Radium, KS

Radium has probably one of the most ill-advised names for a town ever.  Apparently radium is not uncommon in central Kansas as a resident of Lorraine explained to me how their town recently installed a water-softening system to reduce the radium found in their water supply.  Although Radium seemed more substantial than many of the previous towns we'd visited this day, it turns out that it only has 25 people.  Of those, 64% are over the age of 45.

The old school has several "Keep Out" signs posted.  

Auditorium.  Listen carefully and you might hear the voices of children singing in some far-past Christmas program.  

I wasn't sure what this building was, although I surmised that it was a church from the remains of the bell tower on the right side.  This suspicious was confirmed on the USGS topographic map of Radium.

The mascot for the old school was apparently the "Rangers."

My wife took these photos near Radium at dusk.  

Zook, KS

When I was a kid I'd scan my map of Kansas for hours and I always thought Zook was a funny name.  As it turns out, my first-ever visit to this town in Pawnee County revealed that it's completely dead.  There's not even any signage pointing in its direction.

Apparently one of the old signs (which would have been posted out on highway 19) now decorates the carport of one of the two homes still inhabited.  (It was getting dark-- sorry for the blurry picture.)

This brick pillar is all that remains of some civic building which now exists only as a pile of rubble in the background.

Abandoned home, its yard hot-wired to be a cattle pen.

Zook's grain elevator.  I like these old-style elevators.

Fellsburg, KS

Fellsburg, KS.  Virtually no information for this place exists on the internet, so I have no idea of its history or even the population.  Whatever the latter is, it can't be much.  What's left consists primarily of a few ruined structures.  

This gem is a true survivor.  Someone obviously still cares for it, although I wonder for how much longer.

The old school.  

Old Chevy station wagon.  These old cars conjure up images of the trips I'd take with my family the 70s.  This being before the days of mandatory child car seats and seatbelt usage, we'd lay the second and third row seats down so we could sleep.  I wish I could see a photo of the original owner driving off the lot in this beast.

Remnants of Fellsburg's downtown.  It's nice to see that these haven't been bulldozed.

Trousdale, KS

Although dying, Trousdale was a pleasant enough place.  I can't explain why.  The town prospered from the Anthony and Northern railroad, but began its steady creep to oblivion when the railroad pulled out in the early 40s.  Today there is not even a trace of the old railroad grade.  From the satellite imagery it appears that the center pivot irrigation systems have erased it entirely.  The final deathblow to this peaceful little town may well have been the destruction visited upon it by the same tornado that destroyed Greensburg in 2007.  

Old Conoco sign, but not even a hint of the old filling station itself.

Trousdale Auto.  Strange to see that the only car for sale is a Toyota Camry!  Elsewhere in town there was another Camry just like this one, only it was light blue.

An absolutely beautiful older home in excellent condition, guarded by two miniature schnauzers dressed in tartan sweaters.  

Clearly displeased with my intrusive picture-taking, this fellow ran out to bark at us.

While there are a few nice homes in Trousdale, the all-too-familiar sight of abandoned homes cannot be avoided.

 

I don't know what this building was used for, but I hope it was some kind of auditorium used for dances.  Those metal sheets on the sides appear to be covering windows so it's more likely that this was some kind of shop, however.  Perhaps there were larger doors at the rear.

Old American metal.  You don't see many early 70s Rancheros these days.

The car was last registered in 1992.  I took this photo largely to show the highly stylized font Kansas used for its plates in the late 80s.  Shortly after the introduction of this plate the lettering was changed to a standard font to make it more legible.

Corrugated metal wrapped around trees killed in the horrific tornado of 2007.  

Several buildings were destroyed in the 2007 storm, including the local church.  The locals refused to let their church die and a new one was rebuilt on the original site.  I didn't see anything particularly special about the new building so I foolishly ignored it when taking these photos, unaware of its story.  As I've mentioned elsewhere, the church is often the last thing that people are willing to let go in these dying towns, so it's heartening to see that  it was rebuilt.  

Interestingly, the special teams coordinator for the Buffalo Bills was from Trousdale originally.  He apparently has fond memories of the place.  Read more here.

