Illinois Ghost Towns

[Charles B]

ALPINE, Cook County, Illinois

Located 30 miles southwest of Chicago and three miles south of Orland Park. It was originally established as a Wabash Line Railroad station in 1891 (possibly as early as 1881). In 1910 Alpine was at its peak. In 1912 fire destroyed the store and two saloons, putting the town in a tailspin and by WWII it was a vacant site.

It's now a subdivision with the same streets and street names

 

[Charles B]

BAKER, LaSalle County, Illinois

This old railroad town is located along the Burlington-Northern Railroad about a quarter mile east of where the tracks cross SH 23 (E 18th Rd., at a point a mile north of the junction of SH 23/CR (County Route) 22, seven miles west-northwest of Sheridan and six miles southeast of Earlville.

Lat: 41.5555866 / 41

 

[Charles B]

BALLARD, McLean County, Illinois

On road paralleling the railroad, and I-55, four miles southwest of Chenoa

 

[Charles B]

CULTON, La Salle County, Illinois

At junction of US 52/SH 251, five miles south of Mendota, four miles west of I-39 at Exit 66.

 

[Charles B]

CUSTER, Marshall County, Illinois

On SH 17, three miles west of Evans, three miles northwest of Toluca.

 

[Charles B]

DOSTER, McLean County, Illinois

On CR 13, five miles south of Weston.

 

[Charles B]

GREEN OAK, Bureau County, Illinois

Three miles north of Dover, on Bureau Creek.

 

[Charles B]

HENKEL, Lee County, Illinois

On US 52, at its crossing of Bureau Creek, six miles northwest of Mendota.

 

[Charles B]

LaCLAIR, DeKalb County, Illinois

Five miles north of Earlville, on road that runs along the county line in southwest corner of the county.

 

[Charles B]

LITTLE ROCK, Kendall County, Illinois

In northwest corner of county, at junction of CR 12/16, five miles northwest of Plano.

 

[Charles B]

MINOCK JUNCTION, Woodford County, Illinois

Two miles south of Minonk, two miles north of Woodford, on road just east of and paralleling I-39

 

[Charles B]

MISSAL, Livingston County, Illinois

Four miles east of South Streeter along railroad, and just south of the county line.

 

[Charles B]

NEVADA, Livingston County, Illinois

On SH 17, seven miles west of Dwight.

 

[Charles B]

OLD SHAWNEETOWN, Gallatin County, Illinois

Old Shawneetown is a village in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 193. Located along the Ohio River, Shawneetown served as an important United States government administrative center for the Northwest Territory. The village was devastated by the Ohio River flood of 1937. The village's population was moved several miles inland to New Shawneetown.

Shawneetown and Washington, D.C., share the distinction of being the only towns chartered by the United States government. In early November 1803, Lewis and Clark are believed to have stopped at Old Shawneetown on their way to Fort Massac, just down the Ohio River.

Old Shawneetown is the site of the first bank chartered in Illinois in 1812. Originally in a log cabin it was replaced in 1822 with a brick structure (only the second one in the town) now known as the John Marshall House.

Local legend states that the Shawneetown Bank refused to buy the first bonds issued by the city of Chicago on the grounds that no city located that far from a navigable river could survive. Apparently they were correct in their prediction.

 

[Larry (IL)]

All right, now we are talking............ Illinois......

Thanks Charles

 

[Charles B]

I'll keep trying to dig up more of them for you Larry. I have to pull out some of the old maps. It is amazing how many of these towns there are. I just found 10 for sure and maybe as many 21 in Clinton County, Pa.

Too many towns.....too little time to hunt them.
I'll keep finding them if you guys will hunt them and send us some pictures.

 

[Diggin' 4 Silver]

Whoo Hoo!!

 

[Charles B]

CAIRO

CAIRO VIDEO

 

[Larry (IL)]

It is really a shame to see a town deteriorate like that but it looks prime for detecting. Cairo was a major activity center during the Civil war as well.

 

[Diggin' 4 Silver]

Oh yeah Larry....we are definitely going to have to go to Cairo!!