May I say, without hesitation, that Uniontown (the one in Shawnee County) is spook central. There is not a more tragic place (with the exception of the site of the Marais des Cygnes Massacre) in the entire state.
Uniontown was founded as an Oregon Trail stop and an annuity payment location for the Pottawatomie Indians as early as 1848. This was six years before the state was even a territory. In a short time, the population was estimated at 300 and 60 business buildings lined the one main street through town.
Tragedy hit early. In 1849, a cholera epidemic decimated the town and the surrounding countryside. The Pottawatomie tribe was decimated. Uniontown was abandoned and burned to the ground. The cemetery soon filled up with unknown graves of pioneers and emigrants. A mass grave of at least 33 Pottwatomie Indians became part of the town cemetery. Bodies were strewn everywhere, many not even buried.
The town came back in 1850 and developed for about 10 years. Then it was abandoned again for good as Manhattan and nearby Topeka grew in prominence. Oh, and the town was burned down again.
The cemetery remains. A park across the road, the Green Wildlife Refuge, contains original ruts from the Oregon Trail and at least 2 buildings from the Uniontown era were once there. At night, the site comes alive with endless reports of ghosts wandering around, mysterious voices, cold spots, and rustling grass. So many reports, in fact, that they defy explanation.
This is where I began my study of lost towns back in the 1970s. The place still astounds me. Here are some pictures from a recent night time visit back in 2012. I brought digital recorders, cameras, and covered lots of ground. I captured yet more voices and other weird happenings. Here are the pics.
