State atlas · filed under IL

Ghost Towns of Illinois

Illinois lost coal towns by the dozen when southern seams closed, canal and river landings when the railroads rerouted commerce, and prairie villages consolidated away by the automobile.

581 sites surveyed across Illinois — 2 charted with full records so far, entered by year of settlement. The rest are awaiting verification.

✕Charted — click for the recordSurveyed — records pending

Survey note

The federal place-name archive records 581 vanished or historical sites in Illinois — ghost towns, mining camps, townsites, and railroad stops. We chart them a few at a time, as the records can be verified. Every mark on this map is a place that once had a name.

TownYearsLast pop.Classification

KaskaskiaRandolph Co.1703–188121Near-Abandoned Old ShawneetownGallatin Co.1810–1937100Near-Abandoned

Society Pro

See Illinois as the surveyors drew it, 1879 to 1919

406 USGS survey sheets from those years cover Illinois. Pro lays them over today's map with a swipe between then and now, and adds every mine feature, lost place and mineral site the federal record holds for the state.

4,586mine features

2,290mineral sites

8,752lost places

406survey sheets

The full survey ledger

Every vanished town the federal archive records in Illinois — each with its own record page, verified and expanded over time.

AdamsLivingston Co.AppalokiaMorgan Co.ArmsbyMcHenry Co.AvocaLivingston Co.Bailey FallsLaSalle Co.Barnard MillMcHenry Co.BenderJohnson Co.BernadotteFulton Co.BethelClay Co.Blue GrassVermilion Co.BourbonaisBureau Co.BowlesvilleGallatin Co.Bowling GreenWoodford Co.BowmanJersey Co.BradleyJackson Co.BridgeportKnox Co.BridgeportScott Co.BrinksburgJo Daviess Co.BristolEffingham Co.BrownsportWhite Co.BrowntonMorgan Co.BurnsideKnox Co.CaledoniaPutnam Co.CalftownAdams Co.CampbellsburgChristian Co.CassCass Co.CatfishEdgar Co.CentervilleGrundy Co.ChamnessWilliamson Co.CharlottsvilleLawrence Co.CiverFulton Co.CollinsKankakee Co.ColumbianaGreene Co.ColumbusScott Co.ConwayvilleGreene Co.CrawfordsvilleCrawford Co.Cross RoadsJohnson Co.CultonLaSalle Co.DaggettCarroll Co.DarmstadtSt. Clair Co.DavisMorgan Co.DenmarkVermilion Co.DennyWarren Co.DuttonPike Co.East StocktonJo Daviess Co.EllisonWarren Co.Elm GroveWhite Co.Elm PointBond Co.ElthamJackson Co.Faries ParkMacon Co.FarmsvilleWoodford Co.FillmoreDouglas Co.FitzgerrellJefferson Co.FlemingsburgEffingham Co.Foster PondMonroe Co.FransoniaRichland Co.FredoniaWilliamson Co.Freedom CentreLaSalle Co.FreenantonEffingham Co.FremontClinton Co.Fulton CenterFulton Co.GlendaleRock Island Co.GlenwoodRichland Co.GowansvillePope Co.GreenlandFayette Co.GreenvilleFranklin Co.GriffinClark Co.GrisoldLawrence Co.GurneyCass Co.Hale RidgeSchuyler Co.HalltownSaline Co.HarperWhite Co.Harris GroveJefferson Co.HawleyTazewell Co.Highland TownGrundy Co.Hills GroveMcDonough Co.Howards PointFayette Co.HurricaneGreene Co.IllianaEdgar Co.IrondaleCook Co.JamestownHamilton Co.Jefferson CityHamilton Co.JordanvilleMorgan Co.JudsonKankakee Co.KedronHenry Co.KeelerFulton Co.LemmonSangamon Co.LexingtonEdwards Co.Lincoln SquareCook Co.Little IrelandMcDonough Co.Little RockLaSalle Co.LittlevilleMcLean Co.Locust GroveFranklin Co.LogansburghWabash Co.LogansportHamilton Co.LynchburgJefferson Co.MartinMercer Co.MaxwellSangamon Co.McIntosh SettlementWhite Co.Melugin GroveLee Co.Mid CityGreene Co.MidwayFulton Co.MillbrigJo Daviess Co.Mills PrairieEdwards Co.Mineral CityHardin Co.Mineral SpringsWhiteside Co.MooresPike Co.Morgan CityMorgan Co.MoscowMason Co.Mount ForestCook Co.MunsonLaSalle Co.MyersvilleVermilion Co.National CitySt. Clair Co.New AthensEdgar Co.New CastleTazewell Co.New HopeWabash Co.New LancasterWarren Co.New LondonHamilton Co.New MarketGallatin Co.New MassillonWayne Co.New MichiganLivingston Co.New SalemMenard Co.North CaledoniaBoone Co.OtterLaSalle Co.OttoFulton Co.OxfordHenry Co.PerkinsPope Co.PiankashawtownEdwards Co.PigeonJefferson Co.Pilot CenterKankakee Co.PinhookFayette Co.PitchervilleJo Daviess Co.Pleasant HillJo Daviess Co.Pleasant RidgeFulton Co.PohatenWabash Co.PrattWhiteside Co.QuakerEdgar Co.QuashquemaHancock Co.RagtownMcDonough Co.RectorvilleHamilton Co.Red BudSaline Co.Reeds CrossingBoone Co.Robert Taylor HomesCook Co.Saint PhilipMonroe Co.Saline Valley StoreSaline Co.SanfordvilleWhiteside Co.SavageMorgan Co.SaxonLivingston Co.SaxonHenry Co.SelmaWabash Co.ShastaAlexander Co.ShelburnLee Co.Silver LakeHenderson Co.SlackwaterStark Co.SonoraHancock Co.South OttawaLaSalle Co.Spring Creek SettlementMcDonough Co.Spring GroveWarren Co.Stateway GardensCook Co.StewardsvilleMcDonough Co.StringtownJohnson Co.SudduthSangamon Co.Sullivan CenterLivingston Co.Sulphur SpringsWilliamson Co.Sweet HomeJo Daviess Co.SylvanCass Co.TechnyCook Co.TedensDuPage Co.TorinoWill Co.TroyFulton Co.Valley CreekStephenson Co.VanlandOgle Co.VirgilFulton Co.WaldronStark Co.WanboroughEdwards Co.WaterfordFulton Co.WatertownRichland Co.WestminsterShelby Co.WestonJo Daviess Co.White Oak SpringsBrown Co.White WillowKendall Co.WhitesvilleSaline Co.WilliamsburgShelby Co.WilsonburgRichland Co.WoodvilleMonroe Co.

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