Washington Has A Lost Town Most People Don’t Know About

In the Venn diagram of spooky and historical, our state's abandoned communities constitute the perfect meeting place. You may have heard of Bordeaux or Wellington, but have you heard of Govan? This ghost town in Eastern Washington has been largely lost to time, and that's unfortunate because its story is a twisting tale of economic decline and unsolved murder.

Located in the arid flatlands of Eastern Washington just over an hour outside Spokane, Govan has sat abandoned for almost three-quarters of a century since its schoolhouse — the town's last operating service — shuttered in the mid-1940s.

Yet, Govan's beginnings were tinged with Gilded Age optimism. Founded in 1889 as a Central Washington Railroad depot, for a time, it seemed that Govan's future was promised. Locals discovered lucrative resources nearby, attracting industry and boosting the small town's economy so that by 1898, it was a regional commercial hub.

Still, something dark had poisoned Govan's story of plucky gumption. A series of unsolved murders were a blight on the town's reputation. The first occurred in 1902 when a local judge and his wife were found brutally murdered by an ax. Local news called the crime "one of the most atrocious murders in the history of the state." Though the consensus was that the perpetrator had been after the couple's money — they were known to keep cash on-hand — the killer was never caught.

Just one year later, a gunman opened fire on the Govan Saloon, killing a patron. In this instance, the criminal was apprehended, but he was never convicted of the crime.

Most heinous was a 1941 murder that — perhaps more than any other — spelled the end for this tiny community. The victim was a woman named Lillie Lesneww, who was found killed in her farmhouse. Her son, Wes Murray, was also missing. His skeleton was discovered in a nearby field seven years later. This case also went unsolved.

These murders cast a pall over Govan, and in subsequent years, more and more residents would abandon the town, seeking opportunity elsewhere and, in two instances — most recently in 1974 — escaping fires that swept through the area. Today, there are only three full-time Gavonites, but the town sees a steady stream of visitors each year.

Many have wondered what about this unassuming community made it the site of so much tragedy. Some theorize that it was the town's initial success that wrought its downfall. Gavon's rapid development enriched a few but left many others behind, perhaps motivating their unthinkable crimes. Perversely, it's partly the allure of these unsolved mysteries that prevents Gavon from fading entirely from public consciousness.

Are you interested in visiting a ghost town in Eastern Washington? Check out Gavon. Whether you're a local or taking a road trip, it's an evocative window into a dark chapter of our state's past.