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Dust in the Wind -

A Guide to American Ghost Towns

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Florida like the other eastern states is usually short-shrifted in ghost town books.  However, there are a lot of locations worth looking into.

Historical introduction soon to come.

HELP!  (NEW FEATURE) 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 thusly (PHOTO!), please use your browser’s “BACK” button to return to this page.  More photos will be added over time.

ANDYTOWN

Broward Co.

This tiny crossroads community is at the intersection of US 27/SH 84, 18 miles west of Fort Lauderdale. It got its start in 1947 as a coffee-serving shack. It grew slightly by adding a gas station, motel, restaurant and bars. In 1963, Andytown incorporated, but in 1979 was doomed to be bulldozed to make room for a freeway interchange.  It no longer appears on maps.

AURYTOWN

Pinellas Co.

A class A pirate town located on the north side of Honeymoon Island, across from Crystal Beach, which is due west of Tampa. It was founded and named after the French pirate, Louis de Aury. Several dozen buildings were located here in the early 1800s.

BREWSTER

Polk Co.

It looks like an old railroad station on the CSXT Railroad about seven miles north of the county line and about 20 miles south of Lakeland, in the far southwestern corner of the county. 

BULLOWVILLE

Flagler Co.

This class B-sugar plantation town is located on CR 2001, nine miles southeast Bunnell. The ruins of the sugar mill and plantation manor remain of what was once a large plantation with supporting worker's village.  It was destroyed by Seminole Indians in 1836.

CAMP GORDON JOHNSTON

(AKA...

Camp Carrabelle)

Franklin Co.

A major World War II era amphibious assault training center near Carrabelle, 50 miles southwest of Tallahassee, on the Gulf of Mexico. It officially opened on Sep. 10, 1942, and closed in October 1946. The site is privately owned.

CASTORTOWN

Hillsborough Co.

Another class A pirate town on the east side of Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay. It had about 20 buildings and dates to the early 1800s.  Nothing remains.

CEDAR KEY

Levy Co.

Just offshore, at the west end of SH 24, along the west coast of state, 54 miles southwest of Gainesville.  This class E seaport/lumber town was a major Gulf Coast seaport and one of the largest cities in the state in the early 1800s. In the early 1860s a fort was located here. After the Civil War, the port was a major timber, fishing and ship building center. Then in 1896 a hurricane ripped the town, and it never regained its status. Today the historic old town of Cedar Key is a quiet fishing village and resort with a 1990 population of 668 people, way below what it was in the 1800s.

CENTER HILL

Sumter Co.

“There's a small population still living there but its downtown area is all but abandoned. There are still a few businesses open here and there on the outskirts but its "main street" would qualify as a ghost town.”  (From David P. in Florida, via E-mail Oct 06, 2002.)

CENTRALIA

Hernando Co.

This class A sawmill town once had 1500 people, and is located seven miles north of Weeki Wachee Springs, which is north of Tampa. The town was established in 1911 and lasted until the 1920s.

EGMONT KEY/

FORT DADE

Hillsborough Co.

Island at mouth of Tampa Bay. Fort Dade, an old military post, is located on the island. It is only reachable by pleasure boat. The site is state owned.

FORT BARRANCAS

Escambia Co.

This restored class C military fort is located at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, and is a National Historic Park. The first fort at the site was built by the British in 1763. In 1781 the Spanish captured Pensacola from the British and built a fort called San Carlos de Barranca. In the 1820s, the United States built its own fort when Pensacola Bay was picked to be a Navy port.  Fort Barrancas is only one of four forts built to protect the harbor. The fort was involved in Civil War battles in 1861 and 1862.

FORT DeSOTO

Pinellas Co.

A class C, Spanish American War era military fort built on Mullett Key, on the north side of the mouth of Tampa Bay. Construction began in 1898 and continued until 1903. Fort De Soto and Fort Dade on Egmont Key were also built to protect Tampa Bay from naval attack. This fort is built of thick concrete walls covered with a thick layer of dirt. Several guns remain, even though the fort deactivated in the 1920's. It is a County Historical Park.

FORT GADSDEN

Franklin Co.

