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Dust in the Wind -

A Guide to American Ghost Towns

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Ghost Town USA.

Tennessee is an interesting state to explore for ghost towns. Hundreds of locations have grown up and disappeared, leaving nothing more than a few depressions and some rubble overgrown with greenery. Coal mining camps, stockade forts, agricultural communities, stage station, taverns and ferries have all contributed to the roster of ghost towns in Tennessee. The state is seldom written about in magazines or books, and should be fertile ground for ghost town chasers.

Towns grew up and died, and Tennessee added many to the growing roster of ghosts that Ghost Town USA is out to discover and share.

If you know of any ghost towns in the Volunteer State that are not listed here, or know the current status of towns listed with little information, please contact us…

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.

AMIS

Hawkins Co.

Established by Thomas Amis (pronounced A-MEE), this tiny town began as a stage stop and store. The site of the former town is located just east of Rogersville, along Big Creek.

APPLETON

Lawrence Co.

Near Five Points, on west bank of West Fork of Sugar Creek, in the far southeastern corner of the county.

BEAN STATION

Grainger Co.

Under the waters of Cherokee Lake, near the present town of the same name. 16 miles southwest of Rogersville. Present Bean Station is "new" site.  See the website at:  http://www.beanstationtn.com/pages/history.html

CHASKA

Campbell Co.

An abandoned coal-mining camp along the railroad in the northeastern part of the county, a couple miles southwest of Morley.

COKER CREEK

Monroe Co.

On SH 68, in the south tip of the county, just two miles north of the state line.   This ar4ea played host to an 1830s gold rush below Unicoi Gap, an important Appalachian Mountains pass.  This is also the site of America’s oldest tollgate.  Nearby during the 1930s, was Camp Rolling Stone #1454, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. There is also a long-time Christian Action-Adventure retreat center located at the site of the Old Tellico Mountain Camp.  There are said to be nine churches and 11 cemeteries in the Coker Creek area.  HELP!!!!!!! (GBS)

COLLIERVILLE

 (ORIGINAL SITE)

Shelby Co.

This town was originally founded in 1820 on an old stagecoach road, but relocated to the railroad when it passed through. Absorbed by the present city of Collierville. Exact location not determined.

CROCKETT’S TAVERN

Hamblen Co.

A six-room tavern built by John Crockett along the Abingdon-Knoxville Road. Davy Crockett was raised here. On US 11E, at the east end of Morristown. The present structure is a reproduction.  The reproduction tavern/museum also has its own website: http://www.discoveret.org/crockett/

EATON’S FORT

Sullivan Co.

A early fort located nine miles southwest of Blountville.

EDITH

Lauderdale Co.

This town of 170 folks (1990) is located seven air miles northwest of Ripley, the county seat.

Submitted by Forrest Parker, July 29, 2005.

FORT DONELSON

Stewart Co.

Just west of Dover, off US 79, and along the Cumberland River, 12 miles east of Fort Henry.

FORT HENRY

Stewart Co.

Along the east side of the Tennessee River, about five miles north of US 79, and about 12 miles west of Dover. Here and at Fort Donelson, a major Civil War battle was fought in February 1862, when General U.S. Grant defeated Confederate General Simon Buckner.

FORT LOUDIN

Monroe Co.

The British built this fort in 1756, to protect themselves against the French. The Cherokee Indians burned the fort in 1760. The original site is underwater, but a reproduction is located on the south shore of Tellico Reservoir, off US 411, just north of Vonore, about 33 miles southwest of Knoxville.

FORT MARR

Polk Co.

In Benton, which is on US 411, about five miles north of its junction with US 64, 40 miles northeast of Chattanooga. This fort was built in 1814 as a supply depot.

FORT NASHBOROUGH

Davidson Co.

A class C/F restored stockade fort built in1779 which formed the nucleus for the future Nashville. It is located on 1^st Ave, north of Broadway in downtown Nashville.

FORT ROBINSON

Sullivan Co.

Originally settled in 1761, this pioneer fort was reoccupied from 1770-1776. It was located on the south fork of the Holston River, near Kingsport.

FORT WATAUGA

Carter Co.

In Elizabethtown, which is on US 321, eight miles east of Johnson City. The fort has been reconstructed.

GLABREATH SPRINGS

Hawkins Co.

Established in the 1860s, this once popular resort/spa is located off US 11W, about 11 miles west of Rogersville. The resort closed when the last hotel burned in the 1940s. Some buildings were still standing as late as 1977.

NEWSOM’S STATION & MILL

Davidson Co.

An 1862 era mill and way station, 12 miles west of Nashville.  Newsom's Station and the Union Blockhouse/Mill is adjacent to I-40 at the I-40/CSX Railroad crossing at Railroad Milepost 16. As this is a State Park, metal detectors are prohibited. 

Contributed by Art Asbury, Feb 03, 2003.

“I am a volunteer at the site and not a day goes by that someone is digging around.  Could you please insert that nothing is to be disturbed nor taken other than memories.  We have never performed an archaeological evaluation but have lost many artifacts and endured gross vandalism.” 

Contributed by “Tennessee Volunteer”

OLD BUTLER

Johnson Co.

Original site of Butler, which is in northeast tip of state, on SH 67, several miles north of the junction with US 321. Exact location not determined.

OLD STONE FORT

Coffee Co.

Stone-walled fort of unknown date and origin just west of Manchester, which is on I-24.

PRIMM SPRINGS

Hickman Co.

“It was once a spa known for its mineral springs. The area in question changed hands several times. There are buildings that look to be one to two hundred years old. Other then that, not much more is known.”

Contributed by A.L. Milano, Feb 02, 2003

PRIMM SPRINGS, had a 1990 population of 30, and at least as late as 1995 had its own post office (ZIP code 38476).  It is shown on the 1994 official state map in Hickman County, just west of its eastern border, south of Lick Creek, about 12 AIR miles northeast of Centerville, the county seat.  (GBS)

RAFTER

Monroe Co.

I must recommend one more that is not on your list and it is a good one, the township of Rafter on Rafter Mountain in Monroe County.   Contributed by “RW” Mar 17, 2003

ROCKY MOUNT

Sullivan Co.

In 1770 this State Historic Site was built to serve as the Tennessee Territorial Capitol. This state-owned site is south of US 11E northeast of Johnson City, at the confluence of the Holston and Watauga Rivers.  It has its own website at:

http://www.rockymountmuseum.com/

RUGBY

Morgan Co.

An 1880 English cooperative colony. By the late 1880s it had failed. The restored site is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and an admission fee is charged. It is on SH 52, 17 miles southeast of Jamestown, and seven northwest of Elgin, at the northern tip of Morgan County.  The site has its own website:  http://www.historicrugby.org/

WHITE’S FORT

Knox Co.

A reconstructed 1780s era stockade fort at the east end of the Hill Avenue Bridge, in downtown Knoxville.

WHITESIDE INN

Grainger Co.

At or near Bean Station...exact location not determined.

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 TENNESSEE, 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 TENNESSEE 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 TENNESSEE, please abide by the

Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics.