Haunted Places of the North Central Arkansas Ozarks
Two famous locations in the region are ghost towns, and may or may not be haunted. Still, they're very interesting to visit. Bring your camera...you never know what might show up.
The Rush Historical District
If a ghost town is a town that still has the mostly intact structures of the original town, but no population, then the Rush Historical District of Yellville certainly qualifies. This once bustling community dates from the mid-1880s and was the scene of active zinc mining. But when WWI ended the demand for zinc and the price rapidly fell, the town began to lose residents; the post office was closed in the mid-1950s and that was that. Remaining residents drifted away and Rush officially became a ghost town in 1972. On the National Register of Historic Places, the town is part of the Buffalo River National Park System, and hiking trails carry interpretive exhibits. You'll have to decide if some ghostly residents are still hanging around.
East Calico Historic District,
aka Peppersauce Bottoms
Here's an authentic ghost town inside the city limits of the currently active community of Calico Rock. In fact, it's the only one of its kind in the nation. The Historic District is the oldest section of Calico Rock, and the walking tour takes you past 20 buildings that once were the heart of the district's commerce.
A pool hall/tavern, barber show, a theater, cafe, lumberyard, telephone exchange, cotton gin, funeral parlor, and electric company still remain, and all but two can be seen from the streets. Get a walking map here. Haunted? You tell us.
