Ghost Towns of Alabama

Ghost Towns Of Alabama

Aigleville, AL

County: Marengo
Zip Code: 36732
Latitude / Longitude: 32°31′00″N 87°49′24″W / 32.51664°N 87.82329°W / 32.51664 -87.82329
Elevation: 161 ft (49 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1818
Disestablished: 1830s
Comments: The settlement was established in late 1818 by former French Bonapartists and refugees from Saint-Domingue. Aigleville translated means Eagle Town as it was named in honor of the French Imperial Eagle which was used by the Grande Armee of Napoleon I. The most prominent colonists include Honore Bayol, Jean-Marie Chapron, Benoit Chasseriau, Jean-Simone Chaudron, General Bertrand Clausel, Colonel Jean-Jerome Cluis, Charles DeBrosse, General Lefebvre-Desnoettes, Edouard George, Auguste Follin, MArc-Antonine Frenage, Joseph Lakanal, General Charles Lallemand, Henri-Dominque Lallemand, Michael LeBouttellier, Bazile Meslier, Stephen Nidelet, Colonel Nicholas-Simon Parmentier, Guillaume Promis, Jean Penieres, Frederic Ravesies, Count Pierre-Francois Real, General Antoine Rigaud, Francis Stollenwerck, Francoise Teterl, and General Dominique Vandamme.
Remains: As the colony started to fail, Aigleville was abandoned by the late 1830s. General Lefebvre-Desnoettes’ house was noted to be still standing during a government survey of the area in 1842. The site was heavily forested by the early 20th century. It was used for industrial usage during the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st century while under ownership by a local cement plant. The area is now barren.
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: Established by FrenchVine and Olivecolonists

Arcola, AL

County: Marengo
Zip Code: 36742
Latitude / Longitude: 32°33′58″N 87°46′55″W / 32.56617°N 87.78183°W / 32.56617 -87.78183
Elevation: 123 feet (37 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1850s
Disestablished:
Comments: Arcola, established in the early 1820s, is named to honor the French victory during the Battle of Arcola. The former French Bonapartists settled in Arcola after being forced to abandon their first town at Demopolis and finding Aigleville unsuitable. The first settler at this site was Frederic Ravesies, who established himself at what later became the Hatch Plantation. Arcola never became more than a village, but it did become the largest settlement in the colony.
Remains: By the 1850s, the French settlement had disappeared and was replaced by a community of adjoining plantations.
Current Status: Historic
Remarks: Established by FrenchVine and Olivecolonists

Bainbridge, AL

County: Colbert, Lauderdale
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1819
Disestablished: 1840s
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status: Submerged
Remarks: Under Wilson Lake

Barnesville, AL

County: Marion
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 34°08′23″N 88°04′40″W / 34.13972°N 88.07778°W / 34.13972 -88.07778
Elevation: 525 ft (160 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Barnesville is a ghost town in Marion County, Alabama, United States. Two churches still remain in Barnsville. A scattered populace still occupies Barnsville. A post office operated under the name Barnesville from 1855 to 1907.
Remains:
Current Status: Historic
Remarks:

Battelle, AL

County: Dekalb
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 34°38′58″N 85°33′55″W / 34.64944°N 85.56528°W / 34.64944 -85.56528
Elevation: 912 ft (278 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Battelle is a ghost town in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. Battelle was once a thriving mining community which was spread in a north–south line along the foot of Lookout Mountain, five miles north of Valley Head, Alabama. At the beginning of the 20th century, Battelle included hundreds of houses, a school, a commissary, a hotel, and a post office, in addition to the furnace and coke ovens. Battelle had a water system with water from a spring that was pumped into a large wooden tank and then piped into the surrounding homes. Mining prospectors found pockets of a fairly good grade of iron ore, coal, and limestone, all the ingredients for making pig iron. The Lookout Mountain Iron Company was consequently formed by a group of Ohio mining speculators, headed by Colonel John Gordon Battelle. Although he already had large investments in the iron and steel industry in Ohio and the Midwest, Battelle took a great personal interest in the operation to which he gave his name. He moved there and personally supervised the mining activity until it was determined that the mineral deposits were of insufficient quality or quantity to compete with the mines being developed in the Birmingham area. In 1905 the furnace was placed on a standby basis, and the houses and other properties gradually liquidated.
Remains: During World War I, the British government purchased the furnace, which was then dismantled and shipped to Calcutta, India. Although Battelle’s financial venture in DeKalb County proved unsuccessful; he did very well with other investments. When he died in 1918, he left $4,000,000 to his only son, Gordon Battelle. The younger Battelle, who died in 1923, willed the fortune to the Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio. After the mining company ceased operations at Battelle and the better homes were sold and moved, there was never much activity in the community. The Belcher Lumber Company of Centerville operated there for a few years in the 1940s. In 1969 when the Alabama Great Southern Railroad train derailed, and propane tanks exploded there, news accounts gave the site of the wreck as Battelle.
Current Status: Neglected
Remarks:

