♠ Posted by Unknown in ghosttown at 6:12 AM
Lovell, Oklahoma, began its short life as a post office outpost back
in 1889. By 1955, this small frontier town was completely abandoned. In
the years since, nature has slowly reclaimed the empty homes and
buildings. Recently, a few intrepid urban explorers visited what's left
of Lovell, and the story their photographs tell is beautifully
heartbreaking.Lovell was officially settled by the postal service on May 22, 1889.
The settlement was originally called Perth, but it was changed to Lovell in 1906 to honor James W. Lovell, who helped develop the town.
In 1902, Lovell became an agriculture trade hub upon completion of the nearby Santa Fe Railroad.
By the time Oklahoma became a state in 1907, Lovell boasted a school, post office, bank, hotel, and two grain elevators. It even housed the largest blacksmith shop in the region.
While times appeared good in Lovell, 1928 would prove to be a trying year for the little town.
That year, a fire engulfed most of Lovell's main street. By the time it was extinguished, 11 businesses were completely destroyed.
With the Great Depression and World War II on the horizon, Lovell had little insurance and was unable to rebuild.
The Lovell schoolhouse held its last official day of classes on May 17, 1955.
Today, Lovell is a deserted ghost town.
You can still explore some of the buildings left in Lovell. If you do, you might come across this strange scene....
Three old fire trucks are buried halfway in the ground.
While an official explanation is hard to come by, some speculate that these firetrucks are part of an art installation used to attract a few visitors every so often to what remains of Lovell.
It might be a bit cliched to say that these photos of Lovell are haunting, but I truly think they are. What makes it even more tragic is that, in a few years time, there might not be anything left of Lovell as nature works to reclaim it.
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