Ghost Town of the Week: December 7th, 2014: Maple City

DISCLAIMER: I visited Maple City in 2009, so some of this may have changed since then
Maple City is located just about in the middle of nowhere, about 15 miles east of Arkansas City and about 5 miles south of US-166 in Cowley County. The town's post office opened in 1872 and was listed as still open in 1961, but it surely isn't now. Curiously, the town was not even listed on state road maps until the 1950 map, and is still listed on maps today, despite the fact there's really not much left there.

Several abandoned buildings sit around this large intersection. This building might have once been an old gas station.

Just two roads go through the old town, which covers a wide area but has been reduced to a haphazard collection of buildings that are mostly abandoned.

This long-vacant building sits across the street from the old gas station. It looks like it was just a house.

About a quarter-mile south of the intersection is a still-operating church. Otherwise, on the "south" side of town is just a couple houses and some farm outbuildings.

Maple City's church, the only point of activity left in the Ghost Town.

I would estimate the population of Maple City at between 5 and 10. There are four scattered houses left, and I'm not sure they are all occupied. Driving north on 211th Road, you pass through the eerily empty remains of the town.

This is on the west side of 211th Road, in between the old gas station and a farmstead. There is some overgrowth and ruins in Maple City, but not much.

Continuing north, you pass one sizable farmstead on the left and then you reach the town's old school, which is in decent condition.

While in bad need of paint, the windows are still intact and I would imagine this building is still in use.

Maple City is cool because of the spooky feeling of emptiness you get when passing through it. It's expansive but empty, and all the abandoned buildings and ruins give it an even creepier feel. Plus its really in the middle of nowhere, 10 miles from any cities, yet somewhat easy to get to, especially because it's still marked on Kansas highway maps.