Villa de La Mina, a former mining village located in the Terlingua region of West Texas, has fallen a long way since its heyday back in the early 1900s. The discovery of cinnabar, a lucrative form of mercury, turned Villa de La Mina briefly into a boomtown, which included homes, a fortress, and of course, an on-site mine. As with most mining hotspots, the town was soon abandoned when the precious materials ran out, leaving Villa de La Mina to an uncertain fate. Click or scroll on to find out more...
Intriguingly, the abandoned 62-acre town was purchased in the 1960s and developed into a collection of guest houses for visitors coming to explore the Big Bend area, which played host to a number of major events ranging from an International Chili Cook-off to a racing reunion run by celebrated Mustang Ford automotive designer Carroll Shelby, who bought up more than 200,000 acres in the area.
Villa de La Mina is currently owned by Badlands, Texas actor Herman Everett, who bought the place several years back, planning to restore it, before realising he simply didn’t have the time for a renovation project of this size. Everett reportedly said he originally envisioned the town as "a great place for rich people who want to get away from the city."
The town has been abandoned since the 1970s, serving only as a filming location for the occasional B-rated movie, including the 1972 Western horror flick, Enter the Devil. Badlands, Texas, a docuseries following a small town's struggle to deal with a brutal crime, was also filmed nearby in a similar dusty west Texas town in Terlingua.
The town will need a complete overhaul before it’s ready to host residents again, including new roofs, wiring and plumbing. Its buildings, which are constructed from sturdy rock hauled in from the Rio Grande River, remain in excellent condition, however.
"The skill of stonework at the Villa de La Mina is something of awe," says Steve Dyer, who holds the listing through Limpia Reality. "Anything today would carry a multi-million-dollar price tag to replicate such a skill of work.” More exciting still, the property’s cavernous mine is still intact, offering tantalising glimpses of sparkling quartz in mysterious crevices.
Numerous shafts run off the mine in several directions, including one which opens into a large natural cavern that could be easily transformed into a wine bar or health spa “in the right hands,” according to Dyer, who is hoping some creative investor will turn the space into an opulent hotel or restaurant.
Other unique features included in the site among its 20 historic buildings are a prison, with cast iron bars and cell doors still intact, a feed and grain store, a dynamite shack and a cantina. There are also several minecart tracks which traverse the grounds. "Every time I visit the property, something new is discovered," says Dyer.
Listed for £1.6 million ($2m), Villa de La Mina has already received numerous expressions of interest from around the world, according to Dyer, who cautions that whoever buys the property will need to be prepared to invest a further $10 million into renovating it. However, with acres of history and plenty of rustic charm, we’re sure the abandoned town has a bright future ahead.
Read on for more incredible ghost towns and villages for sale...
Ever fancied taking on the title of mayor? If so, you won't find a better opportunity than these incredible abandoned towns for sale. From an American gold rush town frozen in time to a historic village in the heart of the Algarve, Portugal, these unique settlements around the world are the ultimate real estate investments. Click or scroll on to discover the best communities on the market now...
Sick of sky-high London prices? Well, you may be thrilled to learn that, for nearly four times less than the cost of an average London flat, you could buy an entire village in Northern Spain. For just €160,000 – or £138,900 ($171k), the quaint abandoned hamlet of Olgueira in northern Spain could be yours, including three houses, two granaries, a fountain, a winery, a stable and a stone oven.
Taken together, the homes offer a combined 7,750 square feet of living space, but, having been built more than 100 years ago, they require some pretty substantial restoration before they’ll be ready for habitation. In fact, the village is reportedly one of roughly 20 uninhabited villages in the municipality, not counting the 11 which have only one resident!
In recent years, depopulation has become a massive issue for northern Spain, as residents decamp for greater opportunity in more populous areas and major cities. To combat the rising problem, the Spanish government has enacted a number of initiatives to try and coax residents back to dwindling rural communities, including incredibly low list prices, which they hope will appeal specifically to young people who might not otherwise be able to afford to buy property.
Listed with 88 Living Projects, one of a number of agencies which have formed to help sell abandoned Spanish properties, Olgueira is set on 2.6 acres of verdant greenery and offers plenty of rustic charm with its tumbledown stone structures and sweeping vistas. However, whether or not it’s a savvy real estate investment will have to remain to be seen.