Beaver Mills, AL

County: Mobile
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 30°58′11″N 88°14′05″W / 30.96972°N 88.23472°W / 30.96972 -88.23472
Elevation: 98 ft (30 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Beaver Mills, also known as Beaver Meadow, is a ghost town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, near U.S. Route 45, south of Citronelle. It was the site of a paper mill that was also used as a uniform depot during the American Civil War. A post office operated under the name Beaver Meadow from 1890 to 1906.
Remains:
Current Status: Neglected
Remarks: Site of a uniform depot during the Civil War

Bellefonte, AL

County: Jackson
Zip Code: 35752
Latitude / Longitude: 34°42′40″N 85°56′43″W / 34.71111°N 85.94528°W / 34.71111 -85.94528
Elevation: 745 ft (227 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1821
Disestablished: 1920s
Comments: Bellefonte is a ghost town in Jackson County, Alabama, United States, near the site of the Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station. It is located roughly two miles southeast of Hollywood, Alabama. Bellefonte was listed on the 1860 & 1870 U.S. Census rolls. In 1860, it was the most populous (and only) incorporated community in Jackson County with 181 persons (of whom 173 were White, and 8 were “Free Colored”, with no slaves). After its loss as the county seat in 1868, it rapidly lost population and dropped off the census rolls by 1880. Bellefonte was settled in the early 19th century and incorporated on December 15, 1821, when it had nearly 200 residents. Its name was a subjective description consisting of the French words “belle”, meaning “beautiful,” and “fonte”, meaning “fount.” It was the Jackson County seat from 1821 to 1868, when it was relocated to Scottsboro.
Remains: During the following decade, a post office, courthouse, and church were constructed. A post office was established in 1830. By 1844, the population had grown to 400. The town suffered severe damage during the Civil War. The post office was closed in 1859, and the entire town was abandoned by the 1920s. All that remains of Bellefonte today are the cemetery, the chimney of the local inn, and piles of scattered bricks.
Current Status: Neglected
Remarks: Formercounty seatofJackson County

Blakeley, AL

County: Baldwin
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 30°44′32″N 87°55′27″W / 30.74222°N 87.92417°W / 30.74222 -87.92417
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1813
Disestablished: 1865
Comments: Blakeley is a ghost town in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. During the height of its existence, Blakeley was a thriving town that flourished as a competitor to its western neighbor, Mobile. Blakeley was the county seat for Baldwin County from 1810 until 1868, when the county government was moved south to Daphne. It was the location of a major fort during the Civil War. One of the last battles of the Civil War was fought here in April 1865, as Union soldiers overran Confederates. The town is now in an Alabama historic state park known as Historic Blakeley State Park, north of Spanish Fort. Blakeley had a “deep natural port, which was reachable by ships that could not cross the Dog River bar, a sandbar that sometimes impeded shipping access to Mobile.” For some years, Blakeley competed with Mobile to be the top port in what was then the Alabama Territory. A post office operated under the name “Blakeley” from 1826 to 1866. In 1974, the ghost town was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Remains: Before the town was established and populated by European settlers, Native Americans lived in the area. A burial mound was found near the site of the town and was excavated. Four skulls, various bones, and copper ornaments were found.
Current Status: Neglected
Remarks: Formercounty seat of Baldwin County

Blanche, AL

County: Cherokee
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: Site at intersection ofState Route 35andState Route 273

Bluff City, AL

County: Morgan
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1818
Disestablished: 1881
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Bluffton, AL

