List Of Ghost Towns In Maryland
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The following is an incomplete list of
ghost towns A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
in Maryland. Ghost towns can include sites in various states of disrepair and abandonment. Some sites no longer have any trace of civilization and have reverted to pasture land or empty fields. Other sites are unpopulated but still have standing buildings. Some sites may even have a sizable, though small population, but there are far fewer citizens than in its grander historic past. Many ghost towns can be located in the Appalachian counties, particularly
Garrett County Garrett County () is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland, completely within the Appalachian Mountains. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 28,806, making it the third-least populous county in Maryland. Its ...
. During the 18th and 19th century, a number of "boom towns" were formed to participate in the flourishing
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
,
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
, and
iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
industries. Towards the late 19th century, the resources in the region had begun to deplete, and the onset of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
finally killed many of the industrial towns.


Classification


Barren site

* Sites no longer in existence * Sites that have been destroyed * Covered with water * Reverted to pasture * May have a few difficult to find foundations/footings at most


Neglected site

** Only rubble left ** All buildings uninhabited ** Roofless building ruins ** Some buildings or houses still standing, but majority are roofless


Abandoned site

* Building or houses still standing * Buildings and houses all abandoned * No population, except caretaker * Site no longer in existence except for one or two buildings, for example old church, grocery store


Semi abandoned site

* Building or houses still standing * Buildings and houses largely abandoned * few residents * many abandoned buildings * Small population


Historic community

* Building or houses still standing * Still a busy community * Smaller than its boom years * Population has decreased dramatically, to one fifth or less.


List by County


Baltimore City Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-larges ...

*
Old Town Mall The Old Town Mall or Oldtown Mall is a mostly abandoned outdoor pedestrian shopping mall in the Old Town neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. The mall contains 64 stores, the majority of which are closed. The area has seen many periods of reviv ...
, a largely abandoned commercial district in the center of Baltimore. * Wagner's Point, an industrial area of Baltimore which had all residents forcibly relocated in the late 1990s for environmental concerns.


Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Baltimore County partly surrounds but does not include the independent city ...

* Daniels (Partially in Howard County), an old milling town on the
Patapsco River The Patapsco River ( ) mainstem is a river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howar ...
. *
Relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switc ...
, formerly a booming railroad town which declined sharply and today contains only a handful of residents and none of its historic landmarks. *
Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...
, which was flooded during the creation of
Loch Raven Reservoir The Loch Raven Reservoir is a reservoir that provides drinking water for the City of Baltimore and most of Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland. It is fed by the Gunpowder River, Big Gunpowder Falls river, and has a capacity of ...


Calvert County Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimo ...

* Calverton, the first
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Calvert County, which is today a barren site. * Wilson, which appeared on maps as late as 1901.


Cecil County Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The ...

* Conowingo. The original town was flooded by the creation of Conowingo Reservoir, and the residents relocated to a location nearby. * Frenchtown, formerly a hub for
steam boat A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels working on lakes, rivers, and in short-sea shipping. The ...
travel, which was rendered obsolete by the
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (C&D Canal) is a -long, -wide and -deep ship canal that connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay in the states of Delaware and Maryland in the United States. In the mid-17th century, mapmaker Augus ...
and then later by railroads. *
United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge (USNTC Bainbridge) was the U.S. Navy Training Center at Port Deposit, Maryland, on the bluffs of the northeast bank of the Susquehanna River. It was active from 1942 to 1976 under the Commander of ...
, a naval recruit training center that was operational from 1942 to 1976.


Charles County Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. The ...

* Port Tobacco Village, once the second largest town in Maryland, by 2010 it had declined to the smallest incorporated town in Maryland.


Frederick County

* Harmony Grove, a former milling town which was abandoned in the early 20th century and widely demolished in the 1960s-1970s for a highway expansion. *
Monocacy Monocacy (Shawnee: ''Monnockkeseymay'') may refer to the Monocacy River in Maryland, USA. Monocacy may also refer to: Other streams *Little Monocacy River, a tributary of the Potomac River in Maryland *Monocacy Creek (Lehigh River tributary), a t ...
. Considered to be the oldest settlement in
Western Maryland upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland panhandle or Mountain Maryland, is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that typically consists of Washing ...
, the site of Monocacy was lost completely after being abandoned in the early 19th century, and has never been found despite a multitude of historical evidence it existed.


