The National Atlas

52,740 surveyed sites · use the locate button to find ghost towns near you

surveying 52,740 sites…

Layers · Society Pro $40/yr

Layers

Go to a town

Historic USGS survey

Scanned USGS sheets laid over today's ground. Drag the handle on the map to compare then and now; zoom to a town for the detail.

Base map

Field layers

Survey sites · everyone

Land status is advisory and may be outdated. Verify ownership and access before entering. Never cross posted or fenced land.

Before you swing a detector

National parks: metal detectors are banned outright (36 CFR 2.1).
Other federal land: anything archaeological over 100 years old stays put (ARPA). BLM allows only modern coins — no historic coins, bottles or townsite relics.
Forest Service: casual detecting only away from historic sites; hunting artifacts needs a permit.
State land sets its own rules. Private land needs the owner's permission, every time.

Every vanished place in America, on one map

The atlas charts 52,740 ghost towns, mining camps, townsites, and railroad stops drawn from the federal place-name archive — every settlement the record says once existed and no longer does. Red marks are charted towns with full histories; the rest are surveyed sites awaiting verification. Zoom into any region, click a mark for the record, or use the locate button to find ghost towns near you.

The National Atlas

Every vanished place in America, on one map

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