Railroad sign for Constitution, in Dekalb County, which was absorbed into Atlanta
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2023)

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

Street in Livingston

Barren site

Old powerhouse in High Falls

Neglected site

Historic Seaborn Goodall House, all that remains in Jacksonboro

Abandoned site

Semi abandoned site

Historic community

List

Name County Other names Location Settled Abandoned Current status   Remarks
Agnes Lincoln 1889 1955[1] A small Hamlet located away from waterways or railroads.[2]
Allatoona Bartow Lake Allatoona 1838[3] 1949[4] Submerged Flooded 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]
Allon Crawford early 1800s An industry town for the Atlanta Sand & Supply Company.[5]
Apalachee Morgan Florence 1889 1995 Abandoned One of the earliest settlements in Morgan County.[6]
Apollo Putnam appeared on maps as late as 1955.[7]
Argo Fannin
Armstrong Wilkes
Auraria Lumpkin Dean, Deans, Nuckollsville, Scuffle Town settled during the Georgia Gold Rush but declined after the California Gold Rush and Colorado Gold Rush.
Barnett Shoals Oconee 1995 a mill town dissolved in 1995.[8]
Beech Hill Wilkinson
Belle Vista Glynn
Bender Laurens
Bethany Baker Neglected Contains the collapsing remains of many buildings and stores.[9]
Bingham Jeff Davis
Birdford Tattnall
Bladen Glynn
Blountsville Jones heavily damaged by the Civil War and never recovered.[10]
Brasstown Towns former Cherokee village.[11]
Broomtown Chattooga
Burnt Fort Camden
Burton Rabun 1919 Submerged flooded to create Lake Burton in 1919.[12]
Ceylon Camden
Cement Bartow 2 miles north of Kingston Abandoned
Centerville Charlton
Cheevertown Baker 1882[13]
Christopher Chattahoochee
Cole City Dade Cole 1995 a settlement founded near the mouth of the Dade Coal Company coal mine.[14][15]
Colerain Camden
Conasauga Gilmer a Cherokee settlement that was overtaken by European-Americans and later abandoned for larger towns.[16]
Constitution DeKalb 1952 Absorbed absorbed into Atlanta in 1952.
Corinth Sumter County 12 miles east of Americus
Clyde Bryan Formerly the county seat of Bryan County.[17]
Dewsville Baker
Doctortown Wayne
Due Fannin
Ebenezer Effingham Semi-abandoned Today, the Jerusalem Lutheran Church is the only building in use.
Eelbeck Chattahoochee An old Cherokee settlement
Etowah Floyd
Fairview Chattooga
Floydtown Miller
Ford Bartow
Fowlstown Decatur settled and abandoned twice.
Franklinville Lowndes
Gaillard Crawford 1951 A railroad community that died after the closure of the rail line.[5]
Gerber Walker
Grantville Greene
Greenbush Walker
Grisworldville Jones Largely destroyed in 1864 during the American Civil War.[18]
High Falls Monroe County High Falls State Park contains the abandoned industrial town of High Falls.[19]
Huguenot Elbert
Jacksonboro Screven Abandoned/historic Houses the historic Seaborn Goodall House.[20]
Jamestown Chattahoochee
Johntown Dawson
Knoxville Crawford Semi-abandoned Population decreased as the railroads extended.[5]
Lang Carroll
Laingkat Decatur Land Cat
Ligon Bartow
Livingston Floyd
Mimsville Baker ca. 1880[21] 1914[21]
New Bridge Lumpkin
New Echota Gordon 1830s Historic The capital city of the Cherokee Nation until their forced removal in the 1830s.
New Savannah Augusta-Richmond ca. 1740 A former Chickasaw settlement which became a tobacco town, waning with the tobacco industry in the early 19th century.
Oketeyeconne Clay Submerged A former unincorporated town along the Chattahoochee River that was flooded to create Walter F. George Lake.[22]
Olympia Lowndes
Oscarville Forsyth 1912 Submerged Flooded during the formation of Lake Lanier. In 1912, it was the site of a lynching which prompted the removal of all black residents.[23]
Owensbyville Heard
Petersburg Elbert a tobacco town that was the third largest city in Georgia between 1800 and 1810.[24]
Recovery Decatur
Roanoke Stewart 1836 Raided by Creek Indians in 1836 and never rebuilt.[25]
Rollo Crawford early 1800s An industry town for the Atlanta Sand & Supply Company.[5]
San Barnard Worth the county seat in the 1850s.[26]
Scull Shoals Greene Originally settled in the early 19th century to use the rapids to power watermills. By the 1880s, erosion upstream had halted this industry.[27]
Shackelton Chattooga 1909 1920s Mining community formed in 1909 and abandoned after the mines closed in the 1920s.[28]
Socrates Monroe County
Starkville Lee 1995 A cemetery remains at the site.[29]
Sunbury Liberty 1864 lost 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 Pickens
Tarver Echols
Tatum Dade
Taylors Creek Liberty 1940s Evicted evacuated in the 1940s to make room for a military installation.[30]
Thalmann Glynn In 1979, a train stop in Thalmann was rerouted through Jesup,[31] causing the community to decline.
Trader's Hill Charlton The first county seat in Charlton County.[32]
Treat Haralson (located partially in Polk County)[33]
Troupville Lowndes c. 1900 largely abandoned by the end of the 19th century, after railroad traffic in nearby Valdosta drew away most of the town's residents.[34]
Visage Towns
Walnut Lumpkin
Warsaw McIntosh
Westlake Twiggs
Willie Liberty 1940s Evicted evacuated in the 1940s to make room for a military installation.[35]
Wisdoms Store Harris
Woodstown Henry
Wynns Mill Henry
Youngcane Union
Zirkle Pierce 1926 Died out following the closure of the sawmill in 1926.[36]

See also

References

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