Avilla, Missouri
‘The Tales Fit What Happened Here’
The town of Avilla, located in Jasper County, sits east of Carthage along what was once Route 66. Those passing through seem in a hurry to do just that. And it doesn’t take long, given Avilla has a total area of .20 square miles. There are only about 120 or so acres to it, situated on either side of the main road. A sign says it is home to 125 residents.
The town of Avilla was founded in 1856 and was named after Avilla, Indiana. When the Civil War began in 1861, Avilla had around 100 residents. Many people in the surrounding area were divided over the question of Missouri secession. This caused the small town to become a point of conflict during the war. Much of the eerie folklore surrounding the town grew from the skirmishes during the war.
Despite a posted 55 mph speed limit, traffic roars down the two-lane Hwy. 96 through the heart of Avilla.
In 1862, the Union Army gained possession of Missouri but the area surrounding Avilla remained infested with bushwhackers and small bands of Confederate raiders. It was common for Union soldiers to track down and kill rebel bushwhackers.
As the story goes, a bushwhacker’s corpse was found south of town with a bullet hole through the skull. Likely an undiscovered body from a previous skirmish, the victim was dubbed “Rotten Johnny Reb.’ His head was removed and hung from a tree limb as a warning to other bushwhackers. The skull is said to have hung for over a year and the tree was dubbed the ‘Death Tree.’ It's rumored that the spirit of Rotten Johnny Reb still roams around in search of revenge.
A dilapidated barn along Hwy. 37, just outside Avilla, stands uncertainly as the last of the evening light etches out its frame. Avilla and the surrounding area was settled in the 1830s and 1840s. Winding streams and rich farm land were said to be what attracted many to the vicinity.
Abandoned homes like this are a common sight in the “ghost town” of Avilla
Maurice Phipps, or "Rees" as he prefers to be called, lives with his family in a building that once served as Avilla's general store before being converted into a residence. Although he hasn't lived in the small town as long as some, he's been there long enough to have seen some "weird shit.”
This abandoned gas station is one of several former businesses that went belly up after Route 66 traffic was rerouted around Avilla after I-44 was built in the 1960s.
The post office building in Avilla was originally home to the town bank. In 1932, the bank was robbed by members of the notorious “Irish O’Malley Gang,” which also resulted in the kidnapping of a cashier.
This condemned structure that sits along side of hwy 96 in the heart of Avilla is slowly being overtaken by trees and vines. It awaits demolition.
Bernie's Bar & Grill is the local watering hole and possibly the only remaining original business besides the post office in Avila. Those with a longer memory know the tavern as "Flo's," owned by Flo Melugin, whose home used to be located behind the establishment.
The unsettling lore surrounding Avilla has made the town the subject of paranormal studies, books, videos and online articles.
An attorney, writer and a founder of the Joplin-based Paranormal Science Lab, Livingston-Martin has conducted investigations in Avilla, trying to capture concrete evidence of the ghosts and spirits that have been sighted over the years.
A seed and grain facility sits abandon on the edge of town.