For Ghost Town lovers, I give you Avilla, Missouri, complete with abandoned buildings and reported sightings of a headless, Civil War era Confederate ghost. The last census reported 125 flesh and blood beings, but I never saw any of them.
Avilla had a good 19th century, as a farm town in a rich agricultural area. The town's fortunes in the 20th century, however, have come and gone with the highway. The coming of Route 66 in the late 1920's brought a paved road through town, and it supported roadside businesses - a cafe, gas stations, auto repair and a barbershop. The old road also served the local farming community. There was a lumber yard and farm implement stores, as reported by Jack Rittenhouse in 1946, that "indicate its importance as an agricultural trading and supply center". The town began to decline after World War II, first with the loss of many of its young people, who understandably sought their fortunes outside such a small town. The coming of the interstate in the 1960's finished the town off, eliminating the roadside businesses and farm traffic.
Bernie's Bar, top, seemed to be open for business in 2006, my first run through town. (Bernie's used to be Flo's Tavern, a fact I point out because I like to maintain historical accuracy in my tavern reporting.) On a return visit in 2008 Bernie's was all boarded up, and the entire block, in fact, seemed about to topple over at any time. Log Book: 579 miles motored on old 66.
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