County: Cherokee
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 34°00′25″N 85°26′24″W / 34.00694°N 85.44000°W / 34.00694 -85.44000
Elevation: 850 ft (260 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1888
Disestablished: 1934
Comments: Bluffton is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, Alabama, United States. Bluffton was founded as a mining community in 1888. In 1890, Bluffton was home to approximately 8,000 residents. The Bluffton Land, Ore, and Furnace Company operated an iron mine in the area and was also responsible for building the Signal Hotel, which at one point hosted Rudyard Kipling. The Signal Hotel was the first structure in Cherokee County with electric lights. Bluffton had one newspaper, the Bluffton Mascot, and was home to a Methodist Episcopal church and Salem Baptist Church, which is still in use today. Bluffton was also the planned site of a college, The University of the Southland. A groundbreaking took place on April 24, 1889, but the college was never built. Besides the iron mines, Bluffton was home to a waterworks system, school, post office, and Cherokee County’s first electrical generating plant. Even so, Bluffton’s ore fields did not meet the expectations of their investors and higher-grade iron was available closer to Birmingham. Commercial businesses began to fail, and Bluffton soon came to be considered a ghost town.
Remains: A post office was operated in Bluffton from 1888 to 1934.
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: Former iron ore mining town

Boston, AL

County: Franklin
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 32°55′25″N 88°05′07″W
Elevation: 164 ft (50 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: West Greene, also known as Boston, Hopewell, Old West Greene, and Westgreene, is an unincorporated community in Greene County, Alabama, United States. The post office in West Greene first opened in 1879.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Brownville, AL

County: Conecuh
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 33°23′33″N 87°45′12″W / 33.39250°N 87.75333°W / 33.39250 -87.75333
Elevation: 259 ft (79 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1925
Disestablished: 1989
Comments: Brownville, also known as Brownsville, Hog Eye, Red Valley, and Sulpher Springs, is a ghost town formerly located in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States.
Remains: The community was originally called Sulpher Springs, named for the nearby mineral springs. Later known as Hog Eye due to its small size, then known as Red Valley for the fact that most houses in the community were painted red. Finally known as Brownville in honor of W. P. Brown. In addition to the Brown Lumber Company, the Brown Wood Preserving Company was also located in Brownville. A post office operated under the name Brownville from 1926 to 1966, and Brownville Rural Station from 1966 to 1972.
Current Status: Abandoned / Demolished
Remarks: Former company town for W.P. Brown and Sons Lumber Co., some plots still visible near the intersection of Tabernacle Road and Brownville Pike Road in Northwestern Tuscaloosa County

Cahaba, AL

County: Dallas
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 32°19′01″N 87°06′05″W / 32.31694°N 87.10139°W / 32.31694 -87.10139
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1819
Disestablished: 1865
Comments: Cahaba, also spelled Cahawba, was the first permanent state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825, and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, until 1866. It suffered a major flood in 1865 and the state legislature moved the county seat to Selma, which was better situated. The former settlement is now a ghost town and state historic site. The site is located southwest of Selma, at the confluence of the Alabama and Cahaba rivers, which made it prone to seasonal flooding.
Remains: Cahaba’s low elevation at the confluence of two large rivers resulted in seasonal flooding and a reputation for having an unhealthy atmosphere. A major flood struck the town in 1825, causing a portion of the statehouse to collapse. People who were opposed to the capital’s location at Cahaba used this as an argument for moving the capital to Tuscaloosa, which was approved by the legislature in January 1826. Although the area is no longer inhabited, the Alabama Historical Commission maintains Cahaba as a state historic site and as an important archaeological site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Visitors to this park can still see many of the abandoned streets, cemeteries, and ruins of this former state capital and county seat.
Current Status: Abandoned
Remarks: The first capital of Alabama, from 1820-1826

Cedric, AL

County: Chambers
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 33°06′25″N 85°17′12″W / 33.10694°N 85.28667°W / 33.10694 -85.28667
Elevation: 234 m (768 ft)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Cedric is a ghost town in northeastern Chambers County, Alabama. Today it is entirely in private ownership. It is located 3–4 miles to the southeast of present-day Roanoke, and about 1 mile southwest of Bacon Level Church. Joseph Rushton, an early Alabama potter, lived near Cedric.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks: Four miles southwest of Roanoke

Centerdale, AL

County: Morgan
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Chandler Springs, AL

County: Talladega
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1832
Disestablished: 1918
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status: Abandoned
Remarks: Nationally famous resort town, from 1832-1918

Choctaw Corner, AL

County: Clarke
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 31°56′06″N 87°45′17″W / 31.93487°N 87.75472°W / 31.93487 -87.75472
Elevation: 377 ft (115 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Choctaw Corner was a former town in Clarke County, Alabama, United States. It gained its name from the nearby Choctaw Corner, which helped mark the border between the native Choctaw and Creek peoples prior to the Indian removal. The community was one of the earliest settlements in the county.
Remains: Choctaw Corner had a post office by 1850. It was a prosperous community during the antebellum period and for many years afterward. Then, when the railroad from Mobile to Selma came through Clarke County in 1888, less than 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Choctaw Corner, the town began to die. A new town, Thomasville, developed on the railroad. The people in the older community saw the potential of the new town as a railroad shipping point and were among the first people to move there. The former town of Choctaw Corner slowly declined into nonexistence and was later enveloped within Thomasville’s city limits. It is now remembered primarily by Thomasville’s city cemetery on its western border, called Choctaw Corner Cemetery.
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: Area now part of Thomasville

