Many curious tourists visit long-abandoned cities. How come these once-thriving neighborhoods were abandoned?
Which mysteries do they still keep hidden? The most eerie ghost villages we can locate are below.
North Brother Island, New York, United States
Although not strictly a town, this deserted location merits inclusion owing to its unsettling atmosphere.
It used to be a hospital for persons with extremely dangerous diseases including typhoid, TB, and smallpox, and it was located on the East River in New York City.
This is North Brother Island, where Mary Mallon (‘Typhoid Mary’) was held for 26 years to prevent her spreading typhoid. She was locked up, to protect everybody else. There are a few interesting things to learn here I think, about ‘lockdowns’. /1 pic.twitter.com/4SvdLu9vRv
— Henry Madison 🦠x0 (@RageSheen) December 17, 2022
It first opened in 1885 but was shuttered for a spell during World War II before reopening to treat veterans.
It opened as a clinic to help teenagers overcome drug abuse in the 1950s and remained open until 1963. Since then, the medical center has been totally deserted.
Many people who have visited North Brother Island have claimed to have heard cries emanating from the abandoned hospital buildings.
Bodie, California, United States
Bodie, California, is a ghost town on the edge of Nevada. Bodie was established in 1859 after gold was discovered in the area.
The majority of the town’s 7,000 residents had moved there in search of gold by 1879.
Bodie’s large number of gold-seekers led to the town’s notoriety as a “sea of sin,” complete with gunfights, casinos, and whorehouses.
[Bodie, California](https://t.co/hJXVVEzZPa) is a town frozen in time, the dry conditions have aided in little change, and preserved by California State Parks in a state of “arrested decay.” Bodie became a State Historic Park in 1962, pic.twitter.com/ZAr9cITdiL
— niloc1406195 Colin President Elect 😜😜😂😂 (@niloc14061952) June 1, 2023
But as time went on, people started to depart Bodie, primarily because there was no more gold there.
By 1910, Bodie was home to less than a thousand people, but they left the town entirely by the time World War II ended.
The United States government designated it a national monument in 1961. Despite not having been renovated, the city’s numerous structures remain safe from further deterioration.
Bodie is now one of the most visited ghost towns in the world, drawing in over 200k people per year.
Kennecott, Alaska, United States
During its mining heyday between 1911 and 1938, Kennecott amassed a fortune. (At today’s exchange rate, this is equal to almost $3 billion.)
Kennecott became a ghost town after the government shut down the mines in 1938. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park now includes this area.
Reminiscing blue sky days and glacier romps. In high summer, things are so frenetic around here that it can be challenging to take a moment to stop and really absorb what a crazy beautiful, rare place this is.https://t.co/oGmvzdSzLc#mccarthyalaska #kennecottalaska #glaciers pic.twitter.com/WevErzfhyi
— Wrangell Mtns Center (@Wrangells) October 24, 2022
Because of this, the town has been seeing an influx of visitors who are interested in learning more about its rich past.
The region’s abandoned mines draw urban explorers from all over the world.
Hashima Island, Japan
In 1887, a group of coal miners established a settlement there. In addition, Mitsubishi acquired the whole settlement in 1890.
The island has a particularly ominous reputation because of the World War II forced labor of Chinese and Korean prisoners of war in its mines.
Hashima Island
— PicPublic (@PicPublic) August 12, 2018
Japan pic.twitter.com/Z0778efOWg
Mitsubishi Mining Corporation abandoned its mine in 1974. Nonetheless, adventurous travelers love coming to Japan since the country permits tours of the island’s ruins.
Plymouth, Montserrat
Have you never heard of Montserrat? You have company. It’s a British territory in the Caribbean that has fallen into disuse.
Plymouth was the first European colony in the New World, established in 1632.
After being colonized, the land didn’t get widespread notice until July 1995, when the previously dormant Soufrière Hills Volcano erupted violently and abruptly, forcing the local population to flee.
Half-buried courthouse, Plymouth, Montserrat. pic.twitter.com/BcpQTUSepO
— Abandoned Places (@abandoned5paces) April 2, 2023
Plymouth welcomed its citizens back in 1997. But shortly after that, the volcano resumed its eruptions, forcing a permanent evacuation.
After that, many people left for the mother country, the United Kingdom.
