Owens station or just Owens as it is currently known is an abandoned and deserted 1800s town that was established along Delaware route 16. The community which was established by the effects of the railroad passing through the town was later abandoned when the railroad ceased business in the town. The town has been deserted and rejected ever since and is currently a modern-day ghost town with no residents.

Rise of Owens Station

Back in the 1800s, for a community to develop around a region, the region had to offer employment and better facilities that the residents lacked at their original location of residence. The common of them all was mining and railroad and some little of the lumber business. The first two were the main economic hub for the United States of America and those who lived near or in the regions where mining or a railroad were sure of getting employment.

This was the case with Owens Station when a railroad company decided to establish a stopover in the town. This did not only lure more people into the town but also created employment for them. Soon Owens was full of hotels and motels not forgetting restaurants where travelers stopped to freshen up before they continued with their journey. The population of Owens Station surpassed 1500 people at its peak years with most of them having relocated from other towns for better lives in the newly established town.

Hero to Zero

It was business as usual for many years until the train, which was Owens Station's lifeline, terminated operations and relocated to a new town. This was after the United States switched from coal-powered trains to diesel-powered trains. This meant that some railway stops had to be closed because having some stopovers was pointless. This was a tremendous setback for Owens Station since the once-vibrant town had gone from hero to zero. Business went down, residents lost their jobs, all the railroad trails were unearthed and the lands returned to their original owners. Slowly but rapidly, residents did not see hopes of the town ever reviving and began to relocate to new towns that had a little bit of life. By 1900, the town’s population was less than 20 residents who did nothing of significance but till their farms and used the surplus abandoned granaries to store their produce.  They never sold their produce; all these were for family consumption. The town of Owens Station has been deserted for decades now with no hopes of ever being revived. Most of the temporary buildings that were in the town have collapsed leaving concrete ruins and a few homesteads still standing. Owens Station ghost town is open for business.