12 Historic American Landmarks That Once Drew Crowds But Are Now Deserted

Throughout America’s landscapes are historic landmarks: relics of the stories and dreams of the ones that came before. They were once places of innovation, entertainment, or community pride. Those glory days of loud buzz faded today, and many stand eerily silent. Their abandoned halls or crumbling facades are fascinating, but walking through them always feels slightly bittersweet, like walking into a ghost story.

What became of these iconic spots? Let’s find out as we walk through 12 deserted landmarks each with its own story of rise and fall.

Centralia, Pennsylvania: The Town That Burns Below

Centralia was once a lively mining town, but an underground coal fire that started in 1962 slowly turned it into a literal hot spot—though not in a good way. Toxic gases continue to be released, sinkholes form spontaneously, and nearly all residents have been forced to leave. What’s left is an empty grid of streets, graffiti-covered roads, and an eerie, smoky landscape. Those who journey here say it feels like ‘walking into a post-apocalyptic movie.’

The Salton Sea: California’s Desert Mirage

In the 1950s, the Salton Sea was touted as California’s next Riviera, with beachfront resorts and yacht clubs that attracted thousands of tourists, but the rising salinity levels and pollution turned this accidental lake into a foul-smelling wasteland. Today, these abandoned shores are filled with decaying buildings, skeletal fish, and reminders of what could have been.

The Borscht Belt Resorts: Raiders of the Faded Glamour of the Catskills

In the mid-20th century, the Catskills were a summer getaway for New Yorkers, resorts like Grossinger’s and the Concord were filled with comedians, musicians, and families galore. When air travel became affordable, the glamor of ‘Dirty Dancing’ style vacations went out the window. Many of these once glamorous resorts might be abandoned now, and grown over, but are a poignant reminder of an era past.

Six Flags New Orleans: Fun Frozen in Time

Not only did Hurricane Katrina drown homes. It also submerged this beloved amusement park. The roller coasters at Six Flags New Orleans rusted under the Louisiana sun, never to reopen. Abandoned amusement parks like this one often become environmental hazards due to corroding materials that pollute nearby ecosystems.

Packard Automotive Plant: Detroit’s Industrial Skeleton

The Packard Plant, once the pride of Detroit’s booming auto industry, employed thousands of workers. The plant hit tough times, however, when the industry did. Once comprising 40 acres of derelict buildings, it’s now one of the largest abandoned industrial complexes in the U.S. Urban explorers and photographers have swarmed here, but its future is unclear.

Cahawba, Alabama: A Ghost Town with Deep Roots

Alabama’s first state capital, Cahawba, was full of promise in the early 19th century. Repeated flooding and the prospect of better land caused its residents to grab their belongings and leave. The town is now an archaeological site where you can walk among the ruins of old mansions and a crumbled courthouse, and picture what it was like back then.

Grossinger’s Resort: The End of an Icon

Once a jewel of the Catskills that attracted celebrity clientele and was known as one of America’s finest resorts according to Vocal Media, Grossinger’s was a luxurious resort. By the 1980s tastes changed and it fell victim to stiff competition. Leisure destinations tied to a particular era tend to have a hard time adapting, and Grossinger’s is a perfect example, experts said. Now it’s an overgrown shell, claimed by vines.

The Pine Barrens: New Jersey’s Whispering Woods

The Pine Barrens may not be considered a landmark, but its villages — once busy with industries like glass making and ironworks — are abandoned. At least one of these villages, Batsto, still exists as a historical site; the others have been reclaimed by the forest.

A town sprang up almost overnight when gold was discovered near Rhyolite in 1904 according to Exploratography.com. The mines went dry in a decade, and so did the town’s population. Rhyolite today is a quintessential ghost town, where skeletal remains of buildings, such as the Cook Bank and the Bottle House, are all that remain from its short existence.

Fort Ord: California’s Empty Barracks

The sprawling base was once a key training site for U.S. soldiers, but after its closure in 1994, it became a ghost town. Rows of abandoned barracks and overgrown landscapes are a result of slow efforts to redevelop parts of it. More than $500 million has been spent on environmental cleanup at the site — which remains largely off-limits — according to a report from the U.S. Army.

Bodie, California: The Town That Time Forgot

Preserved in a state of arrested decay, Bodie is one of the most famous ghost towns in the U.S. It was once a gold mining hub, with saloons, and brothels, but now it’s a state historic park where visitors can wander its dusty streets. The clock is ticking on Bodie as its wooden buildings have begun to crumble into the desert.

The Eastern State Penitentiary: Philadelphia Haunted History

This prison was filled with some infamous inmates like Al Capone. Today it is an eerie crumbling relic. Preservation experts surveyed the site in 2017 and found historic sites like this to be a financial strain, however, it remains a haunting site that most visit during Halloween tours.

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