You Can Stay In This Ghost Town Free Of Charge — But There’s One Catch

It sounds almost too good to be true: a beautiful mountain town littered with rustic cabins has offered people the chance to live there without paying a dime. But if you’re thinking of applying to move there, you might want to consider one of the possible reasons why bedding down here is free of charge...

Welcome to Garnet

A small town sits tucked away in the mountains of Granite County, maybe 20 miles east of Missoula, Montana. Accessed by 11 miles of dirt track, Garnet enjoys a picturesque location surrounded by forest — 6,000 feet up from sea level. Yet nobody lives there.

Ghost town

Yes, there’s something amiss about this town. Behind bare windows and open doors, the rooms are empty and show signs of decay. Once-proud establishments and homes are replete with this haunted quality. The only people are curious passers-by.

Abandoned

Kelley’s Saloon, a bar that once hummed with laughter and music, sits quietly gathering dust, while the Wells Hotel still stands but hasn’t seen a guest for many years. And although you can still pay a visit to Davey’s Store, you might be waiting a while for service.

America's ghost town

Why? Because Garnet is the best-preserved ghost town in Montana — and one of the most intriguing in the whole country. Abandoned for some 70 years, it offers a fascinating insight into an important era of America’s past.

A mining town

In fact, Montana’s Garnet Mountains first started attracting miners in the 19th century. Moving northwards from spent mines in places such as Colorado and California, the prospective workers were drawn to the area by the presence of gold-carrying quartz veins running through the hills. Perhaps people can still feel the weight of the past when they visit today.

A new start

Then, in 1895, a mill for crushing ore was erected in the First Chance Gulch valley. Soon a small town grew up around it. And while it was initially named Mitchell, after the mill’s founder, Dr. Armistead Mitchell, the town was rechristened Garnet in 1897. It took its new name, incidentally, from the valuable red stones found in the region.

A booming business

And not long after the town was founded, local miner Sam Ritchey struck gold. What’s more, by January 1898 business was booming – and Garnet was home to almost 1,000 folks seeking their fortunes.

Hustle and bustle

With the people came all of the facilities and amenities needed to support a community of that size. There were four hotels, two barber shops, a school, a doctor’s office, four stores, and an impressive 13 saloons — as well as countless other buildings erected almost overnight.

A point of no return

But as the 20th century rolled around, things began to change. Gold was becoming harder and harder to come by, and many of the mines were leased out. Around 1905, then, a number of the mines had been deserted entirely, and as few as 150 people were left living in the town. It was the beginning of the town's end.

Sound the alarm

Then, in 1912, disaster struck: a fire raged through the wooden town, destroying many of its dwellings. But instead of rebuilding, many residents chose to simply move away. Garnet became a ghost town.

All is lost

Cabins were left empty of their inhabitants — but with all their furniture left intact inside, as if the owners had stepped out on an errand one day and never returned. Only Davey’s Store remained open, catering to an ever-dwindling number of customers.

Turning it around

Interestingly, though, the town experienced a brief resurgence in 1934, when the government doubled the price of gold. Another generation of would-be miners took over the empty cabins of Garnet, hoping to make their fortunes in the hills. However, this new popularity was cut short by changes brought about by America’s entry into the Second World War. So the residents once again left Garnet, this time never to return. And the old buildings of the town were left to rot and decay.

An uncertain future

Still, thanks to the work of the Garnet Preservation Association, this fascinating slice of American history has been maintained for future generations to enjoy. The non-profit has managed to keep a number of the buildings intact, too, including the saloon, the hotel, and the general store.

Open to all

Today, Garnet is actually open to visitors all year round — although those hoping to see it during winter will need a snowmobile or skis. That said, it’s during the summer that many people take the U.S. Bureau of Land Management up on its offer to stay in the town for a small fee. And some have even gotten it free of charge — despite a creepy catch.

Free to live

Each year, you see, a team of volunteers move into the ghost town to carry out maintenance and look after the tourists who arrive each day. In return, these volunteers may well get the opportunity to live in one of the historic cabins free of charge and even have a food allowance provided. But is it too good to be true?

The catch

Many locals believe that anyone spending the night in the ghost town could end up dealing with some spookily real spirits. These residents claim that Garnet is haunted by some of the numerous souls that have called the town home over the years.

