Abandoned town near Springfield?

Urban exploration in Missouri
Willard
Encyclopedia Willardica
Encyclopedia Willardica
Posts: 4913
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:49 pm

Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by Willard »

I'm one for knowing a lot about Springfield's historical past, but one has for sure stumped me. My friend was telling me about a town near Springfield that back in the 1930's or 1940's it got cut of from the rest of civilization when a new highway got put in. I had never heard of anything like that and the local history dept at the library center didn't know either. Apperently you can still go there today, though you can't drive to it. It supposedly still looks like people just left for work during the day or had gotten interupted in the middle of daily activity. Anyway I was just wondering if anyone had any idea if a town like this exists in the area, and if so where is it? Also if it does exist, is anyone up for exploring it with me?
User avatar
White Rabbit
Illuminati Expert
Illuminati Expert
Posts: 5246
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2004 5:57 pm
Location: Missouri

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by White Rabbit »

Hrm... I'd definitely want to check it out, but there's no telling which one it is. Any way you can get a name? Off the top of my head, Mumford comes to mind, which I've never been to but Raven has. Supposed to be really close to Springfield, I think.
Willard
Encyclopedia Willardica
Encyclopedia Willardica
Posts: 4913
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:49 pm

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by Willard »

I wasn't told what the name of it was, mainly because he didn't know the name. He kept thinking it was in the southeast area of the county near lake springfield, but I've been all around there and the only thing that is around there is Wanoka Lodge. Though I do have something else I had forgotten about that is by the southeast powerplant. It's on the north side of the James River up on the bluffs. It's east of the dam too. It's an old club house. It's on the old 1904 Platt map of Clay Township (that's the township that that area is). Though one of my friends had been up there about 4 months ago and said it's pretty much in ruins.
User avatar
Spectral
0-99 Poster
0-99 Poster
Posts: 61
Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2004 1:16 pm
Location: MO
Contact:

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by Spectral »

Wow, that's sounds really neat. Like WR said, the only really close town I know of near Springfield is Mumford, and there really wasn't anything there. Sequiota and Galloway come to mind too, though those are actually apart of Springfield now. Do any of the towns on these sites sound familier?

http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri. ... enepl.html
http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/mo/mo.html

Oh yeah, speaking of abandoned towns, I found out where the town of Bethesda was located, which was at one time famous for its supposed "curing" springs. Not sure if there's too much there now though. It's just barely northwest of Willard, so I might check it out soon. Lemme know if you guys want directions.
Willard
Encyclopedia Willardica
Encyclopedia Willardica
Posts: 4913
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:49 pm

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by Willard »

What I'm planning on doing in the next few days is going to The Library Center and getting copies of all townships in the 1904 Platt book. They have towns listed in there that haven't been around in ages and I'll check and see if anything exists of those towns.
User avatar
White Rabbit
Illuminati Expert
Illuminati Expert
Posts: 5246
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2004 5:57 pm
Location: Missouri

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by White Rabbit »

They have copies of the plat books at the library? If I'd known that, I would've looked at those a long time ago for stuff. I just figured the county recorders were the only ones with those.
Willard
Encyclopedia Willardica
Encyclopedia Willardica
Posts: 4913
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:49 pm

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by Willard »

The Local History Department has a lot of need stuff there. All you have to do is ask one of the people at that reference desk and they'll direct you to what you're looking for.
User avatar
ann_marie
Explore Whore
Explore Whore
Posts: 296
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 4:13 pm
Location: Missouri

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by ann_marie »

Would this be Spencer, Missouri? I just got a brochure from Missouri tourism and they mention Spencer as being a ghost town created when the highway (route 66) was rerouted. I did a search and not much is left of it.

http://www.cart66pf.org/66caravan/roadlog38a.htm

http://www.visitmo.com/mainpage.cfm?Sec ... tomNavID=0
Willard
Encyclopedia Willardica
Encyclopedia Willardica
Posts: 4913
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:49 pm

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by Willard »

Actually it's not Spencer... this town is in Green County from what I'm told and it got shut off from any traffic at all back before WWII from what I was told... apparently there are still cars there and things just sitting about like people just got up and walked out and never came back.
"Oh my God! Wal-mart's going to march on Poland!" ~ Lewis Black

"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
djarum101
0-99 Poster
0-99 Poster
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 12:44 pm

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by djarum101 »

this all seems somewhat hard to believe. abandoned cars sitting for 60 or 70 years? how did ur friend here about it?
gunc0r3
0-99 Poster
0-99 Poster
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 5:16 pm

