The spirits that linger in America’s ghost towns: Abandoned places and their haunting histories

The Superstition Mountains looming over Goldfield, Arizona (Atmosphere1/Shutterstock)

How does a once bustling and functioning town one day become abandoned? Scattered throughout the United States are towns like these, where residents left, but remnants of their lives remain frozen in time. For the curious traveler, wandering through these deserted settlements offers a glimpse into lost history, and, sometimes, sends chills down their spine. These neglected ghost towns often come with unnerving stories that explain the end of life there. I have waded through the thick of such legends so that those who wish to stroll through American ghost towns come armed with the lore that surrounds each place.

Many of the nation’s ghost towns happen to be located in the West. Why is that? During the 19th and early 20th centuries, there was an influx of new settlements in the West due to the Gold Rush, the introduction of the railroad, and other mining opportunities in those areas. Miners and their families flocked to the West to establish towns that gave them the ability to begin new mining pursuits. However, when either the mining industry hit a decline or frontier life proved to be too challenging for these newcomers, the towns were abandoned. Many of these spots are what we now know of as ghost towns.

Now, although we refer to these remnants of life as “ghost” towns, that doesn’t they are necessarily haunted. Their ghostly namesake refers to the fact that no one lives there any longer. But does that mean that spirits from their long-lost inhabitants aren’t lingering there? As we traipsed through the stories of ghost towns past, many believe to have witnessed unsettled souls wallowing through what once was, even today. Join us as we uncover the unnerving legends and let us know if you believe these tales in the comments.

Calico, CA

Location: 36600 Ghost Town Road, Yermo, CA

Calico’s History

Calico is an old silver mining town in the Mojave Desert that was inhabited from 1881 until it was abandoned in the mid-1890s after the Silver Purchase Act of 1890 squashed silver prices. An amusement park developer named Walter Knott purchased the ghost town in the 1950s and restored many of the original buildings to be as they are today, turning it into a destination for tourists. It is now part of the San Bernardino County Regional Parks system. Here, you can visit museums featuring artifacts from the original settlement, camp, hike, and eat at the many Old West-style restaurants to get a taste of what it was once like when Calico was a functioning mining town.

Is Calico haunted?

According to Haunted Rooms, Calico is one of the most haunted places in California, if not the entire United States. Some of the spirits that still linger in town are that of Lucy Lane, pupils and teachers of the Calico School House, and the last marshal of Calico “Tumbleweed Harris.”

Many claim to spot Lucy Lane, a woman clad in her black lace burial dress, walking from the general store to her home. Lucy Lane and her husband, John Robert Lane, ran the Calico General Store. Hopping on the bandwagon, they left town around the mid-1980s, but are said to have returned to the abandoned town in 1916 to live out their lives. She once lived in what is now the Lucy Lane Museum dedicated to her life. Many have seen her in a rocking chair in her home or behind the counter at the store.

Aside from seeing these familiar faces, visitors often experience tugging on their clothing, unexplained chills, and having their hands and faces touched. Are you brave enough to visit and see if this is true?

Bodie, CA

Bodie’s History

Unlike Calico’s commercialized nature, Bodie is frozen in time and preserved as it was in 1942 when the lingering inhabitants finally jumped ship. In 1877, the Standard Company purchased a nearby mine rich with ore. People then rushed to the area and it quickly became a booming gold-mining town. In 1881, the town’s population started to decline, but it was not until 1942 that mining stopped in the area. The town also suffered two large fires in 1892 and 1932, reducing it to less than 10% of the 2,000 structures that once stood there. Today, you can visit the surviving remnants of the town and see interiors of buildings left just as they were. It is a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park. Because of the commitment to preserving Bodie, you won’t find any gas stations or restaurants within the town. There is a museum, but otherwise, this site provides an authentic look into the lives of the inhabitants over half a century ago.

Is Bodie haunted?

This is yet another Californian town that people claim to be one of the most haunted towns in the state. Aside from hearing haunting sounds and feeling chills, locals also claim the spirits of the town curse anyone who dares to take a souvenir. It is illegal to take any artifacts from the town, but visitors have in the past anyway. Apparently, misfortune falls upon those who remove anything from the site. Rangers say that they have received packages over the years returning stolen items with letters apologizing to the spirits and hoping their bad luck will end.

Silver City, CA

Location: 3829 Lake Isabella Bl, Bodfish, CA 93205

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill ghost town. Silver City is made up of over 20 historic structures from mining camps all over Kern Valley like Keyesville, Whiskey Flat, and old Isabella. It was started by Dave and Arvilla Mills in the ’60s and ’70s but closed for 15 years until the current owners, the Corlew family, purchased it and reopened in 1990. The town has been carefully preserved to represent what gold mining life was like in the area. While it is not the original settlement of many of the buildings, these structures are kept as much the same as their original state as possible. Today, the town has been used as the site of many music video and film projects. Visitors can stroll through the town and see hundreds of artifacts for a peak into the daily life of the area’s miners.

Is Silver City haunted?

Silver City has landed itself a spot on the National Directory of Haunted Places. According to Lake Isabella, this begs the question: “Since most of the buildings were moved to the present site over a quarter of a century ago, did the ghosts move with the buildings or move in because it looked like home?” They also mention that the owner was once a skeptic of paranormal activity in Silver City until he witnessed a miner’s lunch pail fly twelve feet across the room. Others have witnessed objects floating, doors opening and closing, and the general store’s violin strings plucking. Also, Atlas Obscura reports that the jail is the site of some serious paranormal happenings.

Rhyolite, NV

Location: Off Highway 374, Death Valley National Park, Beatty, NV 89003

Rhyolite’s History

In 1904, prospectors Shorty Harris and E.L. Cross discovered high-grade gold ore in the hills of Nevada. They named their claim Bullfrog, which led to the development of the Bullfrog Mining District, where Rhyolite would soon be founded in 1905. Rhyolite stands out in the catalog of Wild West ghost towns for how developed it became. With over 200 structures including its own red light district, the town had electricity, a train station, telephone lines, and plumbing. According to Travel Nevada, the town produced more than $1 million within the three short years of its prime which is equivalent to about $27 million by today’s standards.

Like many frontier towns, the gold started to run out and the decline was quick. Along with a diminishing supply from the mines, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake disrupted the railway system, proving to be the last straw for Rhyolite. By 1916, most of the town’s businesses were shut down, mining had stopped, and electricity was turned off. Only 14 people called Rhyolite home in 1920. Today, you can see some of the incredible structures still standing like Tom Kelly’s Bottle House, a home made of 50,000 medicine, beer, and whiskey bottles. This building was restored in 1925 for a Paramount Pictures film, “Air Mail.” You can also see some of the walls of the three-story bank building still standing.

Is Rhyolite haunted?

There is one legend that stands out in Rhyolite: the legend of Mona Belle. Mona Belle, or Sadie Isabelle Peterman, fled to Rhyolite with Fred Skinner in a love affair. She was allegedly already married, but changed her name and went to Rhyolite with Fred to start a new life. The couple was eccentric and known for being unconventional. He was a gambler and she was rumored to have worked as a prostitute in town. While the exact events of her murder are blurry, apparently Skinner shot Belle while they were arguing about money. Because the town didn’t want her burried in the cemetary, sh was buried in a lone grave behind the jail where Skinner awaited his sentencing. Although there are records of her remains being taken back to her parents in Battle Creek, Nebraska, people have experienced paranormal activity at the gravesite behind the jail. That leaves us to wonder if her spirit still lingers in Rhyolite (C.L. Thomas).

Source: https://studyfinds.org/americas-ghost-towns/