State atlas · filed under NC
Ghost Towns of North Carolina
North Carolina's ghosts are mountain and mill: logging-railroad camps in the Smokies (some preserved inside the park), gold-district hamlets from America's earliest rush, and textile villages that closed with their mills.
1,212 sites surveyed across North Carolina — 3 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 1,212 vanished or historical sites in North Carolina — 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
Lost CoveYancey Co.Verified Ghost TownMortimerCaldwell Co.Verified Ghost TownHenry River Mill VillageBurke Co.Historic Townsite
Society Pro
See North Carolina as the surveyors drew it, 1879 to 1919
258 USGS survey sheets from those years cover North Carolina. 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.
1,963mine features
5,200mineral sites
1,206lost places
258survey sheets
The full survey ledger
Every vanished town the federal archive records in North Carolina — each with its own record page, verified and expanded over time.
AbecrumbyAnson Co.Abotts CreekDavidson Co.AllinRowan Co.AllinWilkes Co.AusbonWashington Co.BairdCaldwell Co.BanalsburgMecklenburg Co.BarnesWake Co.BeauxWilkes Co.BegoniaGaston Co.BenefitForsyth Co.BethanyDavidson Co.BethelPerquimans Co.BeverlyAnson Co.Bingham BridgeCleveland Co.BlackmerRowan Co.BobRutherford Co.Bosts MillCabarrus Co.BoushellWake Co.BoydenSurry Co.BrevardIredell Co.BrewersWilkes Co.Brier CreekWilkes Co.BrimSurry Co.BrooklynNash Co.BrooksideWatauga Co.BrownWilkes Co.BrummelsDavidson Co.BryanWilkes Co.BurdettMecklenburg Co.ByersvilleCleveland Co.CaldwellGaston Co.CampbellStokes Co.CardenasWake Co.CatawbaGaston Co.CatheyGaston Co.CecilHaywood Co.CeramicStokes Co.Chalk LevelForsyth Co.ChambersBurke Co.ChepanuuPerquimans Co.Cherry PointCraven Co.Cherry Point LandingCraven Co.ChismanStokes Co.ChowansvilleRowan Co.ChuckleWilkes Co.CilleyCaldwell Co.Clear CreekMecklenburg Co.Cleveland MillsCleveland Co.Cleveland SpringCleveland Co.CloudlandMitchell Co.Coddle CreekCabarrus Co.ColemansCabarrus Co.ColevilleStokes Co.CollinsBurke Co.ConcordCaldwell Co.CopenhagenCaldwell Co.CosfortWilkes Co.Cottage HomeLincoln Co.CowinIredell Co.CrowdersGaston Co.CubaRutherford Co.DanielsLincoln Co.Dark RidgeAvery Co.DavenportCaldwell Co.DennyWilkes Co.DimmetteWilkes Co.DobbinsRowan Co.DownsvilleCaldwell Co.DraperRockingham Co.Drowning CreekBurke Co.Drys MillCabarrus Co.DurbroCleveland Co.EaglenestHaywood Co.East FruitlandWilkes Co.EastfieldMecklenburg Co.EdenDavidson Co.ElbethelCleveland Co.EmandellWashington Co.EmanuelCaldwell Co.ErwinsvilleCleveland Co.EsmeraldaRutherford Co.EwartMitchell Co.ExeterPender Co.FancyCleveland Co.FaunaPasquotank Co.Flat ShoalsSurry Co.FletcherWilkes Co.Frohock MillRowan Co.FultonDavie Co.FurrsCabarrus Co.GageRutherford Co.GarfieldRowan Co.GarmonsCabarrus Co.GatherIredell Co.GlenburineCaldwell Co.Globe SetCaldwell Co.GoinstownRockingham Co.GoldenRutherford Co.GoodCleveland Co.GouldsWilkes Co.Grave YardWatauga Co.GraybealAshe Co.GreenCleveland Co.Green HillWashington Co.GrimesRowan Co.Guerrant SpringsRockingham Co.HallowayPerson Co.HappersvilleLenoir Co.HardawayBurke Co.HaristonStokes Co.HarmonRutherford