A ghost town is a town with few or no remaining inhabitants. Towns become ghost towns for a variety of reasons, but some of the main reasons are due to natural disasters or lack of economic activity. Like all states, Illinois has a variety of ghost towns. We’re taking a closer look at four ghost towns in Illinois and their stories:

Do you know of any other ghost towns in Illinois? Have you taken any fascinating pictures? Let us know in the comments. If you’d like to see more places like this, take a road trip and explore these abandoned places in Illinois.

1. Cairo
Cairo, IL 62914, USA
hickoryhardscrabble/Flickr
Cairo is a living ghost town. It is located in Southern Illinois...actually, it is the most southern city in all of Illinois. This place was absolutely booming in the 1920s and 1930s. But the Great Depression hit Cairo pretty hard. People turned on each other, and Cairo had the highest murder rate in the state of Illinois in 1937. The population was around 15,000 with 1,000 of them working as prostitutes. Some fires spread through the town in the early 1940s, and high unemployment after World War II led it to become a hotbed of organized crime. Racial tension and blatant racism led many to leave the town after the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Today, the population is 2800 people.

Take a drive through the town of Cairo:

2. Shawneetown
Shawneetown, IL 62984, USA
Doug Kerr/Flickr
Shawneetown (now referred to as Old Shawneetown) was established in 1748 by the Pewoki Shawnee. Lewis and Clark (yes, that Lewis and Clark) are said to have stopped here way back in the day. The town had the first chartered bank in Illinois. The problem for Shawneetown was its location. It was located right on the Ohio River, which had a tendency to flood--a lot. In 1937, a huge flood completely inundated Old Shawneetown. Only a few hundred people still reside here.

Take a look at Old Shawneetown today and in the past:

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3. Benld (Macoupin County)
Benld, IL 62009, USA
Mike Linksvayer/Flickr
This town was developed for coal mining. The name derives from its founder, Benjamin L. Dorsey. It was once booming. Now, only 1500 people reside here. Some Benld trivia: it is one of the few towns in history where a meteorite hit a manmade object. The Pontiac that was hit by the meteorite is on display at the Field Museum.
4. Buda
Buda, IL 61314, USA
David Wilson/Flickr
Buda is a railroad town through and through. It was named after Buda, Hungary by railroad authorities. The other major industry was wheat production. This town is still "alive." Residents, who are very knowledgeable about the town's history, do live here. There are about 538 residents in Buda. And the railroad depot still remains. However, many of the buildings are boarded up, making this a ghost town.

Take a driving tour through Buda:

 

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More to Explore

Abandoned Places in Illinois

Will Suphan | October 04, 2023

What are the creepiest places in Illinois?

The creepiest places in Illinois include:

  • The Alley of Death. Couch Place is an alley in Chicago where people jumped to their deaths to escape a 1903 fire at the old Iroquois Theatre.
  • Showmen’s Rest. This is a grave with a carved stone elephant where members of a circus who were killed in a freak train accident are buried.
  • Bloods Point Road. It is said that a woman named Beulah hung her children and herself from a bridge on this road.
  • Ashmore Estates. This was an asylum from 1959 until 1987 and people report hearing voices and feeling chills among other sensations here.

Find out more about the creepiest places in Illinois. 

What are the most abandoned places in Illinois?

The most abandoned places in Illinois include:

  • Iron Furnace. Located in the Shawnee Forest, this was once an iron smelting furnace that ran from 1939 to 1883.
  • Old Shawneetown. While almost 300 people still live here, the vast majority of buildings are abandoned due to a severe flood in 1937.
  • Damen Silos. These old silos were built in 1906 and were abandoned in 1977. It has secret tunnels that locals like to (illegally) explore.
  • Savanna Army Depot. This building was a military storehouse for the Rock Island Arsenal and is now mostly a nature preserve.

Learn more about the most abandoned places in Illinois. 

What are the most haunted places in Illinois?

The most haunted places in Illinois include:

  • Woodstock Opera House. Reports say that the ghost of an actress who committed suicide after being turned down for a role sits in seats and drops props.
  • McPike Mansion. This mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places and is said to be haunted by former residents.
  • Dug Hill Road. People report seeing a dead body but when they try to move it, their hand goes right through. 
  • The Old Slave House. This place is said to be haunted by slaves who were kept here illegally in a free state.

Discover more about the most haunted places in Illinois. 

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