Chulafinnee Placers, AL

County: Cleburne
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1835
Disestablished: 1840s
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Claiborne, AL

County: Monroe
Zip Code: 36445
Latitude / Longitude: 31°32′25″N 87°30′56″W / 31.54016°N 87.51554°W / 31.54016 -87.51554
Elevation: 180 ft (50 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1816
Disestablished: 1870s
Comments: Claiborne is a ghost town on a bluff above the Alabama River in Monroe County, Alabama. Situated near the Federal Road, Claiborne began during the Mississippi Territory period with a ferry over the river. During the Creek War a large stockade fort, named Fort Claiborne, was established at the site by General Ferdinand Claiborne. He used the fort as a base for the invasion of the Creek nation with the Regular Army of the United States, the Lower Tombigbee Militia, and friendly Choctaw. The community of Claiborne began in 1816, on the former fort site.
Remains: Claiborne remained an important shipping port and trading center throughout the 1840s and 1850s. The coming of the American Civil War saw the construction of batteries along the lower Alabama River and at Claiborne. The town was heavily looted at the end of the war. Following the war, the town quickly lost importance in the new economy. By 1872 the population had dwindled to approximately 350 people. When the new railroad through Monroe County bypassed Claiborne in the early 20th century, the fate of the settlement was sealed. By 2008 the site contained only the James Dellet House and three 19th century cemeteries. Claiborne appeared only once on the U.S. Census, in 1880, as a separately returned community. Its population was 199, which made it the largest in Monroe County.
Current Status: Abandoned
Remarks: One of the largest settlements in early Alabama

Clarkesville, AL

County: Clarke
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 31°43′41″N 87°52′39″W / 31.72819°N 87.87741°W / 31.72819 -87.87741
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1819
Disestablished: 1860s
Comments: Clarkesville (also spelled Clarksville) is a ghost town in Clarke County, Alabama, United States. It was the county seat of Clarke County until 1831. The Alabama legislature appointed a group of county commissioners on 13 December 1819 to select a site for Clarke County’s “seat of justice.” The legislature made the provision that the site had to be within 3 miles (4.8 km) of the center of the county. The commissioners founded Clarkesville as a result. It remained the county seat until 1831, when growing dissatisfaction within the county caused the relocation of the seat to Macon, later renamed Grove Hill. The town had vanished from maps by the late 19th century. A small modern community, roughly a mile from the old site, presently calls itself Clarksville.
Remains:
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: First county seat ofClarke County

Dumphries, AL

County: Washington
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1819
Disestablished: 1839
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Erie, AL

County: Hale
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 32°43′3.6″N 87°47′50.24″W
Elevation: 548 ft (167 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1819
Disestablished: 1855
Comments: Erie is a ghost town located in present-day Hale County, Alabama, United States. Located at the “Erie Bend” on the east bank of the Black Warrior River, the former settlement is approximately 11 mi (18 km) east of Greensboro. Originally located in Greene County, Erie was the first county seat (Erie became part of Hale County in 1867). Erie was incorporated in 1820, and was a thriving town with stores, a hotel, a jail, and a population of approximately 1,500 who “dwelt in pomp and circumstances with all the bickerings and intrigue (sic), the ambitions, love and hate that surrounds a prosperous town”. Erie became a shipping point for cotton-headed to Mobile, and the hauling of cotton by wagon gave employment to a number of professional teamsters.
Remains: Several factors led to a decision to move the county seat to Eutaw in 1838. Erie had “little and bad water and a muddy location”, and was not centrally located. As well, during the late 1830s, Yellow fever spread through Erie, and the settlement experienced flooding. No longer the county seat, Erie was soon abandoned, with the last remaining home destroyed by fire in 1933. The former settlement is now located on private property, and a few stones and bricks can be found there. The Erie Cemetery is located a short distance east.
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: The former county seat of Hale County

Failetown, AL

County: Clarke
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 31°55′42″N 88°0′58″W / 31.92833°N 88.01611°W / 31.92833 -88.01611
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Failetown is a ghost town in Clarke County, Alabama, United States.
Remains: Lewis Faile (aka Louis Fails) and his children, Richmond, Terrell, and Morgan Faile settled in Failetown in the 1850s when they moved west from South Carolina. Today the town sits abandoned. The Faile Cemetery, Post Office, and other homes in various states of decay are all that remains of the town today. On October 4, 1813, the Bashi Skirmish of the Creek War was fought in Failetown. A Clarke County historical marker that stands on Woods Bluff Road between Alabama 69 and Cassidy Hill marks the location.
Current Status:
Remarks: Site of theBashi Shirmisha battle during theCreek War.

Finchburg, AL

County: Monroe
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 31°38′34″N 87°30′39″W / 31.64278°N 87.51083°W / 31.64278 -87.51083
Elevation: 223 ft (68 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Finchburg (also Finchberg, Finchburgh) is an unincorporated community in Monroe County, Alabama, United States.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks: Amasa Coleman Lee, the father ofHarper Leedid live in this town.

Fort Gaines, AL

County: Mobile
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 30°14′54″N 88°04′32″W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Fort Gaines is a historic fort on Dauphin Island, Alabama, United States. It was named for Edmund Pendleton Gaines. Established in 1821, it is best known for its role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War.
Remains: Significant masonry damages have been sustained during hurricanes and tropical storms in the past decade. Though these damages have been largely repaired, the fort continues to be under threat from erosion. The fort sits on the east end of Dauphin Island, only feet from the Gulf of Mexico. Ongoing erosional losses of sand dunes and beaches total up to 10 feet per year. For these reasons, the Civil War Preservation Trust placed Fort Gaines on its History Under Siege listing on March 18, 2009. The listing identifies the ten most endangered Civil War battlefields in the United States. Additionally, it was placed on the list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2011.
Current Status: Historic
Remarks: Defensive fort on Mobile Bay. Now serves as a museum and tourist attraction on Dauphin Island.

Fort McClellan, AL

County: Calhoun
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1912
Disestablished: 1999
Comments: Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, was a United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama established as Camp Shipp in 1898. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million troops. After the war and until it was closed in 1999, Fort McClellan was home of the Chemical Corps and a Chemical Corps School, which trained soldiers in chemical warfare and used them in human experiments. Storage, use, and disposal of chemical weapons and waste contaminated soil and water supply and exposed the population. Prior to its closure by BRAC the base employed about 10,000 military personnel, half of whom were permanently assigned, and about 1,500 civilians. The base has never been classified as a Superfund site; it underwent UXO clean-up from 2003–14.
Remains: Since 2010, about 3,000 acres of the brownfield have been redeveloped as mixed-use community.
Current Status: Abandoned/Historic
Remarks: Former army base outside of Anniston

Fort Morgan, AL

County: Baldwin
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 30°13′43″N 88°01′23″W / 30.22861°N 88.02306°W / 30.22861 -88.02306
Elevation: 10 ft (3 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Fort Morgan, also known as Fort Bowyer, is an unincorporated community in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. It is west of Gulf Shores on Mobile Point. Mobile Point extends from Gulf Shores to the west, towards historic Fort Morgan at the tip of the peninsula. The community is part of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population in 1880 was 38.
Remains: A post office operated under the name Fort Morgan from 1892 to 1924.
Current Status:
Remarks: Defensive fort onMobile Bay

Gantts Quarry, AL

County: Talladega
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 33°08′54″N 86°17′22″W / 33.14833°N 86.28944°W / 33.14833 -86.28944
Elevation: 633 ft (193 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1830
Disestablished: 2000
Comments: Gantts Quarry is a quarry and ghost town in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. The population was 0 at the 2000 census, although it had seven residents as late as the 1998 population estimate. Incorporated in 1910 to keep neighboring Sylacauga from annexing it, it was officially dis-incorporated after its population dwindled to zero effective December 31, 2001. The history of the town goes back to 1830 when Dr. Edward Gantt discovered white marble and was one of the first towns in the county. A block of marble from the area is in the Washington Monument. The 1930 census showed a population of 542 but the Great Depression and dwindling demand for marble used in building construction began the town’s decline. In 1940 the population was 456 and by 1973 it was down to 63 residents. According to the 1990 U.S. Census, the incorporated town of Gantt’s Quarry had a population of seven. When the town was first established, the town was governed by a mayor, a five-member city council, and the odd citizen out-served as the town clerk. Company housing was set up for the employees. By the late 1960s, the company that owned the Quarry decided to demolish the company-owned houses and this forced the residents to move to other towns and communities. The town had its own post office, which also served as a library. The post office is pictured below. It was moved from the Quarry to its new location behind the B.B. Comer Museum in Sylacauga. By the time of the 2000 Census, the town shows a population of zero, and much of it appears to have been annexed into the city of Sylacauga. Preventing such annexation was most likely the reason the town incorporated in the first place.
Remains: The old Gantts Quarry Post Office was moved to its current location at the corner of N. Norton Ave and W. 8th St. in Sylacauga, Alabama.
Current Status: Abandoned
Remarks: Former mining town

Gold Log Mine, AL

County: Talladega
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks: Former gold mining camp

Houston, AL

County: Winston
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 34°08′29″N 87°15′29″W / 34.14149°N 87.25806°W / 34.14149 -87.25806
Elevation: 761 ft (232 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Houston is an unincorporated community in Winston County, Alabama, United States. It was the county seat from 1858 until 1884 when the seat was moved to Double Springs. Houston has one site on the National Register of Historic Places, the log Houston Jail.
Remains: Houston appeared once on the U.S. Census in 1880, shortly before it lost its status as county seat. It has not appeared on census rolls since.
Current Status: Historic
Remarks: Former county seat of Winston County

Kaulton, AL

County: Tuscaloosa
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 33°11′00″N 87°34′10″W / 33.18333°N 87.56944°W / 33.18333 -87.56944
Elevation: 157 ft (48 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1912
Disestablished:
Comments: Kaulton is a ghost town formerly located in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States. Kaulton was founded in 1912 to serve as the location for Kaul Lumber Company’s new mill after the mill in Hollins closed. John Kaul hired Boston architect George Miller, who laid out plans for the city of Corey, to design Kaulton using Beaux-Arts principles. Kaulton had houses for workers, a hotel, churches, a school, parks, and offices. The entire complex covered over eighty acres.
Remains: The area occupied by the former town now lies within the city limits of Tuscaloosa, but the name Kaulton is still used in Kaulton Field and Old Kaulton Road. Most of the records relating to the town were destroyed by Kaul Lumber Company, but some records of the town and the company are kept at the Birmingham Public Library. Kaulton had its own baseball team, which played the University of Alabama Summer School Team, among other opponents.
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: FormerKaul Lumber Companycompany town and mill site; now part ofTuscaloosa

Louina, AL

County: Randolph
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 33°07′28″N 85°33′08″W / 33.12444°N 85.55222°W / 33.12444 -85.55222
Elevation: 682 ft (208 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1834
Disestablished: 1905
Comments: Louina, sometimes Ole Louina, is a ghost town located 14 miles west of Roanoke and about one mile east of Wadley in Randolph County, Alabama, United States. Louina appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census with a population of 148 residents. It was the only time it appeared on census rolls.
Remains: Ole Louina was a community during the early settlement of Randolph County which was settled after the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814 when the Creek Indians were defeated by General Andrew Jackson. The town was founded in 1834 and lasted until about 1905, and at one time was the largest town in Randolph County with two churches, several stores, and a gristmill. The “Liberty West Baptist Cemetery” is one of the last remaining vestiges of Louina, Alabama.
Current Status:
Remarks: At one time the largest town in Randolph County

Manasco, AL

County: Walker
Zip Code:
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Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
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Massillon, AL

County: Dallas
Zip Code:
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Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
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Minden, AL

County: Calhoun
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 33°42′08″N 86°06′22″W / 33.70222°N 86.10611°W / 33.70222 -86.10611
Elevation: 486 ft (148 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Minden is a ghost town in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. It possessed a post office during 1878 and 1879.
Remains:
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Remarks:

Montezuma, AL

County: Covington
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
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Comments:
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Current Status:
Remarks: First county seat ofCovington County

Morgan Stream, AL

County:
Zip Code:
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Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
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Mountain Mills, AL

