Missouri Ghost Towns (sort of)

One of my Facebook friends posted a link recently that identified 5 ghost towns in Missouri (http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/missouri/ghost-towns-mo/).  Chris and I departed at 10:00 this morning on a car trip with a goal of visiting three of them.

In Carthage, MO we stopped at the Pancake Hut Family Dining restaurant for lunch.  I had an excellent Texan Burger while Chris enjoyed her chicken strips.  We also rode around the beautiful Jasper County Courthouse on the square in Carthage.  I should have taken a picture.

Our first “ghost town” was Avilla, which the article described as a “living ghost town.”  The sign said there are 125 residents so it really is living.  I’m not sure how this qualifies as a ghost town.  There were some old buildings so I took a few pictures.  This bank turned post office was built in 1915.IMG_1002

The next ghost town was Jollification, MO.  It is now the site of Jolly Mill Park.  The mill, which was once part of the town, is located on Capps Creek.  It also used to be a distillery, which made for happy residents, which resulted in the name of Jollification.IMG_1009

We enjoyed walking around the park and Chris was amazed that there were some flowers still in bloom and a couple pretty trees with leaves still attached.IMG_1006

Aside from the mill there were no buildings left from the glory days of Jollification.  There was the Chapman School but it was relocated here from one and a half miles away.

Our next ghost town was to be Garber, MO located north and slightly west of Branson.  I could not find it, however, and it was starting to get dark.  I had checked Google maps for directions before leaving home.  At one point I was to turn onto Ralstin Road.  I found Ralstin Road and it had a legitimate looking road signIMG_1017 but immediately after turning here I encountered a gate with a no trespassing sign attached.IMG_1018Oh well, we tried.  It was getting too dark to attack it from another direction.

After driving 303 miles, we landed at a Comfort Inn motel in Ozark, MO.  It was sunny all day, which was great after the last five rainy misty days at home.  The high temperature was 48 and we saw a lot of high water and standing water from recent rains.  It was a fun day exploring two sort-of ghost towns.

For more pictures taken today click on the following link: https://goo.gl/photos/JoASaug5ft8QyNjQA

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