This old British fort is located on the east bank of the Apalachicola River, six miles southwest of Sumatra.  It was in use only between 1812 and 1815. In 1816 it was destroyed by American forces.

FORT JEFFERSON

Monroe Co.

This class C military fort sits on Dry Tortugas Island, at the far western tip of the Florida Keys, 70 miles west of Key West. It is only accessible by boat or seaplane from Key West. Construction began in 1846. It covers almost the entire island, and was designed to hold 1500 soldiers. Its 50' high brick walls had three levels of firing platforms that would hold 450 cannons. During the Civil War, the uncompleted and unarmed fort was captured by Union troops. After the war ended, the fort was turned into a prison, housing a total of

2400 inmates. It was abandoned after an 1874 hurricane damaged it.

This was out GT of the Month for May 2005

GOODNO

Glades Co.

This 1800s era cattle town was established by E.E. Goodno. The scattered community was located along a railroad line.

GULF CITY

Hillsborough Co.

This ancient pirate town was established by Ben Margoza, a mid 1600s English pirate. He set up the town on the south bank of Little Manatee River, between Tampa & Bradenton. A community actually remained until the 1920s.

INDIAN KEY

Monroe Co.

This class B early settlement was located southwest of Islamorada, a little less than a mile southeast of Lower Matecumbe Key. The original inhabitants were Native Americans in the 1500s, and they were followed by pirates in the late 1700s through 1823. The first "permanent" white settlement was by Captain Jacob Housman in the early 1830s. Other people arrived, but the small community of 100 people was wiped out in 1840 by the Native Americans. The key has remained uninhabited since.

KING’S FERRY

Nassau Co.

This class A historic ferry is located on the St. Mary's River, northwest of Jacksonville, and right on state line.

LACOOCHEE

Pasco Co.

“Another town much like (Center Hill) above. Its "main street" is abandoned as well. Even the last big name convenience stored pulled out about 10 yrs ago.” 

(From David P. in Florida, via E-mail Oct 06, 2002.)

LOW TOWN

Charlotte Co.

On Cayo Pelau Island, on north side of Charlotte Harbor east of Placida. This early 1800s Spanish pirate town had about 60 buildings and a ship repair facility.

NEW SMYRNA

Volusia Co.

Located on SH 44, about two miles west of New Smyrna Beach, this class B plantation town dates to 1768, when Andrew Turnbull imported a number of European workers to work his sugar plantation. A small town was established for them, but by the 1770s, they tired of Turnbull's politics, and moved north to nearby St. Augustine.

PIERCE

Polk Co.

From mining town to ghost town.  This Polk County Ghost was a contribution from a reader and was our featured Ghost Town of the Month for January 2008.

PUNTA RASSA

Lee Co.

This class B early 1800s cattle shipping town is located on the south side of Caloosahatchee River, ten miles southwest of Ft. Meyers, on the west coast of the state. It was a lively town lined with wooden buildings. It had a hotel and probably many "grog shops" to fuel the tempers of the merchants and cattle sellers. The site is directly behind a fishing camp near the bridge across to Sanibel Island.

ST. JOSEPH

Gulf Co.

This class A seaport was about 15 miles west of Apalachiola, on St. Joseph Bay, just south of Port St. Joe, east of Panama City. In the early 1800s, St. Joseph was the largest town in Florida, and had a population estimated around 6000. It was a bustling seaport and was the site of the state's first Constitutional Convention.  The town died in 1841 when a ship carrying victims of Yellow Fever docked. The disease spread rapidly, killing upwards of 75% of the town's population. Survivors fled the town leaving it to the whims of nature, which rapidly took care of it by burying it with sand kicked up by high surf generated from a hurricane. The site is marked by a historical marker.

WILD’S FERRY

Nassau Co.

Where US 17 crosses the St. Mary's River, about 20 miles north of Jacksonville.  This is an 1800s era ferry crossing.

  Historians estimate that there may be as many as 50,000 ghost towns scattered across the United States of America. Gary B. Speck Publications is currently in process of publishing unique state, regional, and county guides called The Ghost Town Guru's Guide to the Ghost Towns of *** ™

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 FLORIDA, 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 any 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 FLORIDA 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 FLORIDA, please abide by the

Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics.