Red Oak II in Carthage, Missouri is a curated ghost town, open-air museum, historical landmark, art project, and roadside attraction in one. Located just off of Route 66 it’s a must-see road trip stop.
Red Oak II was the vision of artist Lowell Davis. Davis grew up about 20 miles north of Carthage in Red Oak, Missouri. He eventually moved away, joined the Air Force, and ended up in Dallas, Texas, where he worked as an advertising agency art director. In time he returned to Missouri where he bought some farmland to settle down just a short distance from where he spent his childhood.
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When Davis returned to Red Oak he found that his hometown was now a ghost town. World War II had a great effect on rural communities. As people began feeling for bigger cities, the smaller towns suffered, and many laid abandoned.
In 1987, in a nostalgic effort to preserve his past, Davis began buying the buildings from Red Oak and other abandoned places and moved them to his land near Carthage. He restored and reerected the buildings, christening the land Red Oak II.
Across the nearly 60 acres of land at Red Oak II you’ll find a smattering of buildings from the early 20th century, many, but not all, from the original Red Oak. Among them is a Phillips 66 station, an old schoolhouse, a cemetery, a feed store, a diner, a town hall, a jail, homes, and more. Davis’s great-grandfather Weber’s blacksmith shop was one of the first buildings to be erected in Red Oak and was moved to the new location. And the Red Oak General Store was operated by his family since 1921.
While Red Oak II has all the makings of a ghost town, it is actually a thriving inhabited community. Open between 7am and 9pm daily, visitors are encouraged to drive the half-mile gravel road in a loop around the town and stop to wander and take photos. But be quiet and respectful as each of the buildings is privately owned and people live on site.
Lowell Davis passed away at his home (the Belle Starr house) in November 2020 at the age of 83, but his legacy lives on through his artwork and efforts in this preserved dream town.
Photos of Red Oak II in Carthage, Missouri
