Photo Credit: Bingen Cortazar on flickr
Nearby Zion and off a tiny road in the small town of Rockville sits a spooky ghost town. In all reality it really isn’t that scary of a place, from what history tells us, nothing too terrible happened there. It really is just a cute little old town that was abandoned due to lack of farmland. Although it’s not something out of a horror film, it is one of the more fun places to visit while near Zion National Park.
To get there you will take a small, sort of hidden road in Rockville called Bridge Lane, you will come across and old rickety one lane iron bridge, drive across and keep going down the dirt road, you will first come across the graveyard, and if you continue onward you’ll reach the town. Make sure that you keep an eye on the road though as it is right next to a cliff with rocks that jut out, and the road can be very bumpy and has a lot of sharp turns, safety should always come first, drive with caution.
The Town of Grafton was built in 1859 as a cotton growing establishment. You will notice that there are several headstones that are marked with the same death dates, this is due to the life there that was harsh and frequent Indian attacks and floods caused a lot of grief for the early pioneers.
This ghost town is one of the more well preserved and isn’t a tourist trap, you won’t find an old building that has been refurbished and turned into a gift shop or just a bunch of broken down “buildings” (piles of rocks). That is what makes Grafton such a cool experience, there is a lot you can learn about the early settlers in this area from visiting the town, even the cemetery is very protected and maintained.
This is the perfect day trip for those just wanting to get away from the tourists, or if you want to spook your friends and family, visit in the late evening hours!