Hopewell, KS

Hopewell is a thoroughly-dead place.  Known for a brief time as Fravel, it once had a blacksmith, general store, lumberyard, hardware store and a hotel According to this excellent website there was once a railroad but I was unable to detect the grade either in person or from satellite imagery. There also was nothing listed on the USGS topographic map or on the 19th-century map available from Skyways.

Where most of Hopewell's residents are today.  Quite frankly, I didn't realize I had passed the remains of the town until I came up on this cemetary a little ways down the road.

A common sight in Hopewell.  When was the last day a person lived here?

Abandoned church.

The abandoned church with a pile of furniture left to rot in the elements.  When was the last service held here?

Apparently the only resident these days is some kind of scrap metal enthusiast.

Some of the corrugated metal sheets on the roof have been peeled back from high winds.  

The primary residents of Hopewell these days.  I heard these things when I was taking pictures in town and couldn't for the life of me figure out what I was hearing in the distance.

On the fence penning the sheep is this pair of coyotes.  I'm not sure why-- is it a deterrent for other coyotes?

Hopewell serves as a reminder that there are many ghost towns in Kansas where absolutely nothing remains.  In this regard, Hopewell isn't far off.  

Byers, KS

Byers, KS.  With a population of 35 (fifty percent of whom are 45 or older) this place isn't long before it's completely dead.  Unfortunately there is almost no information about it on the internet.  

The hunting lodge is for sale.  It appears that they got their benches from a Braum's.

City Hall.  It doesn't seem particularly likely that this town is still incorporated.  There aren't even those proper green signs announcing the name of the town when you enter.  

I like old grain trucks.  

It's rare to see a church abandoned in a small town but when you do it's a sign that the town is well on its way to oblivion.  

"Reserved for Pastor."  These days the Pastor has his pick.

There are many uninhabited dwellings here-- quite a few more than inhabited ones.  

Turon, KS

Turon, KS.  Population 387.  Another town in decline, it lost 11% of its population since 2000.

Turon, USA.  Not to be confused, I suppose, with the one in Spain.

This decaying house sits at the edge of town.  I imagine a time when older folks sat on the porch watching the cars heading to Cunningham.

The labelscar says that this mansardic monstrosity was once Citizens Bank of Kansas.  Perhaps the vaguely Moorish-style rehab was a nod towards the other Turon?  (The one in Spain?)  Or was it another tragic 70s thing?

Downtown Turon, looking north.

Many of the structures I photograph are nondescript and boring, but I've found that most are on borrowed time and will likely be gone the next time I pay a visit.  Case in point-- on either side of this building once were others that have been razed over the years giving the downtown the "missing teeth" character so prevalent in small towns these days.

The local watering hole.

Older gas station.

These days its almost unimaginable to think that small towns could have once supported a small TV/stereo shop like this one.  I remember these places fondly-- the interior was likely dark (all the better to test out one of the Zenith televisions in the small gallery) and there was probably a long glass display case filled with Sony Walkmans and hand-held televisions.  I wonder when this place closed for good.  It may not have been too long ago as there is still a phone number listed on the internet, but to my dismay it was out of service.   

As in most small towns, the Senior Center is likely to be the only building still in good repair and used regularly.  That may be simply due to the fact that nearly 50% of this town's residents are 45 years of age or older.  

Each of these buildings once housed some essential business.

I seem to recall a time when virtually every metal post was painted in a candy-cane striped fashion.  What used to be on this lot?  A car dealer?  A drive-in burger and milkshake joint?

Why?  Is the building unsafe?

In 1998 I captured some 35 mm photos of this old gas station.  There were still pumps out front back then.  Hard to see but above the door in the center is a sign that reads "SERVICE".  Once upon a time a passing motorist could have replaced his tires (from the metal rack parked on edge of the concrete apron on the right) and had his oil changed in addition to a fill-up.  Now you're on your own until you get to a larger town.

I'm not sure what this smokestack was used for.  There might have been a building in that fenced off area.

A potentially abandoned home.  Back in the early part of the last decade I remember seeing a house for sale in Turon for only $20,000.  With a declining population I can't imagine things having improved much for the local real estate market.

The stories that tree could tell!