List of ghost towns in Georgia (U.S. state) explained

The following is an incomplete list of ghost towns in Georgia. Ghost towns can include sites in various states of disrepair and abandonment. Some sites no longer have any trace of civilization and have reverted to pasture land or empty fields. Other sites are unpopulated but still have standing buildings. Some sites may even have a sizable, though small population, but there are far fewer citizens than in its grander historic past.

Classification

Barren site

Neglected site

Abandoned site

Semi abandoned site

Historic community

List

NameCountyOther namesLocationSettledAbandonedCurrent status  Remarks
AgnesLincoln18891955[1] A small Hamlet located away from waterways or railroads.[2]
AllatoonaLake Allatoona1838[3] 1949SubmergedFlooded in the mid-1940s to create Lake Allatoona, today a recreational spot. In the 1980s, low water levels allowed remnants of the town to be visible from the water.[4]
AllonCrawfordearly 1800sAn industry town for the Atlanta Sand & Supply Company.[5]
ApalacheeFlorence18891995AbandonedOne of the earliest settlements in Morgan County.[6]
Apolloappeared on maps as late as 1955.[7]
Argo
Armstrong
AurariaDean, Deans, Nuckollsville, Scuffle Townsettled during the Georgia Gold Rush but declined after the California Gold Rush and Colorado Gold Rush.
Barnett Shoals1995a mill town dissolved in 1995.[8]
Beech Hill
Belle Vista
Bender
BethanyNeglectedContains the collapsing remains of many buildings and stores.[9]
Bingham
Birdford
Bladen
Blountsvilleheavily damaged by the Civil War and never recovered.[10]
Brasstownformer Cherokee village.
Burnt FortCamden
Burton1919Submergedflooded to create Lake Burton in 1919.
Ceylon
Cement2 miles north of KingstonAbandoned
CentervilleCharlton
Cheevertown1882[11]
ChristopherChattahoochee
Cole CityDadeCole1995a settlement founded near the mouth of the Dade Coal Company coal mine.[12] [13]
Colerain
Conasaugaa Cherokee settlement that was overtaken by European-Americans and later abandoned for larger towns.
ConstitutionDeKalb1952Absorbedabsorbed into Atlanta in 1952.
CorinthSumter County12 miles east of Americus
ClydeFormerly the county seat of Bryan County.[14]
Dewsville
Doctortown
Due
EbenezerSemi-abandonedToday, the Jerusalem Lutheran Church is the only building in use.
EelbeckChattahoocheeAn old Cherokee settlement
EtowahFloyd
Floydtown
Ford
FowlstownDecatursettled and abandoned twice.
Franklinville
GaillardCrawford1951A railroad community that died after the closure of the rail line.
Gerber
Grantville
Greenbush
GrisworldvilleLargely destroyed in 1864 during the American Civil War.[15]
High FallsMonroe CountyHigh Falls State Park contains the abandoned industrial town of High Falls.[16]
HuguenotElbert
HardwickeBryan1754
JacksonboroAbandoned/historicHouses the historic Seaborn Goodall House.[17]
JamestownChattahoochee
JohntownDawson
KiteJohnsonAbandoned, Decaying Downtown/Very low population
CrawfordSemi-abandonedPopulation decreased as the railroads extended.
Lang
LaingkatDecaturLand Cat
Ligon
LivingstonFloyd
Mimsvilleca. 1880[18] 1914
New Bridge
New EchotaGordon1830sHistoricThe capital city of the Cherokee Nation until their forced removal in the 1830s.
New SavannahAugusta-Richmondca. 1740A former Chickasaw settlement which became a tobacco town, waning with the tobacco industry in the early 19th century.
OketeyeconneSubmergedA former unincorporated town along the Chattahoochee River that was flooded to create Walter F. George Lake.[19]
Olympia
Oscarville1912SubmergedFlooded during the formation of Lake Lanier. In 1912, it was the site of a lynching which prompted the removal of all black residents.[20]
Owensbyville
PetersburgElberta tobacco town that was the third largest city in Georgia between 1800 and 1810.[21]
RecoveryDecatur
Roanoke1836Raided by Creek Indians in 1836 and never rebuilt.[22]
RolloCrawfordearly 1800sAn industry town for the Atlanta Sand & Supply Company.
San Barnardthe county seat in the 1850s.[23]
Scull ShoalsOriginally settled in the early 19th century to use the rapids to power watermills. By the 1880s, erosion upstream had halted this industry.[24]
Shackelton19091920sMining community formed in 1909 and abandoned after the mines closed in the 1920s.[25]
SocratesMonroe County
Starkville1995A cemetery remains at the site.[26]
Sunbury1864lost much of its population to natural disaster and trading competition by the mid 19th century. In 1864, the remaining town was destroyed during Sherman's March to the Sea.
Sweden
Tarver
TatumDade
Taylors Creek1940sEvictedevacuated in the 1940s to make room for a military installation.[27]
ThalmannIn 1979, a train stop in Thalmann was rerouted through Jesup,[28] causing the community to decline.
Trader's HillCharltonThe first county seat in Charlton County.[29]
TreatHaralson (located partially in Polk County)
Troupvillelargely abandoned by the end of the 19th century, after railroad traffic in nearby Valdosta drew away most of the town's residents.[30]
Visage
Walnut
Warsaw
Westlake
Willie1940sEvictedevacuated in the 1940s to make room for a military installation.[31]
Wisdoms StoreHarris
Woodstown
Wynns Mill
Youngcane
Zirkle1926Died out following the closure of the sawmill in 1926.[32]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lincoln County . 6 September 2017 . Jim Forte Postal History.
  2. Book: Candler . Allen Daniel . Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons . Evans . Clement Anselm . State historical association . 1906 . 29.
  3. Web site: Allatoona – Etowah Valley Historical Society . 2019-05-02 . en-US.
  4. Web site: winecoff . 2013-03-14 . History Of Allatoona Lake . 2019-05-02 . Lake Allatoona Association.
  5. News: 2015-05-28 . Q&A with Victoria Simmons author of "Vanished Towns Revisited: Crawford County and Byron, Georgia" . The Telegraph . 2023-02-27.
  6. Web site: Apalachee Historical Marker . 2023-02-27 . www.hmdb.org . en.
  7. Web site: Putnam County, 1955 . 31 March 2018 . Rand McNally Map of Georgia, 1955 . GeorgiaInfo.
  8. Book: Krakow, Kenneth K. . Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins . Winship Press . 1975 . 0-915430-00-2 . Macon, GA . 14.
  9. Book: Baker County Historical Society . The History of Baker County . Baker County Historical Society . 1991 . Newton, Baker County, Georgia, USA . 54–69 . 92080765.
  10. Book: Krakow, Kenneth K. . Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins . Winship Press . 1975 . 0-915430-00-2 . Macon, GA . 21.
  11. Web site: Post Offices . 7 April 2018 . Jim Forte Postal History.
  12. Book: Acts Passed by the General Assembly of Georgia . J. Johnston . 1873 . 127.
  13. Book: Krakow, Kenneth K. . Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins . Winship Press . 1975 . 0-915430-00-2 . Macon, GA . 48.
  14. Book: Krakow, Kenneth K. . Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins . Winship Press . 1975 . 0-915430-00-2 . Macon, GA . 46.
  15. Web site: Griswoldville . 2 January 2019 . American Battlefield Trust.
  16. Book: Krakow, Kenneth K. . Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins . Winship Press . 1975 . 0-915430-00-2 . Macon, GA . 108.
  17. Web site: The Goodall House . 7 January 2019 . GA Historical Society.
  18. Web site: Post Offices . 17 March 2019 . Jim Forte Postal History.
  19. Web site: Oketeyeconne, Georgia GA Community . 2011-07-05 . Georgia Hometown Locator.
  20. Web site: The truth behind Oscarville and the violent removal of Black residents from Forsyth County years before Lake Lanier was built .
  21. (Jones Jr. 1878:233-239)
  22. Book: Sherwood, Adiel . A Gazetteer of the State of Georgia . P. Force . 1837 . 219.
  23. Book: Krakow, Kenneth K. . Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins . Winship Press . 1975 . 0-915430-00-2 . Macon, GA . 197.
  24. Coulter . E Merton . March 1964 . Scull Shoals: An Extinct Georgia Manufacturing and Farming Community . The Georgia Historical Quarterly . 48 . 1 . 33–63 . 0016-8297.
  25. News: September 1, 2004 . Chattooga County . 38 . Calhoun Times . 24 April 2015.
  26. News: Gosa . John . Former Lee County seat now ghost town . 15 November 2017.
  27. Web site: Fort Stewart . 30 June 2019 . New Georgia Encyclopedia.
  28. http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/thalmann.htm Thalmann, Georgia Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
  29. Book: Krakow, Kenneth K. . Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins . Winship Press . 1975 . 0-915430-00-2 . Macon, GA . 230.
  30. News: . 5 May 1874 . Letter From Valdosta . Savannah Morning News . Savannah, Georgia .
  31. Web site: The town of Willie, Georgia. It is in the Hinesville Army camp area and is being evacuated . 30 June 2019 . Library of Congress.
  32. Book: Krakow, Kenneth K. . Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins . Winship Press . 1975 . 0-915430-00-2 . Macon, GA . 261.