Spooky goings-on

According to historian Ellen Baumler, various people have reported ghostly experiences in the town, including witnessing a mysterious woman in a window of the hotel. She also claims that visitors have seen transparent figures walking the streets, not to mention footprints that enter but do not leave doorways.

Something happening

Other reports refer to piano music and unexplained voices that can be heard echoing through the empty rooms. And although there is no mention of the hauntings on Garnet’s official website, the stories are apparently well known throughout the local community.

Cabin fever

And although all volunteer positions are currently filled, those wanting to experience a real ghost town for themselves can hire a cabin during the winter months. This presents visitors with a unique opportunity to experience a ghost town in all its spooky glory. After all, ghost towns in the U.S. are few and far between — and even those that are accessible are not always worth the risk.

Concrete City

This once-perfect town in the Wyoming Valley was considered a model piece of architecture in its day, a blueprint for a new and brighter future. But a little over a decade after it opened, its inhabitants departed Concrete City for good, leaving it for the elements to claim. As its name suggests, though, this place was built from strong stuff.

A city of the future

According to the Pennsylvania travel blog Uncovering PA, the story of Concrete City began back in 1911. At the time, the nearby Truesdale Colliery was in operation, where hundreds of workers mined anthracite from beneath the ground. With plenty of men and their families to house, the people in charge decided to establish a new town.

Strong buildings

But the Coal Division of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad Company, which managed the mine, didn’t settle for an ordinary town. Instead, they took inspiration from something called the International Style – a simplified form of architecture with a focus on materials such as concrete, glass, and steel.

Concrete jungle

Back then, great minds such as Thomas Edison were heralding concrete buildings as the future of domestic architecture. Keen to follow suit, the DL&W Railroad decided to build their settlement in a similar style. So, a site was chosen near the modern-day town of Nanticoke, and work began on the community dubbed the “Garden City of the Anthracite Region.”

Springing to life

In order to build the complex, a concrete mixer was put on a train and navigated on specially-laid tracks around the site. Then, the substance was put into molds, creating 20 duplexes arranged around a central courtyard. On the longer sides, 12 buildings were arranged in groups of six, while four flanked the other sides.

Life of luxury

Inside, these duplexes were luxurious for the time, featuring a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room on the first story. On the upper level, four bedrooms offered plenty of space for a growing family. But the high-spec homes weren’t open to just anybody. In fact, they were in high demand.

A lottery

When construction on Concrete City was finished, Truesdale Colliery employed some 1,700 people – but the complex had space for just 40 and their families. And so, DL&W Railroad applied a strict selection process to decide who’d get to live in the new homes. Shockingly, this meant excluding anyone who wasn’t a native English speaker – immigrants, it appears, weren’t allowed.

Population boom

Despite this policy, though, residents came pouring in. And for years, the community thrived. In the main square, a baseball field and pool provided ample leisure opportunities, while electrically lit walkways made the complex pleasant for pedestrians, too. A yearly competition also inspired the residents to keep their gardens in immaculate condition. So how did such a utopian community wind up abandoned after just a decade or so?

Far from perfect

Well, even though Concrete City was designed as a model town, things were far from perfect. For starters, the homes were plagued by damp, and cold drafts whistled through the concrete rooms. And the toilets were all located outside – not exactly an ideal arrangement.

The final straw

According to the travel website PA Bucket List, the final straw came in 1924 when the local authorities delivered an ultimatum. The owners of Concrete City, they said, must pay for a modern septic system to be installed. Either unwilling or unable to cover the $200,000 costs, they left their futuristic project instead.

Limping on

But Concrete City simply refused to die. By this point, Uncovering PA claims, the Glen Alden Coal Company had assumed control of the doomed town. And initially, officials planned to destroy it. Loading a massive stash of explosives into a duplex, they lit the fuse and waited for destruction to follow.

Nothing worked

Instead, though, hardly anything happened. The duplexes of Concrete City, it turned out, had been built so solidly that even dynamite caused little harm. And so, the buildings were left where they stood. As time passed, weeds grew up around the complex, shielding it from prying eyes. For those who know where to look, though, the empty buildings still encapsulate a vision of the future that never came to pass. 

Sad remnants

Today, the remains of Concrete City can be found on the outskirts of Nanticoke, just seven miles southwest of the city of Wilkes-Barre. Thanks in part to its proximity to these urban centers, it’s become a magnet for explorers wanting to take a closer look at a fascinating relic. And over the years, visitors have captured stunning photos and videos showing an eerie complex that time forgot.

