Which West Texas Town Made The List of ‘Creepiest Ghost Towns’ in America?

One of our towns here in West Texas has ranked among the "Creepiest Ghost Towns" in the United States, So which one is it?

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, the West Texas town of Terlingua came in #2 on Best Life Magazine's "9 Creepiest Ghost Towns in the U.S." but why?

Terlingua was once the home of the Old Chisos Mining Company which was a quicksilver mining company that operated in Terlingua from its founding in 1903 till it declared bankruptcy and ceased operations in 1943.

The Old Chisos Mining Company eclipsed the other quicksilver mining company in the area quickly becoming the nation's leading producer of quicksilver.

The other quicksilver mining company in the area was the Marfa and Mariposa Mining Company which began operations in the 1880s but closed in 1912 after the Old Chisos Mining Company took over operations in the area and became more profitable.

Terlingua grew around the Old Chisos Mining Company building houses for the workers along with a post office, public school, store, and a jailhouse.

The town was once home to over 3,000 residents at its peak in the 1900s but as of 2020 had a population of 110.

This makes for a bunch of abandoned homes and buildings which make up the landscape of Terlingua in the 21st century and a perfect place to get creeped out by the decaying structures.

But it is one of the few ghost towns that have lodging options so you can be close to all the creepiness.

"Unlike some other ghost towns, you can find some very good lodging options here," said Steve Prohaska, Travel Expert and Founder of See The Best Places. "It's the perfect base from which to explore Big Bend National Park, which itself has spooky places like abandoned ranches and mines, located only a stone's throw from the ghost town."

Also included in the top 5 are Cahawba, Alabama, Bombay Beach, California, Nevada City, Montana, and Centralia, Pennsylvania.