There are so many abandoned places in Nebraska! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in Nebraska. Browse through all abandoned places in Nebraska
The town of Lemoyne is located in Northern Keith County, Nebraska, United State. It was named in honor of Lemoyne Jacobs who allowed the construction of the railroad through his property back then. The town boomed but was later abandoned and disowned when all its residents left.
Lemoyne Jacobs, who was a resident in the region, had for a very long time campaigned for the construction of a railroad in his hometown with no success. Finally, after years of determination, Union Pacific Railroad heard his obligations and agreed to build the railroad through the town. However, they made an agreement that the railroad was to pass through Jacob’s land. The patriotic resident did not reject the offer and the railroad construction started shortly afterward. From Jacob's determination, the town of Lemoyne was linked with other towns around.
The organization decided to honor Lemoyne Jacob for the generous gesture of donating his land and named a section of the railroad Lemoyne. A town grew around the railroad and homesteads, schools, hotels and a school district (Lemoyne District School) were established. The population of the town increased to over 200 residents by 1924. A Presbyterian church was also built and the Lemoyne District School expanded.
In 1935, plans from the state authorities to build a diversion dam near the Keystone area in Nebraska emerged. The damming of the area was to create a massive water reservoir (Lake McConaughy). When the news was taken to the residents of Lemoyne, as expected they sternly rejected the construction of the lake with no success. They were forced to relocate the town to give room for the construction of the proposed McConaughy dam.
With less time to build the dam, demolition of the structures at the townsite began almost immediately. The buildings in Lemoyne town were demolished and their ruins were taken to the hills in the North of the townsite by 1941. Ruins from the building were used to build new temporary homesteads by the relocated residents at the hills. The damming of the place resulted in the submerging of the Lemoyne townsite.
After the residents relocated to the hills, they named this new place Lemoyne although some of them decided to relocate to other places. The town’s growth was reduced as compared to how it was originally. In 2004 however, a severe drought hit the Lemoyne area resulting in the depletion of the waters of Lake McConaughy. The volume of the water reduced to about 340,000 feet. This water reduction exposed the foundation of the original townsite. Visitation to the townsite is allowed but one can only see the foundation of the old townsite when the water is low enough.
Antioch, located in Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States, was established after the discovery of potash. The town developed as the population increased within a very short period. It was later abandoned after the closure of Potash distilling industries in the town.
Scientists from the University of Nebraska came up with a distillation method of mining potash from the alkali lakes in the area. In the early years before the discovery of potash in Antioch, the mineral was imported from Germany especially during World War I. The discovery reduced the scarcity of potash in the United States as well as reduced the high prices that they were sold at initially (prices fell from 150 to 10 US dollars per ton). Due to its prime location and several alkali lakes that surrounded the town, Antioch was flooded by potash distilling factories within a very short period. Some of the potash distilling factories in the area included the American, Nebraska, Alliance, National, and West potash companies. The companies became the main suppliers of potash during and after World War I. The industries also offered employment opportunities to most of the residents of the town. This led to more residents going to the town thus an increase in the population of the town. By 1918, the town’s population had increased to over 5000 people. To avoid conflict, the state-owned land was leased by the government to private investors who showed interest in exploiting its riches. The potash produced in the industries was used in the production of fertilizer, salt, soda, and other products.
The effects of World War I slowed potash trading between Germans, France, and the United States; however the trade resumed in 1921. There was price variation as potash from the US was sold at a higher price than those from the two European countries. Cheaper prices made European potash preferred by many in the United States, reducing the market for locally produced potash. To avoid much loss, the industries in the US closed their operations and from that day potash was imported from Germany and France. The industry’s owners sold their machinery for scrap and the buildings were demolished. Concrete ruins were used as building materials by the residents in the town. Some of the people working in the industries relocated to other places resulting in the desertion of the town but as usual, some residents were left in the area.
Some of the residents left residing in the town died and only less than 30 residents are in the town today. The foundations of the plants and other larger houses still exist. The ruins of the potash plant were added to the National Register of Historic Places and a historical marker was enacted in the townsite. Visitation to the townsite is allowed and one can visit any day.
Marsland ghost town was established in August 1889 when the Belmont Tunnel was constructed. It was named ‘Marsland’ after the manager of the railroads at the time Thomas Marsland. The town flourished for several years before it was deserted by its residents rendering it a ghost town.
Marsland town was established as a result of the construction of the Belmont Tunnel. The town which was named in honor of the manager of the railroads' General manager Thomas Marsland was located along with the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad. A post office was moved to Marsland from Carbin during the same period. The relocation of the post office led to further growth of Marsland town. Although the town’s economy was never dependent on the active construction work of the Belmont Tunnel, it rose due to its effect. In the year 1890, the construction of the tunnel ended but this did not limit the town’s growth as a new business was established after this. Newspaper and grocery stores together with a blacksmith shop were some of the businesses that came up during this period. A hotel was opened to the south of the town district and two churches were established in the year that followed. A flour mill and an ice-producing store were other businesses created that boosted the economy of the town by offering employment opportunities to the residents. The population of the town increased rapidly as more than 200 residents had moved to this town by 1910.
The town expanded as the new businesses sprung up in the town. However, misfortunes began to follow the town. Frequent fire outbreaks in the town became a menace but one in particular almost drove the town to its knees. The fire consumed half of the town destroying buildings and the valuables within them. Due to this, those residents whose businesses were burnt relocated to new places leaving a few families living in the townsite.
The families who were left in the townsite relocated to other places as they faced financial difficulty and drought at the same time. The townsite was deserted leaving only a few diehard individuals who resided in the town till their deaths. The houses that they resided in are still standing intact.
A number of houses and commercial buildings still exist to date. However, a small population of the residents who were left in the town after financial and drought threats occupy the townsite. The school of Marsland was renovated and is now in good condition but privately owned. One can pay for an adventure to this townsite and have a view of a once booming town which is now a ghost town.