County: Colbert
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 34°42′15″N 87°53′35″W / 34.70417°N 87.89306°W / 34.70417 -87.89306
Elevation: 541 ft (165 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1872
Disestablished: 1893
Comments: Mountain Mills is an unincorporated community in Colbert County, Alabama, United States.
Remains: In 1872, a group of men in Colbert County, including N. F. Cherry, organized the Mountain Mill Company. The company was organized with the intent of building a cotton mill to produce thread and cloth. The Globe Factory in Florence, Alabama was burned by troops from the 10th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry in 1863 and rebuilt as the Cypress Mill. After the Cypress Mill closed in 1886, some of its machinery and employees became part of the Mountain Mills operations. The steam-powered mill commenced operations in 1886 under the ownership of W. H. Cherry & Co. The mill contained 6,000 spindles, 41 cards, and produced single and ply yarn. The yarn was sold in Philadelphia, New York City, and Providence, Rhode Island. The community was home to over 300 people and contained a church and school. In 1893, the mill at Mountain Mills closed. The machinery was moved to Florence and became part of the Cherry Cotton Mill. A post office operated under the name Mountain Mills from 1883 to 1893.
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: Former home of large cotton mill

Nottingham, AL

County: Shelby
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1880s
Disestablished: 1895
Comments:
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Current Status:
Remarks: Steel town

Odena, AL

County: Talladega
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments:
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Current Status: Barren
Remarks:

Old Ramer, AL

County: Montgomery
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 32°03′02″N 86°13′17″W
Elevation: 469 ft (143 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1850
Disestablished: 1895
Comments:
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Current Status:
Remarks:

Pansey, AL

County: Houston
Zip Code: 36370
Latitude / Longitude: 31°09′15″N 85°10′32″W / 31.15417°N 85.17556°W / 31.15417
Elevation: 210 ft (60 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Pansey is an unincorporated community in Houston County, Alabama, United States. Pansey is located along U.S. Route 84, 13.5 miles (21.7 km) east-southeast of Dothan. Pansey has a post office with ZIP code 36370.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks: The 28th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama,Lucy Baxleywho served from 2003-2007 was born here.

Pikeville, AL

County: Marion
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 34°02′17″N 87°57′04″W / 34.03806°N 87.95111°W / 34.03806
Elevation: 702 ft (214 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Pikeville is a ghost town in Marion County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Pikeville served as the first permanent county seat of Marion County from 1820-1882. It was incorporated as a town on January 12, 1827. The county courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1866 and was later rebuilt. John Dabney Terrell, Jr. served as Probate Judge for Marion County for over forty years. He and his family resided in Pikeville, until its demise. A post office operated under the name Pikeville from 1824 to 1907.
Remains: It is now a ghost town. However, the courthouse still stands along with the city cemetery, a civil war cemetery, a grave of an unknown War of 1812 soldier and remnants of General Jackson’s Military Road.
Current Status:
Remarks: First county seat of Marion County

Prairie Bluff, AL

County: Wilcox
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 32°8′3.52″N 87°24′12.99″W / 32.1343111°N 87.4036083°W / 32.1343111 -87.4036083
Elevation: 141 ft (43 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1819
Disestablished: 1870s
Comments: Prairie Bluff, also known as Dale and Daletown, is a ghost town in Wilcox County, Alabama. Prairie Bluff first appeared on maps in 1819, the same year that Alabama was admitted to the Union as a state. It was listed erroneously as Prairie Blue on Fielding Lucas’ Geographic, Statistical, and Historical Map of Alabama, printed in Philadelphia in 1822. However, another of Lucas’ Alabama maps, also printed in 1822, lists it as Prairie Bluff. It is interchangeably listed as Dale, Daletown, or Prairie Bluff on subsequent maps from the 1830s until the mid-1850s, after which time Prairie Bluff is the only name used. It disappeared from maps altogether around 1900.
Remains: The town was located at the midpoint of an early road that connected Cahaba, the first state capital, and St. Stephens, the territorial capital. Situated atop a cliff overlooking the Alabama River, the town grew as river trade increased. A large cotton slide, used to move bales of cotton from the top of the cliff to paddle steamers on the river below, was located at the site. The steamboat Pittsburg sank near Prairie Bluff in May 1828, followed by the Jewess on October 28, 1841.
Current Status: Submerged
Remarks: FormerAlabama Rivershipping port

Riverton, AL

County: Colbert
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1846
Disestablished: 1930s
Comments:
Remains:
Current Status: Submerged
Remarks: Former Tennessee River port town, now underwater due to the construction of the Pickwick Landing Dam. The only current remnant of Riverton is a cemetery located along the Rose Trail

Rockcastle, AL

County: Tuscaloosa
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude:
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
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St. Stephens, AL

