NY Ghost Town an Hour from Binghamton Aims for a Comeback

Who doesn't love a ghost town? When I think of a ghost town, I think of a place out in the western part of the country, most likely in the desert or in the foothills of an area that used to be bustling with people and businesses.

Get our free mobile app

But now the town stands empty except for what's left of some dilapidated buildings and lots of tumbleweeds rolling down what was once a busy main street, now just a ghost town. That's what I think of when someone mentions the words 'ghost town.'

A ghost town can be anywhere in the United States, not just out west. And it can look nothing like what I mentioned above. Did you know that there is a town that almost became one, that is not far from the Binghamton area?  The town I'm referring to is Parksville, New York. located in the "Heart of the Catskills."

According to the Parksville website, the town began to take shape around the year 1800. The website notes:

Parksville had shops and mills and was a bustling community. This was back in the day, in the early 1800's, when coffee was 36 cents a pound, a gallon of brandy was $1.00, and panthers roamed the hills. - Parksvilleny.org

Throughout the 1800s and the first half of the 1900s, Parksville was very much alive. The Catskills were the place to go for a weekend or vacation. Well, that popularity waned when train service ceased in the 1950s along with the fact that the Catskills were no longer as popular a vacation spot as it once was. Then to add insult to injury, there was the change of Route 17 to Interstate 86 along with a bypass around the town.

But instead of Parksville becoming a ghost town, some of the local businesses hung in there according to the Parksville history website. And more positive changes have been occurring recently with the hopes to become 'vibrant artistic community.'

For more on the history of Parksville, New York and how this small town has gone from the edge of a ghost town to a great place to visit and call home, visit the Parksville website.

And check out this video found on YouTube of the town from 7 years ago when it really did look like the feel of a ghost town in the making. Fortunately, times are changing for  Parksville. A little Upstate New York town that refused to die.