Re: RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by gunc0r3 »

Willard wrote:Though I do have something else I had forgotten about that is by the southeast powerplant. It's on the north side of the James River up on the bluffs. It's east of the dam too. It's an old club house. It's on the old 1904 Platt map of Clay Township (that's the township that that area is). Though one of my friends had been up there about 4 months ago and said it's pretty much in ruins.
i = new guy.
anyway, i just tried to make a post about this place, but i kept getting some error msg. here it is.

unfortunately, the site i'm about to describe is no longer in existence, but i've been searching around here & there for 3 or so years trying to figure out just what it was.

originally, i thought it was winoka, as it is some what near that site, but it's actually on the opposite side of the big lake bridge. here's some directions, from spfld.

take fremont ave. south past republic road. eventually, the road will end, and you may only turn left or right onto some road (sorry don't remember the name, but you can't miss it... going right takes you to a stoplight at s. national near ironwood estates & family video.) for our adventure, you need to go LEFT on this road. it curves up ahead and takes you to the big bridge over lake springfield near the power plant. right *before* you cross the bridge, however, is a road that turns to the right and goes up the hill. i believe there is now a sign declaring the area as "such and such estates." the houses here are noticeably extravagant.

unfortunately, as i said, the site no longer exists. only the new homes are there now, but at the top of the hill, there once stood what appeared to be some sort of abandoned camp (the reason i thought it was winoka.) there were five or six buildings, all totally abandoned, totally empty, totally nothing. some of them were barely standing. the peculiar part, was at the back of the site (west end.) there was a larger, long red building filled with interesting stuff. the first peculiarity i noticed was the gutted macintosh computer sitting outside. circa 84 style! we went in. the first room was filled with old bank statements & documents, littering the room. the remainder of the rooms were filled with various old school office machines (faxes, photocopiers, etc) and a truckload of old science textbooks & lab equipment (nothing particularly hardcore; the texts appeared to be high school level-ish, as did most of the equipment.) the real treasure, to me anyway, was in the final room inside that we visisted. much larger than the rest. more lab gear... and the decaying remains of an ibm system 400 mainframe. old school!

behind the red building was a fence, and i think, a pool, though we didn't investigate much back there.

it's a big time bummer that this place is gone. it was so cool and so bizarre. and no one i've ever talked to has any idea about it.

//j

p.s. awesome site you have here. love the pictures!
gunc0r3
0-99 Poster
0-99 Poster
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 5:16 pm

Re: RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by gunc0r3 »

hells bells, there's my post from yesterday. didn't think it took.

anyway, i'm jon. new guy.

//j
Willard
Encyclopedia Willardica
Encyclopedia Willardica
Posts: 4913
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:49 pm

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by Willard »

:-D I know what you're talking about. It's an old campsite and the entrance used to be off of National near the old golf course way south of Weaver (that's the cross street at National that T's with Fremont). Anyway the camp was named Sheltering Heights Camp. Here's the topo view of it
Sheltering Heights Topo View
The map was made July 1st 1975. The airial photo should still have the camp on it concidering the photos haven't been updated since 1996.

I first found out about the campsite a couple of years ago when I was dateing a girl that lived on the site after it was abandoned. Her family was leasing it from the owner and her dad used to have her and her siblings tear down cars there.

An interesting thing however, I'm told there are ruins of an old hunting lodge just to the east of Kissick Road (the road that crosses the dam) Just before you go across the dam. I'm told it's in the valley somewhere to the east of the road. It's on my 1904 plat map of Clay Township, but I looked for it today but didn't find anything, however there was a ton of poison ivy growing all over the place and as I'm highly alergic, I was risking a lot just going where I did.
Last edited by Willard on Mon Apr 18, 2005 7:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Oh my God! Wal-mart's going to march on Poland!" ~ Lewis Black

"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
gunc0r3
0-99 Poster
0-99 Poster
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 5:16 pm

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by gunc0r3 »

awesome, totally awesome! i've never found *anyone* who knew anything about this place.
how long ago was it that you dated this girl? i mean, there was computer gear from the early/mid 80s in that big red building. freakin weird, mang.

//j
Willard
Encyclopedia Willardica
Encyclopedia Willardica
Posts: 4913
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:49 pm

RE: Abandoned town near Springfield?

Post by Willard »

Well this girl I dated about 2 years ago, and she was 18 at that time. I think she lived there in the late 1990's.
"Oh my God! Wal-mart's going to march on Poland!" ~ Lewis Black

"You're not the "rockstar of the forum." Paul is." ~ CrazyDrummerDude
Post Reply