Black Island, Missouri facts for kids

Black Island is what we call a ghost town in Pemiscot County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. A ghost town is a place where people used to live and work, but now it's empty and abandoned. Black Island no longer exists as a community.

What Was Black Island?

Black Island was once a small settlement where people lived. It was located in the southeastern part of Missouri. Today, we don't know the exact spot where the town stood. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which keeps track of places, only has records for a church and a schoolhouse that used to be part of the community. These buildings are also gone now.

Why Was It Called Black Island?

The town got its interesting name for two main reasons. First, the soil in the area was very rich and dark, which is great for farming. This dark soil might have looked "black." Second, the town site was on slightly higher ground. When the nearby rivers, like the Mississippi River, would flood, the water would rise around the town. This made the higher ground look like an "island" surrounded by water. So, "Black Island" described both the soil and how it looked during floods.