The country village I was raised in is now officially a Ghost Town.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

You may recall I've been scanning some old family photos- reviewing all this personal history had me doing some casual research online. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the tiny pioneering town of Goblesville Indiana is now a ghost town.

It's not really that MUCH of a surprise- the town was founded around a sawmill operation in 1855. It was a real Gunsmoke town until they clear cut all the surrounding forest and finally had to shut down when all the lumber was gone.

There was a blacksmith, a barber shop, a general store, a church, a one room schoolhouse, and other essential stores and services. Too bad all that became useless when the sawmill closed. Eventually, all that remained was the church and the general store. The school remained (my house was next to it) but it's now just a storage building. The general store remained open into the mid-1960s when the final owner retired. There was no overriding need for a small store when transportation to the nearest town, only 8 miles away, was cheap and available.

This is a photo of "Aunt" Mae Cook, the last owner of the Goblesville General Store and Gas Station. She's standing behind the counter inside the store.



All that's really left is a small collection of homes surrounded by corn and cows. And since that's pretty much the way it was while I was growing up there, it's no real surprise. When the store closed the village closed- except for all the ghosts I know are still there.

It's an eerie feeling.

In case you're interested:

http://localremnants.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/ghost-town-of-goblesville/

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCY2MG_indiana-ghost-town-quest-6-goblesville?guid=1d320fd7-e5bf-4d9e-a46a-ad0b71eb9ad7

The house I grew up in, in Goblesville.



Me and my dad. In the background you can see the general store.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear Prisoner_Number_Six!

Well, you know I love these old photos!

It is too bad when these little towns disappear, esp. when it's due to unfortunate mismanagement.

I bet it was a cool place to grow up.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

2. Naah- it was a pretty boring place.

There were perhaps 20 homes all told, stuck out in the middle of nowhere. As I said, cows and corn.

Still, it WAS a place to be, I guess. If not there, where?

[Squinch]

3. Wow! How odd that must feel! Did people move to areas close by, or did they all just up and go?

Given that you were in the middle of nowhere, were the residents of the village social and close with each other?

[Demo_Chris]

4. Very cool! Old photos are neet, but a bit depressing as well...

It always kind of bums me out to see the people and know that those people -- the people in the images -- are gone. Even if they are alive, the people they were when the photo was taken no longer exist.