The Ghost Town of Avilla

What truly makes a town a “ghost town?” Is it the lack of residents or the numerous shadows of the town’s past? The small town of Avilla, Missouri, begs this question. Laying along Route 66, this small, distant town is home to only 125 citizens, at least according to the roadside sign. Many locals believe there are some citizens who can’t be seen. Shadow figures lurk through the abandoned buildings and infrastructure.

Who Haunts the Ghost Town of Avilla?

Having once been the site of gruesome secessionist attacks during the Civil War, the spirits of the old town mingle alongside the new. “The Death Tree” holds the legend of one such a rebel soul who lost his life fighting for the lost cause. Its Civil War history lends reason to the apt title of “ghost” town. The dissolution of Route 66 and the lack of a railroad line through the town cemented it. As transportation disappeared, so did the people. Now those remaining, many who have been here their whole lives, report strange and otherworldly occurrences across the 120-acre town.

Keep reading to learn more about the Ghost Town of Avilla. And to explore more of Missouri’s haunted history, book a St. Louis ghost tour with St. Louis Ghosts!

Avilla and The Civil War

Founded in 1856 in what was once simply farmland, the town of Avilla began minute and remained as such throughout its fabled history. The fourth oldest settlement in Jasper County was simply farmland in the 1830s and ’40s. A small schoolhouse was constructed in the early 1840s, allowing the town to form around it. A public square was created in 1858, which was the extent of major public works in Avilla.

Its population grew to 500 in 1861, but by this time its population would be at odds with each other. Much like the rest of America, the turmoil of the Civil War did not spare the small town. Laying in a Confederate stronghold of the Union-occupied Missouri, troubles began that would forever mark the history of Avilla. This turbulent time would be the first of many incidents that created the ghost town today.

While Union troops occupied Missouri in 1862, the southwestern pocket of the state that it lay in was a noted hot spot of Confederate activity. Groups of “Bushwackers,” Confederate supporters, began appearing across the area, murdering any Union-aligned citizens that appeared in their path of carnage. One such victim of this violence was Dr. Jaquillian M. Stemmons. He was a member of the “Avilla Home Guard,” the Union’s answer to these unruly bushwhackers.

He was murdered in front of his home, and the group, after he begged them to spare his wife and children, burned his house down. Things were not so one-sided, however. The leader of this rebellion, William T. Anderson, was later killed in a skirmish in 1864. This violence ultimately led to the town being filled with spirits and shadow figures we find today.

Formation of a Ghost Town

But what truly designates a town as a “ghost town?” The spirits themselves, or is it the exodus of former residents? As the Civil War came to an end and the Reconstruction period began, Avilla experienced a boom. Supplies and people came in from nearby Sedalia, the closest access point 140 miles away. The rest of Jasper County had been torched in the chaos of the war, but Avilla retained its foundation.

By the 1880s, the population was again at 500, and the town serviced its citizens with 13 businesses. But as the railroads expanded, they left the small town out of their reach. The population declined, and even with the introduction of Route 66 in 1926, it hardly reached 150 again. A fire in 1971 destroyed many of the original buildings, cementing its status as a ghost town.

Yet many still come to visit. Some come to experience life in a small town. Some come for the history. The Bank of Avilla is one of the few buildings remaining from the years before the fire. It was constructed in 1914 and made national headlines when it was robbed by the infamous “Irish O’Malley Gang.”

In 1932, they took off with a large amount of money and the bank’s cashier, Ivy E. Russell. Eventually, the gang was captured or killed, and Ivy was returned, living out her days at the bank until it was closed in 1944. While the town’s history and culture may be an attraction, the main draw in Avilla seems to be the actual ghosts of this ghost town. Its violent history has led to an infestation of sorts among the empty buildings.

Spirits of Avilla

There are reports of moving shadows, darker than any that the sun can cast and with no trace of a source. They appear at night throughout the old buildings, many of which are unoccupied. Locals and visitors have both seen them. Ric Walker, owner of Bernie’s Bar and Grill, has seen them and witnessed their actions many times. His business is the only bar in town and one of the town’s only remaining original businesses.

Operating as a bar for nearly 100 years, it is no wonder so many strange occurrences take place. Walker recalls that he was closing up one night when all of the pool cues fell off the wall in a great thunderous clamor. They were tightly secured, as they were every night. He sped out of the bar as quickly as he could, leaving without cleaning up the mess. He had security cameras installed about five years prior and was warned they may pick up a stray moth or fly in their lights. But what he witnessed on them shortly after was nothing like he had ever seen. Orbs of lighting seemingly chasing each other around the room. They would hop on and off pool tables, circling around each other as if playing some game.

These shadow people often stray away from the living, as they no longer operate in our realm. They are mere imprints of energy and generally repeat the same actions. One has been seen repeatedly falling out the front door of an old building, believed to have formerly been a tavern, as if it were intoxicated. They have been spotted around the post office, the building that used to house the Avilla Bank, and their actions corroborate the theories of their origin. But none is more fascinating than the story of Rotten Johnny Reb and the Death Tree.

The Death Tree

The most elusive of all the stories in Avilla is that of the legendary Death Tree. The tale states that a headless soldier, Johnny Rotten Reb, roams around the tree. His physical body once belonged to one of the aforementioned bushwhackers that operated in and around Avilla. Members of the Home Guard caught Reb. They put a bullet right between his eyes and hung his body and head individually from a tree as a warning to others.

The legend states that he now roams around the woods searching for his body. He is an angry spirit and has been blamed for many deaths during the Route 66 era. His spirit cannot rest until his skull is found, as it was carried off some years after being hung from the tree. However, due to the emptying of the town, no one knows where the tree lies. Some say it’s an orange tree, and others say it’s an apple tree. Crows perch on it during the day, but that is the only telltale sign.

So, what makes a ghost town? Is it the empty building, the lack of people, or the spirits that stayed behind? Avilla, Missouri, has it all and remains one of the premier ghost towns in the United States.

Keep reading our blog to discover more haunted locales around America, and to see some of them in person, book a St. Louis ghost tour with St. Louis Ghosts!

Sources:

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/missouri/avilla-mo/

https://www.joplintoad.com/4th-quarter-2020/halloween-day-3-the-ghosts-of-avilla

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/avilla-missouri/

https://puzzleboxhorror.com/avilla-missouri-a-ghost-town/

https://carthagenewsonline.com/news/lotties-soda-shoppe-offers-food-history-airbnb/

https://www.fourstateshomepage.com/local-news/historic-site-in-local-town-is-nationally-recognized/

https://101theeagle.com/avilla-missouri-the-route-66-town-haunted-by-rotten-johnny-reb/