Reclaimed by nature

Back in the town’s heyday, its roads were smooth and new, but now visitors must leave their vehicles outside Concrete City and navigate the damaged pathways on foot. Along the way, overgrown vegetation hints at the scene that awaits. Visitors might still be surprised to find that none of the 20 duplexes has fallen down, despite obvious wear and decay.

Fascinating history

Almost 100 years after the residents of Concrete City left for good, their former homes remain a source of fascination. And at first glance, it seems impossible that so many years have passed. After all, most of the buildings are still intact, with only their empty windows and graffiti-strewn walls to indicate that they’re abandoned.

Ravaged by time

Look closer, though, and you’ll see that Concrete City hasn’t quite escaped the ravages of time. In the corner of one building, a support has collapsed, while another boasts a large hole between what were once two separate properties. And inside, all the furnishings that once made the duplexes beloved family homes have been removed.

A failed American dream

At one point, the houses boasted flower beds and manicured lawns, a picture-postcard straight from the American dream. But now, these elegant trimmings have been replaced by graffiti and overgrown weeds that are slowly creeping through the empty windows of the abandoned buildings. How long, then, until nature completely reclaims Concrete City?

Graffiti heaven

For now, at least, it’s clear that people still visit this place – albeit of a different sort to the high-ranking employees who once called it home. Mostly, they’ve made their mark in the form of the colorfully painted slogans that now adorn the outsides of the buildings. Inside, the graffiti multiplies, with barely a scrap of concrete left uncovered.

Bad influence

“Sadly this isn’t the artistic type of graffiti and it is more the coarse language variety,” writer Jim Cheney noted in a December 2020 article for Uncovering PA. Still, he admitted that the slogans bring a certain “character” to Concrete City. And he mightn’t be the only one to think so.

Vandalized

In fact, most of the photographs and videos that can be found online showcase Concrete City in all its vandalized glory. In her blog Abandoned Exploration, a Pennsylvania woman wrote, “It’s hard to believe that at one point these houses were filled with the smell of dinner and children’s laughter.”

Gone to ruin

Many visitors report finding trash strewn throughout the complex, along with empty bottles and places where fires have scorched the earth. No doubt the courtyard of Concrete City was once the setting for many a friendly neighborhood party – so perhaps those who visit today are carrying on the tradition.

Withstanding time

For some, though, the highlight’s the duplexes themselves – and their impressive ability to survive despite attempts to tear them down. According to Abandoned Exploration, “Most likely our favorite building was the one that had obviously been the one that they tried to blow up with dynamite. It left the walls slanted, holes in the second floor and sides of the walls blown out.”

Coming to an end

In fact, though it’s easy to gain access to the abandoned homes, many of them appear structurally unsound. And while some visitors, such as the woman behind Abandoned Exploration, have been happy to take their chances and explore the upper floors, others have exercised a higher level of caution.

Urban explorations

“Since I wasn’t fully confident in the structural stability of the homes, I opted to not go upstairs,” Cheney wrote. Similarly, he decided against exploring the basements that sit underneath the duplexes. “I was alone and they were very dark,” he explained. “I’ve seen enough horror movies to know going down was a bad idea.”

Decaying

Though the duplexes look very similar inside, the varying levels of decay and painted graffiti still make each of them unique. And it’s clear that touring the complex is becoming a popular hobby. When travel vlogger Dominick Anskis visited the site, for example, he encountered a number of explorers bent on the same mission.

Put to better use

But it isn’t just YouTubers and keen photographers who’ve been making the pilgrimage to Concrete City over the years. According to ExplorePAhistory.com, the site was employed as a practice ground by the Luzerne County Volunteer Fireman’s Association for a time. Other sources report that police officers also once conducted exercises at the abandoned complex.

A failed experiment

Concrete City was designated a historic site by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 1998. And now, efforts are apparently underway to protect and preserve its structures. Though ExplorePAhistory.com calls the town “a failed technological experiment,” its presence, like many relics from the region’s mining past, is an integral part of the region’s story.

Gone but not forgotten

At the moment, though, visitors have observed little evidence of any preservation work taking place. Instead, the buildings have continued to deteriorate, and some explorers fear that they might soon be sealed off to the public. So will the authorities step in to save this slice of Pennsylvanian history? Or will nature finally succeed in reclaiming the ruins of Concrete City?