What’s Left Of This Arkansas Ghost Town Will Send Shivers Down Your Spine

The town of Rush once had a population of 22,000, making it the second-largest city in Arkansas during its heyday. Silver and zinc were discovered there in 1882, and Rush became a thriving mining town as peopled rushed to find jobs there, to set up shops and capitalize on the sudden growth. In 1883, a 13,000 pound piece of zinc was discovered there. It was record-breaking at the time, and it was shipped to the Chicago World’s Fair for exhibition. After the 1921 recession and subsequent collapse in ore prices, the town shriveled up and died. Its people left to find better prospects in other towns. The railroad got within six miles of Rush, and might have saved it, but alas, the railroad’s progress was halted by the collapse of Rush’s economy.

What remains at Rush today is a stunning set of ruins, all dating from between 1880 and 1940. The town was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, which has prevented its demolition all these years. The images from Rush are truly chilling.

The Rush ghost town has a reputation for being an excellent hiking destination. It draws visitors from all over.

Before you even reach the town, it peeks out at you from the forest.

The buildings are even creepier in black and white.

Helpful plaques are placed around the town to explain the rich history there.

Some of the signs remind visitors that preservation is important.

The most eerie and incredible images come from inside the structures.

The Taylor-Medley Store was once a bustling hub of the community.

You can also find remnants of the town’s mining operations. This mining car, for example.

This smelter was once used on the ore mined at Rush.

The best part is imagining the people who lived there, how happy they must have been in their cozy homes before their town shriveled up and became a truly haunting destination for curious hikers.

Click here for a map to the ghost town.

For the most haunted hotel in Arkansas, try this article.

To find the creepiest road in Arkansas, click here.