Source: Ghost Towns of Mills County Iowa by Allen Wortman, 1975. We thank Mr. Wortman for sharing his ghost towns book with the Mills Co. IAGenWeb project.
Interest in ghost towns is no recent thing. In 1932 Annals of Iowa, a publication of the Iowa State Department of History and Archives, devoted an entire issue to giving the names of ghost towns in every county of the state and, in most instances, locating each. The thoroughness of the research for the issue is shown by the fact that it missed only a few and still came up with a total of thirty-three for Mills County. Not all had been bona fide towns; however, in a number of instances there were several names for the same town, or a community in the same location. Several had existed only as post offices, entirely without other commercial enterprise.
Before the introduction of rural free delivery around the turn of the century, it was advantageous to have a farm-house post office in a neighborhood. Mail would be brought there daily by star route from some nearby town, and neighbors of the farmer-postmaster could thus get their mail more conveniently.
In this list are former towns or post offices for which we have only brief information, most giving the township, but for some, not even that is known.
Post Office Township Comments Alps Lyons Est. 10 Feb 1858, closed 2 May 1859; Arba L. Lambson, postmaster Ashleigh unknown
Benton Anderson Est. 9 May 1863, by Wm. B. Wilson; discontinued 26 Aug 1881. About 5.5 mi. N of Hastings Bethelehem Plattville See Sharpsburg Boxelder Anderson Est. 17 May 1890, closed 15 Nov 1902; Joseph A. Farrington, postmaster. Located 7 mi NW of Henderson on Pottawattamie Co. line California City Plattville
Cerro Gordo St. Marys Est. 6 Sep 1853 by Daniel E. Reed, discontinued 15 Aug 1862. Near town of St. Mary Coonville Glenwood Est. 10 Feb 1851, Libeus T. Coons, postmaster. Renamed Glenwood 24 Feb 1853 Egypt Lyons Est. 17 Aug 1865, Alfred P. Davenport, postmaster. Located about 8 mi. S of Pacific Junction; moved and renamed Bartlett in Fremont Co. 3 Jun 1867. Etta Anderson Private station with scales and stockyards on Hastings-Carson branch of C.B.& Q. railroad, three miles north of Hastings. Built by J. D. Robbins and named for his wife, Etta. 1 mileW on the county road and just N of the Harvey Lisle and Roy Robbins farm homes, these families established the High Bank Store and Service Station which flourished for several years during the 1930's and 1940's. Haynie Lyons Est. 31 Jul 1868, closed 25 Nov 1872, Alfred P. Davenport (see Egypt) Also called Haynie Station on Council Bluffs & St. Joseph railroad. Indian Creek Indian Creek Est. 30 Oct 1854, closed 25 Jul 1859; David Silkett, postmaster. 3 mi. SW of Emerson Ingraham Ingraham Est. 25 Apr 1854, closed 6 Oct 1859; James H. Goodman, postmaster Lewis City Oak Former name for Mineola Milton Station Malvern Former name for Malvern Plattville Plattville Est. 1854, closed 1860. town S of East Plattsmouth Potter Anderson Former name for Henderson Tubbsville Unknown
Turner Deer Creek Est. 27 Jul 1874, Arnold Trayers, postmaster. Moved and renamed Imogene in Fremont Co. 24 Nov 1879; reopened as Turner 19 Mar 1880. Since Postmaster Bedison opened the Solomon post office, it is assumed that the Turner office was moved to that location. Wahaghbonsey Rawles Est. 12 Jun 1852, closed 17 Jun 1872; John G. Scott, postmaster. About 7 mi S of Glenwood or 6 mi. N of Tabor in Section 18, Rawles Twp, on Waubonsie Creek. Scott was also a doctor and school teachere there. Later Waubonsie was the name of a station on the Council Bluffs & St. Joseph RR in S Lyons Twp. Walnut Grove Unknown Est. 1854, discontinued 1857. Ward Ingraham Est. 22 Apr 1867, discontinued 30 Jun 1868; George Goff, postmaster. On site of later town of Silver City.