPOLEON
|
Desha
Co. |
Along the Arkansas River near its confluence
with the GNIS shows Napoleon Landing on the west side of
the confluence, about a mile upstream on a round “semi-island” along the
first horseshoe bend on the Arkansas River, about four miles southwest of
Rosedale, MS. These two names are
probably the same location. Napoleon
Landing
(GNIS): ·
Sec 27,
T10S, R1W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
33.7967758 / 33° 47’ 48” N ·
Longitude:
-91.0739985 / 91° 04’ 26” W |
PINNACLE SPRINGS
|
Faulkner
Co. |
“You may not be aware of Contributed by
Richard McFadden in Feb 2002. Pinnacle
Springs flourished in the 1880s and had 12 bathhouses, a college, cotton gin,
2 hotels, saloon and a skating rink.
It was located on “I can tell you that Pinnacle Springs was in Faulkner Co. on the
banks of Cadron Creek between Guy and
Greenbrier. See also the Faulkner
County Historical Society web page for more on the
history of Pinnacle Springs.” Contributed by Mac Bird, Nov 06,
2006 ·
SW¼ Sec 16, T8N, R13W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude: 35.3264695 / 35°
19’ 35” N ·
Longitude: -92.3932111 /
92° 23’ 36” W |
RETTA
|
Pope
Co. |
Located on a point of land south of SH 27,
overlooking Illinois Bayou, just south of Bayou Bluff Recreation Area and the
Forks of Creek Cemetery, five miles north of Hector. It had a post office - 1898-1938. The ·
SW¼ Sec
18, T10N, R18W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
36.5167470 / 36° 31’ 00” N ·
Longitude:
-92.9490594 / 92° 56’ 57” W |
|
Little River Co. |
“Richmond, is a populated place on the Ashdown West USGS
map. Originally in Sevier county in 1857, Contributed
by Ed Sanders, Nov 08, 2002 It is
located north of the Red River, south of SH 32, northwest of ·
NE¼ Sec 16, T13S, R30W,
Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
33.6376201 / 33° 38’ 15” N ·
Longitude:
-94.2074189 / 94° 12’ 27” W |
|
|
Arkansas
Co. |
This class B "suburb" of
Arkansas Post is on a hill five miles from the present town of “Hello, Just a quick statement about the entry
that you have for ‘Rome’, Arkansas. It is true that Rome was planned out (in
1819) as one of two ‘suburbs’ to that of Arkansas Post –– then territorial
capitol of the Arkansas Territory. However, in 1821 when the government was
moved to centrally located Little Rock, the small upstarts and the historic Post
of Arkansas (which originated in 1686) all virtually died off. While there was the Post of Arkansas, or
‘Arkansas Post,’ there was a 3rd community of the same area –– like Rome,
established in 1819 with economic and political aspirations –– the town of ‘Arkansas.’
Yes, any mention of ‘Arkansas’ and ‘Arkansas Post’ are two different
communities, though historically only ½ mile from one another. All three former community locations are
within the 400+ acre boundary of the Memorial Unit of the Arkansas Post
National Memorial –– a unit of the National Park Service. I served for two years at this site as park
historian and can direct you to many other ‘ghost town’ and fort sites within
the region, if you are ever interested.
A map showing the Post of Arkansas and towns (aforementioned
‘suburbs’) are indicated.” Submitted by: Brian McCutchen, Historian,
National Park Service (4/17/2003) |
RONDO
|
Miller
Co. |
This old town has faded badly. It was founded in
the 1830s, and finally got a post office in 1858. It offered refuge to the
state government during the Civil War.
In 1990, the population was 60.
It sits at the junction of SH 237 ( ·
Corner of Secs 14, 15, 22, 23, T15S, R28W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
33.4445693 / 33° 26’ 40” N ·
Longitude:
-93.9776863 / 93° 58’ 40” W |
ROSBORO
|
Pike
Co. |
In September 2010, I received the following
E-mail (SEE below). This may be the
same site as the rural community of Rosboro. Anyone know for sure? (GBS) “I don’t have any information on any of the
current ghost towns listed that you are looking for more information on, but
my grandmother, Ruth McClarin (maiden name Ruth
Derbyshire) grew up in a town named Rosborough, or Roseborough, Arkansas. It was a sawmill town that lost
its vitality after the sawmill burnt down. Everyone
moved west- Arizona, Oregon, California. My
grandmother ended up graduating as the Valedictorian of her High School
class- a total of six people at that point.
I’ve got more information at home on this town, but I wanted to shoot
some info out to you right away while I was thinking about it. Her Grandmother ran the boarding house that fed
and housed all the bachelors that worked for the sawmill.