County: Washington
Zip Code: 36569
Latitude / Longitude: 31°32′25″N 88°3′19″W / 31.54028°N 88.05528°W / 31.54028
Elevation: 226 ft (69 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1769
Disestablished:
Comments: St. Stephens is an unincorporated census-designated place in Washington County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 495. Located near the Tombigbee River in the southwestern part of the state and 67 miles north of Mobile, it is composed of two distinct sites: Old St. Stephens and New St. Stephens. The Old St. Stephens site lies directly on the river and is no longer inhabited. It was the territorial capital of the Alabama Territory. Now encompassed by the Old St. Stephens Historical Park, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Changes in the territorial capital and transportation resulted in the Old St. Stephens site being bypassed by development. “New” St. Stephens developed two miles inland around a railway station, but adjacent to the old site. It is the location of the post office, Baptist and Methodist churches, and residences. It has one building listed on the National Register and another on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. St. Stephens first appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It did not reappear again until 2010 when it was classified as a census-designated place (CDP).
Remains:
Current Status: Historic
Remarks: First territorial capital of Alabama

Stanton, AL

County: Chilton
Zip Code: 36790
Latitude / Longitude: 32°44′8″N 86°53′58″W / 32.73556°N 86.89944°W / 32.73556
Elevation: 335 ft (102 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Stanton is an unincorporated community in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. The community has a post office, with postmasters appointed from 1883 to 2006. A wedge tornado struck here on March 21, 1932 taking seven lives.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Tooktocaugee, AL

County: Calhoun
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 33°41′35″N 85°41′55″W / 33.69306°N 85.69861°W / 33.69306
Elevation: 696 ft (212 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Tooktocaugee was an unincorporated community in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. Tooktocaugee was formerly the site of a Creek Indian village.
Remains:
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: FormerCreek Indianvillage

Turkey Town, AL

County: Cherokee
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 34°08′10″N 85°41′30″W / 34.13611°N 85.69167°W / 34.13611 -85.69167
Elevation: 545 ft (166 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1770
Disestablished:
Comments: Turkey Town is a ghost town in Cherokee County, in the U.S. state of Alabama.
Remains:
Current Status: Barren
Remarks: FormerCreek Indianvillage

Valhermoso Springs, AL

County: Morgan
Zip Code: 35775
Latitude / Longitude: 34°30′04″N 86°41′09″W / 34.50120°N 86.68582°W / 34.50120
Elevation: 246 ft (75 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Valhermoso Springs is an unincorporated community in Morgan County, Alabama, United States. Valhermoso Springs is located on Alabama State Route 36, 6.7 miles (10.8 km) east-northeast of Somerville. Valhermoso Springs has a post office with ZIP code 35775.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks: Former health resort

Vienna, AL

County: Pickens
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 33°1′7″N 88°11′31″W / 33.01861°N 88.19194°W / 33.01861
Elevation: 141 ft (43 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Vienna (pronounced “Vy-ee’-nuh”) is an unincorporated community about 6 miles from Mississippi in Pickens County, Alabama, United States. It was a prosperous river port from the 1830s until the American Civil War, situated along the eastern shore of the Tombigbee River on the southwestern border of the county. It declined rapidly in importance with the building of a railroad through Pickens County following the war. In 1917 the post office closed and this marked the end of Vienna’s official status as a town. Some Alabama natives think Vienna sausages come from Vienna, AL, and therefore pronounce Vienna sausage “Vy-ee’-nuh”.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks: FormerTombigbee Riverport

Waldo, AL

County: Talladega
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 33°23′37″N 86°1′58″W / 33.39361°N 86.03278°W / 33.39361
Elevation: 705 ft (215 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Waldo is a town in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in 1972. At the 2010 census the population was 283.
Remains:
Current Status:
Remarks:

Washington, AL

County: Autauga
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 32°24′22″N 86°27′26″W / 32.40611°N 86.45722°W / 32.40611
Elevation: 121 ft (37 m)
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1817
Disestablished: 1879
Comments: Washington is a ghost town located in Autauga County, Alabama on the north bank of the Alabama River, just west of the mouth of Autauga Creek. Washington was founded in 1817 on the site of the former Autauga Indian town of Atagi and named in honor of George Washington. On November 22, 1819, the Alabama territorial legislature chose Washington as the county seat of Autauga County, which it remained until 1830. A courthouse, hotel, jail, post office, and pillory were constructed to meet the needs of the county government. The county seat was moved to Kingston in 1830 in order to be closer to the geographic center of the county. Soon after, many citizens began to leave, and Washington was deserted by 1879. The post office in Washington was operated from 1824 to 1854.
Remains:
Current Status: Barren/Submerged
Remarks: First county seat of Autauga County

How Many Ghost Towns Are In Alabama?

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