Co.HarrisonMecklenburg Co.HartsRowan Co.HatterbrondBurke Co.Hay MeadowWilkes Co.HebronMecklenburg Co.HendersonWilkes Co.HendrixWilkes Co.HensleyYancey Co.HepcoHaywood Co.HerrellMitchell Co.HibritenCaldwell Co.Hickory GroveBurke Co.HilornWilkes Co.HintonsvillePasquotank Co.HoodsMecklenburg Co.Hornets NestMecklenburg Co.HoustonRowan Co.HoustonvilleDavie Co.HoylesvilleGaston Co.Hunting CreekWilkes Co.IotlaMacon Co.JeterRutherford Co.JimesDavidson Co.Jinnys BranchBrunswick Co.Johnsons MillsPitt Co.JonesCaldwell Co.Jones CreekAnson Co.KellyvilleMecklenburg Co.KingwoodMecklenburg Co.KirklandCabarrus Co.Lackey StoreStokes Co.LaviniaHaywood Co.LeaksvilleRockingham Co.LenoirCaldwell Co.LesterWilkes Co.LethaFranklin Co.Liberty HillIredell Co.Lime RockSurry Co.Linville RiverCaldwell Co.Little Rock CreekMitchell Co.LockRowan Co.LookoutAnson Co.LovelaceWilkes Co.LoveladyCaldwell Co.LynchMadison Co.MackRutherford Co.MartinWilkes Co.MartindaleMecklenburg Co.MasequetucPasquotank Co.MatthewIredell Co.MertieWilkes Co.Mill HillRowan Co.Mill HillCabarrus Co.MillertonRowan Co.Mineral SpringLincoln Co.MirandaRowan Co.MonteithMecklenburg Co.MonticelloWashington Co.MooresIredell Co.MoratucWashington Co.MorrowsMecklenburg Co.Mount PisgahRutherford Co.Mountain HomeMcDowell Co.MunroeDavidson Co.MuttenzCaldwell Co.NanitoRutherford Co.NanneyRutherford Co.New CastleWilkes Co.New HomeSurry Co.New HopeIredell Co.NewlifeWilkes Co.NicholsvilleCleveland Co.NorrisWatauga Co.North BarringerRowan Co.North BrookLincoln Co.Norville CragsSurry Co.Oak LawnCabarrus Co.OfferWilkes Co.Old StanhopeNash Co.OrvilleMecklenburg Co.Otter CreekRutherford Co.PalmHaywood Co.ParisAnson Co.Pee DeeAnson Co.PenleyWatauga Co.PennfieldDavidson Co.PinocaMecklenburg Co.PleasantLincoln Co.Poley Bridge CrossingColumbus Co.Pomouk Indian VillageBeaufort Co.PoolRowan Co.PoolvillePasquotank Co.Poplar HillAnson Co.Poyners HillCurrituck Co.ProvidenceMecklenburg Co.Querys DixonsMecklenburg Co.RendlemanRowan Co.River ViewMecklenburg Co.RoanoacDare Co.RobinetWilkes Co.Rocky MeadowDavidson Co.RollinsBurke Co.RoperAnson Co.Rowan MillsRowan Co.RuskSurry Co.RussawWilkes Co.SardisCaldwell Co.SchlosstownFranklin Co.Seagles StoreLincoln Co.Sedges GardenForsyth Co.SharpIredell Co.Shehan CrossroadsRutherford Co.Shelton StoreStokes Co.ShilohMontgomery Co.SmithRowan Co.Snow CreekIredell Co.SonomaHaywood Co.SprayRockingham Co.SpringdaleHaywood Co.SpringfieldWilkes Co.SpringsvilleCabarrus Co.SpurgeonWilkes Co.SteelRowan Co.StokesWilkes Co.Stokes FerryDavidson Co.SumnersvilleGates Co.SwainWashington Co.Tarkey TailBurke Co.TateRutherford Co.TeagueHaywood Co.ThompsonWake Co.TindallsvilleAnson Co.TorranceIredell Co.TriangleLincoln Co.TrioRutherford Co.TugwellPitt Co.TulinCabarrus Co.TuskasagaMecklenburg Co.UnityRowan Co.Upper Sawra TownStokes Co.WalkersvilleUnion Co.WalksDavidson Co.Wallace StoreCabarrus Co.WalshWilkes Co.Watauga FallsWatauga Co.WattsIredell Co.WeathersponWilkes Co.White HallMecklenburg Co.White RoadForsyth Co.Whiteheads MillRowan Co.WhittyWilkes Co.Williams Cross RoadsColumbus Co.WilsonCleveland Co.WilsonvilleLincoln Co.Wind HillDavidson Co.WolfvilleUnion Co.WoodlandGaston Co.ZebraWilkes Co.ZimmermanWilkes Co.ZionIredell Co.