Posted in Arkansas July 12, 2016 by

Most People Have No Idea There’s An Underwater Ghost Town Hiding Here In Arkansas

From 1901 to the mid-1930s, Monte Ne was a planned community featuring a resort. Today, well, it’s a pretty good place to go fishing. The man who was in charge of Monte Ne, former Liberty Party presidential candidate William Hope “Coin” Harvey, apparently wasn’t great at managing coins. The project went bankrupt and was sold off in lots. Many of the structures still standing were flooded when the White River was dammed to create Beaver Lake in 1964.

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The submerged amphitheater is probably the most prominent underwater ruin of Monte Ne.
Flickr/MRHSFan
Flickr/Clinton Steeds
The picture above was taken in 2005, when the water was at historically low levels and the amphitheater was a good place to sit and fish.
The amphitheater is one of the eeriest places in Monte Ne. Even though you can’t see much of it when the lake is at normal levels, you can imagine what lies below.
Flickr/MRHSFan
Flickr/Clinton Steeds
Flickr/MRHSFan
Oklahoma Row and Missouri Row were the largest log buildings in the world back in their day. Now all that remains visible at normal lake levels is the concrete tower section of Oklahoma Row.
Flickr/MRHSFan
It’s covered in graffiti now, inside and out, but you can still see the remnants of one of the earliest examples of a multi-level concrete structure.
Flickr/Mandee Carter
Flickr/Clinton Steeds
Flickr/Clinton Steeds
Monte Ne isn't always an underwater ghost town. Sometimes it's a partially submerged ghost town. When the water levels are very low, you can find all kinds of ruins scattered on the shores of Beaver Lake.
Flickr/Clinton Steeds
Flickr/Clinton Steeds

Check out this video for some cool drone footage of Oklahoma Row and the lake that surrounds it:

For other Arkansas ghost towns, check out this list.

To see reasons why everyone should visit Beaver Lake, see this article.