She was raised by her grandmother when she was born because her mother, Maud Nelson
Derbyshire, became quite ill after her birth. Instead of milk, she fed her
Eagle Brand Condensed Milk. On Sunday, my family divided my grandmother’s
estate possessions, and I inherited some of the china my great-great
grandmother served those meals on. Some of the embossed spots were scrubbed
off by the “help”, Mamie, thought it was food and scrubbed them off. I also inherited some of the silverware,
monogrammed with my great-grandmother’s initials, and the
two middle (longest) tines of the forks are sharpened to points because my
great-grandmother, once she was well, helped at the boarding house,
and would beat eggs on a plate with those forks. My Great-great grandfather was the Justice of
the Peace, also worked night security at the mill. Only got attacked once in
all the years he worked security. Also the only man my grandmother ever knew
that shaved his armpits. Everyone in town worked for the
sawmill, in one way or another. The town doctor was the sawmill
company’s doctor, etc. I don’t know if you’re as into lost history as I am,
but if so, I’ve plenty more info floating around my house. Thank you for your
effort and interest!” Contributed by Caitlin McClarin September 14, 2010 |
RUSH
|
Marion
Co. |
The Ghost Town of Rush is
located in “There are still many other buildings up. The
picture I sent
was in front of the Old General Store. It's a very peaceful and interesting
place. Many of the "old timers" have amazing pictures of how it
once looked in the early 1900s. Over 10,000 people lived in this mining
community at one time. The picture (only shows) a small portion of what
remains today. So, I don't think it would properly give the town credit to
all of its wonderful history.” Above contributed by Teri
Gentry (May 08 & 09, 2006) Just northwest of the Historic District: ·
NE ¼
Sec 9, T17N, R15W, Fifth Principal Meridian
·
Latitude:
36.1325713 / 36° 07’ 57” N ·
Longitude:
-92.5709962 / 92° 34’ 16” W School: ·
S-Ctr Sec 4, T17N, R15W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
36.1367380 / 36° 08’ 12” N ·
Longitude:
-92.5787741 / 92° 34’ 44” W |
|
Pope
Co. |
This old town site is on the Arkansas River, 2.5
miles south of the confluence with Maycallin Creek
east of the county line and south of |
TROTT'S STAND
|
Benton
Co. |
This nearly forgotten
old 1840s stage coach stop and rural community is located in the far
northwest corner of the state on North Old Wire Road, just south of Sugar
Creek, ¾ mile east of SH 62, about eight miles northeast of Bentonville, just
south of Pea Ridge National Military Park and the state line. It seems there were almost as many names to
the community as years! (See Mushett’s contribution below.) It was also called Stunner and Bestwater. The Bestwater Post Office was discontinued in 1939. Other community amenities included a
school/academy and a church (along SH 62).
From the GNIS aerial photo it seems like a small agricultural
community without any commercial buildings.
(GBS) “It was also known as Trott's
Tavern, Trott's Mill, and Brightwater.” (Chuck Mushett, Apr
2002) Brightwater: ·
SW¼ Sec
10, T20N, R29W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
36.4178512 / 36° 25’ 04” N ·
Longitude:
-94.0568690 / 94° 03’ 25” W |
WITTSBURG
|
Cross
|
Southeast of Wynne, this badly faded class D town was a major river
port and ferry point. It is two miles from Levesque, on the Ferry: ·
NW¼ Sec
20, T7N, R4E,
Fifth Principal
Meridian ·
Latitude:
35.2181443 / 35° 13’ 05” N ·
Longitude:
-90.6978880 / 90° 41’ 52” W |
YOCHUM
|
Marion
Co. |
“The Old Yochum Bend
is now covered by Bull Shoals Lake. But it was an up and going town of the
age as well. The cemeteries were moved to Old Midway. My grandfather worked
with the Corps of Engineer and had many of the displaced maps before the dam
went in. Every Memorial Weekend, people gather there and reunite and talk
about the old times. My grandmother was one of these people. But these people
are now passing on and I worry that these stories will be lost.” Contributed by Teri Gentry May 09, 2006 Was located on the Bull
Shoals Lake (GPS – dam): ·
T19
& 20N, R15 & 16W, Fifth Principal Meridian ·
Latitude:
36.3653452 / 36° 21’ 55” N ·
Longitude:
-92.5748858 / 92° 34’ 30” W |
OUTSIDE Links
.
MORE INFORMATION
|
Historians estimate that there may be as many as
50,000 ghost towns scattered across the The Ghost Town
Guru's Guide to the Ghost Towns of “STATE”™ 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 ARKANSAS, 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 or respond to 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 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 ARKANSAS 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 ARKANSAS,
please abide by the Ghost Towner's
Code of Ethics. |
Also visit: Ghost Town
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