Oklahoma is home to hundreds of ghost towns from one side of the state to the other – most of which sprung up after the land run or were popup towns in the early days of railroads. One such town that had its beginnings after the Land Run of 1889 was the town of Lovell, Oklahoma. Take a look at what happened in this Oklahoma ghost town and the heartbreaking story that changed its fate forever.
The town of Lovell actually started as a post office on May 22, 1889.
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The town of Lovell was originally called Perth but was officially changed to Lovell in 1906 after the man who settled the town, James W. Lovell.
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The railroad built a route between Guthrie and Enid in 1902 and Lovell became an agricultural trade center.
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The first schoolhouse was built in 1902 to accommodate the booming town of over 200 residents.
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In 1922 a bigger schoolhouse (pictured below) was built and with the discovery of oil nearby, Lovell was growing rapidly.
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The town had a bank, hotel, the largest blacksmith shop around, two grain elevators, two cotton gins and many more businesses.
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Unfortunately, the bustling town suffered a fire in 1928 and 11 businesses were destroyed on the east side of Main Street.
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The town never recovered from the fires because without insurance to rebuild, there was no money for reconstruction. The school closed its doors in 1955.
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It’s very haunting to see the remains of buildings, headstones and businesses still left in this ghost town being reclaimed by nature.
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For more on Lovell, check out this video by YouTube user E V:
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If you enjoy visiting abandoned places, then you’ll want to make sure to head to Logan County and see the ghost town of Lovell.
Have you taken our abandoned ghost town’s road trip in Oklahoma yet? If not, check out the map here.
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