Garrett County Garrett County () is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland, completely within the Appalachian Mountains. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 28,806, making it the third-least populous county in Maryland. Its ...

* Altamont * Bloomington * Blooming Rose, first settled in 1791. *
Davis Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Station, an Australian base and research outpost in the Vestfold Hills * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Sa ...
* Dodson * Floyd * Frankville, notable for the 1876 death of
Francis Thomas Francis Thomas (February 3, 1799 – January 22, 1876) was an American politician who served as the 26th Governor of Maryland from 1842 to 1845. He also served as a United States Representative from Maryland, representing at separate times the ...
. * Gleason *
Gorman Gorman may refer to: People * Gorman (surname) and list of people with the surname Places Canada * Gorman, Edmonton, Alberta United States * Gorman, California * Gorman, Maryland * Gorman, North Carolina * Gorman, South Dakota * Gorman, Texas ...
* Kempton, a coal town on the border of
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
. * Kendall, an old logging town. * Schell (partially in
Mineral County, West Virginia Mineral County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is part of the Cumberland metropolitan area, together with Cumberland, Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 26,9 ...
) * Selbysport * Shallmar *
Skipnish Skipness (, ) is a village and Quoad sacra parish on the east coast of Kintyre in Scotland, located just over south of Tarbert and facing the Isle of Arran. There is Skipness Castle (a ruined castle) and Kilbrannan Chapel, also known as St ...
*
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
*
Vindex Gaius Julius Vindex ( 68), was a Roman governor in the province of Gallia Lugdunensis. Biography Following normal Roman procedures, his name Gaius Julius indicated that his family had likely been given citizenship under Gaius Julius Caesar, or ...
*
Wallman Wallman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Arvid Wallman, Swedish diver, gold medalist in plain high diving at the 1920 Olympics, representing Sweden *Christiana Wallman, American singer-songwriter and writer *Hans E. Wallman, ...
* Wilson (partially in
Grant County, West Virginia Grant County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,976. Its county seat is Petersburg. The county was created from Hardy County in 1866 and named for Civil War General and the 18th pres ...
)


Harford County Harford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Stati ...

* Lapidum


Howard County

* Daniels (Partially in Baltimore County)


Prince George's County Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it the second-most populous ...

*
Good Luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to ran ...


Queen Anne's County Queen Anne's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 49,874. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville ...

* Broad Creek


Somerset County

* Marion Station * Tulls Corner, a nearly extinct community near Marion Station.


St. Mary's County

*
St. Mary's City St. Mary's City (also known as Historic St. Mary's City) is a former colonial town that was founded in March 1634, as Maryland's first European settlement and capital. It is now a state-run historic area, which includes a reconstruction of the ...
, a former colonial town that has been replaced by a state-run historic area and
St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in St. Mary's City, Maryland.Maryland State Archives, Online Manual, "St. Mary's College Of Maryland: Origin & Fun ...
."St. Marys: A When-Did Timeline", pages 6 through 27, by Janet Butler Haugaard, Executive Editor and writer, St. Mary's College of Maryland with Susan G. Wilkinson, Director of Marketing and Communications, Historic St. Mary's City Commission and Julia A. King, Associate Professor of Anthropology, St. Mary's College of Maryland Archives


Washington County

*
Fort Ritchie Fort Ritchie in Cascade, Maryland was a military installation southwest of Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania and southeast of Waynesboro in the area of South Mountain. Following the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, it closed in ...
, a former military base which closed in 1998. The last residents were evicted in 2017. * Four Locks, found in the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is located in the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland. The park was established in 1961 as a National Monument by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to preserve the neglected remains o ...
. * Weverton. Although there is a current Weverton, it's not located on the original site.


Worcester County

* Sinepuxent


See also

*
List of counties in Maryland There are 23 County (United States), counties and one Independent city (United_States), independent city in the U.S. state of Maryland. Many of the counties in Maryland were named for relatives of the Baron Baltimore, Barons Baltimore, who were ...
* :Mining in Maryland *
Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad The Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad (B&A) was an American railroad of central Maryland built in the 19th century to connect the cities of Baltimore and Annapolis. From 1897 to 1968 the railroad ran between Annapolis and Clifford along the north s ...


Notes and references

{{Lists of ghost towns by U.S. state
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
Ghost towns A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
Ghost towns A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...