This Haunting Road Trip Through Nebraska Ghost Towns Is One You Won’t Forget
Ghost towns dot the landscape in Nebraska like the random spots on a Dalmatian. From the badlands to the lowlands and even just outside some of the bigger cities, through the years entire towns have dried up and disappeared from the Cornhusker State.
We’ve rounded up six of those towns and wrapped them up neatly in a planned road trip of Nebraska ghost towns you’ll find hauntingly unforgettable. The locations are plotted on this Google Map you can easily bookmark and later access to get directions on your phone or print out a full itinerary to take with you. As plotted, this trip is just over 12 hours of drive time. You may want to split it up into two days so you can spend as much time at each location as you want.
Considered one of the most creepy road trips in Nebraska, this is one trip you can’t miss. Let’s get started…
Our road trip starts in the sandhills in a ghost town hiding in plain sight. Think you're ready to embark on one of the most creepy road trips in Nebraska? Let's go!
One of the most creepy road trips in Nebraska will start in Antioch. Antioch was once the Potash capital of the world. Shortly after WWI started the need for potash was so great that five potash plants sprang up here. The new employers needed workers and within several months a town of nearly 2,000 people had developed here.
Two thousand people all at once. According to Wikipedia, before the war, Antioch had one school, a church and a store. But the war needs changed all that and this town was booming.
Where did they go? The town dried up shortly after the war ended, thanks to renewed trade arrangements with Germany. Now as you drive through this part of Nebraska you can still see the remnants of the Potash reduction plants - and if you know where to look you can probably see evidence of the families that moved out of town a little less than 100 years ago. Learn more about this abandoned ghost town in Nebraska...if you dare!
Travel south along Nebraska 137, also called Highway 12, until just before you reach the Keya Paha River and turn right on the last dirt road before the river to discover a hidden treasure only steps off the highway.
You'll find a lush landscape of mature trees hugging what remains of the family homesteads built here so long ago, then deserted some time after. Several buildings are still standing, and most of them are shrouded by huge trees as if the trees have offered protection all these years.
In her heyday, Brocksburg had a post office but it closed in 1957. You may feel enamored by Brocksburg, or what remains of her. The endearing relationship between the trees and the empty homes is almost overwhelming. Indeed, this Nebraska ghost town is small but full of mysterious intrigue.
Venus got its start as a post office in 1882. Soon after, someone opened a store in the front part of their house. This photo was taken of the store a few years ago. It's since collapsed into a pile of rubble.
The post office in Venus would continue to operate until 1959. Although there may be a few homes in the Venus area, this town began to dry up the moment the U.S. Post Office closed. When you visit, you'll agree that this lonely ghost town is haunting yet beautiful.
Dobytown, is seems, was named appropriately for the adobe-style earthen structures that were built here after the opening of Fort Kearny a few miles to the East.
Dobytown is one of those places in Nebraska whose history is little-known. Ironically, all that remains today of Dobytown is earth. The photo above shows a marker that's been placed alongside the road where Dobytown once stood. You'll find it here, along highway 50A in Kearney County not far from Fort Kearny.
Dobytown arose after Fort Kearny opened in 1848 as an outpost of the U.S. Army. The outpost was far enough from the new town that much debauchery could be had in Dobytown and be far enough away from the post to avoid getting anyone in trouble. The two were separated by approximately four miles.
This map shows the distance from Dobytown Historical Marker to Fort Kearny State Park. Fort Kearny is worth a stop after you visit the ghost town of Dobytown. Its only a few miles away and will dish up much history for you about the people of Dobytown.
In its prime, Minersville, named when a small band of coal was found and mining got underway here, was a booming area. There was a store, post office, saloon, church and blacksmith. Today...all that remains is the cemetery but no one has seen it in years. Will you be the one to locate it for the rest of us?
St Deroin was completely abandoned in 1920, but not before it enjoyed the fruits of being a thriving trading post. It was also the site of a popular ferry that carried people across the Missouri for decades. However, the river changed course and the ferry business dried up.
Now all that remains of St. Deroin are the school and the cemetery. One of them is reportedly haunted. Can you guess which one?
This ghost town road trip should be a real blast. Do you agree that this is one of the most creepy road trips in Nebraska? If we left out any ghost towns you’d like to see in a “Part Two” in this ghost towns road trip series, feel free to add them in our comments. We’d love to know.
Address: St. Deroin Schoolhouse, Unnamed Road, Falls City, NE 68355, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
creepy road trips in Nebraska
August 08, 2021
Beth C.
What are the best road trips to take in Nebraska?
So now that you’ve completed one of the most creepy road trips in Nebraska, you might be curious to keep exploring the state. And who could blame you!? The Cornhusker State is filled with so many natural wonders, delicious restaurants, and little-known gems that one of the best ways to discover it all is by hitting the road. For those with an interest in the natural landscape, we’ve outlined a natural wonders road trip through Nebraska. This itinerary will take you to breathtaking destinations such as Smith Falls State Park, Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, Snake River Falls, Pine Ridge, Toadstool Geological Park, and Scotts Bluff National Monument. Have we piqued your interest? If so, you can check out the full itinerary by clicking here.
What are the most haunted places in Nebraska?
For fans of horror movies, paranormal investigations, and scary campfire stories, Nebraska will not disappoint. The state is brimming with spooky sites, disturbing histories, and all kinds of legends that are bound to keep you up at night. One prime example is the Alliance Theater, which was built in 1903. Employees of this theater frequently report hearing disembodied footsteps in the hallway and even spotting shadowy figures out of the corner of their eyes. Talk about creepy! For more apparitions, you might consider visiting Antelope Park, which is known for hosting all kinds of ghostly figures that seem to disappear into the woods. Some other destinations that belong on your haunted itinerary include Fort Sidney Museum, Hastings College, Hummel Park, Logan Creek Bridge, Neville Center for the Performing Arts, Platte County Historical Society and Museum, Plumer Street House, and Seven Sisters Road. We’ve got all the details here.
Address: Antioch, NE 69340, USA
Address: Brocksburg, Mills, NE 68759, USA
Address: Venus, Walnut Grove, NE 68764, USA
Address: Minersville, Otoe, NE 68410, USA
Address: St. Deroin Schoolhouse, Unnamed Road, Falls City, NE 68355, USA
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Robin Jarvis is a travel writer and editor for OnlyInYourState.com with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. Her love for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She's lived in the Carolinas for nearly three decades and currently resides in Charleston. When she's not working, she loves to cook with friends and check out new adventures. General questions and FAM tours: rjarvis@onlyinyourstate.com.