It’s rare that you’ll find a listing which advertises 45 bedrooms, but this self-proclaimed ‘country home’ in Saltro de Casto, Spain boasts exactly that. Of course, it’s not the house itself which offers such extensive accommodation, it’s the village that comes with it.
With 44 houses, a bar, a church, a multi-classroom school and a hostel comprising several rooms, a dining room and laundry facilities, this Spanish ghost town rolls an awful lot into the €580,000 asking price – which equates to just £503,500 ($619k).
But wait, there’s more! The abandoned town also comes with an old Civil Guard barracks, according to the listing, which includes a swimming pool and multiple sports areas. Perched on a promontory overlooking the Douro River, the village offers over 1.6 acres of secluded real estate, with breathtaking views of the water and countryside.
With stucco and stone exteriors, and red tile roofs, the buildings are all uniform in construction and in seemingly excellent condition in spite of the fact that they have been uninhabited for some time. The property offers tremendous development potential for a corporate retreat, spa resort or other form of holiday accommodation. It just remains to be seen who will take the leap!
If you'd rather be soaking up the rays in the Algarve region of Portugal, then these remarkable ruins could be within your reach. Priced at £1.1 million ($1.4m), or €1.3 million, Funcho de Diante village is a bit of a bargain, considering it comes complete with more than 23 acres of land in one of Portugal's most spectacular areas. Let's take a closer look...
Positioned in the municipality of São Bartolomeu de Messines, the village sits next to a dam and benefits from breathtaking, 360-degree landscape scenery. According to the listing, the settlement was built many centuries ago, but sadly we don’t know much more than that.
When the dam was built in 1974, the village was abandoned and its buildings now sit in ruins. However, with the right contractor on board, the buyer could restore the structures and bring them back from the brink, or even knock them down and build themselves a one-of-a-kind family home.
For your money, you’ll gain the abandoned homes, endless land and prime access to some of Portugal’s best beaches and nature spots. Plus, just look at what your backyard would be! If you're keen to take this fixer-upper project on, then LUXIMOS has all the details you need.
Have you ever dreamed of owning your very own private castle in a beautiful corner of Europe? Well, now you can because this spectacular Italian citadel, palace and village are currently up for grabs for a little under €2 million (£1.7m/$2.1m). Complete with cobblestone streets, towering turrets and ancient battlements, the mysterious hamlet would make for one seriously cool place to live.
Known as Serravalle, the medieval hamlet can be found halfway between the cities of Modena and Bologna. As beautiful as it is historic, the village was conquered and destroyed by the Longobards in the 8th century and in the 9th century it was rebuilt. Offering amazing bang for your buck, the estate comes complete with a majestic castle, a three-storey 18th-century stately home known as Palazzo Boccadiferro, a hunting lodge, a woodshed, a four-floor lookout tower that was built in 1227 and a gorgeous 3.5-acre park, equipped with an ancient moat.
Inside, the stately home has been beautifully preserved and retains much of its original medieval details. From oversized fireplaces to terracotta floors, exposed wooden beams and antique light fixtures, each detail takes you back in time. There's a serious sense of grandeur, too, thanks to soaring ceilings, huge arched doorways and extra-wide hallways. Everywhere you look you'll spot ancient stone walls emblazoned with coats of arms and columns decorated with grand carved statues.
What's more, this town is home to a dozen ghosts. According to local lore, the estate is haunted by the spirits of 12 women, all of whom were killed after marrying a former lord of the hamlet. Their souls are said to roam the corridors and streets at night in search of vengeance. Yet the village's most astonishing element is this amazing underground tunnel, which connects the palace to the ancient lookout tower. It was once used by guards fleeing from enemy attacks, according to CNN.
“Atypical and incredible” is how estate agents describe this peculiar property listing – a hamlet in the northeast of France that once served as a hub for metalworking. Le Beuchot, a former wire-drawing plant, dates all the way back to 1539 when a windmill was first installed on the site, which gave way to a blast furnace by the beginning of the 17th century.
In its prime, the town employed roughly 100 people, churning out 200 tonnes of steel a month at its peak in 1964. However, after a steep decline in production and a series of layoffs, the factory finally closed in 2006, leaving the collection of 19th-century homes and workshops empty. The buildings are now completely overgrown and in need of serious renovations before they will be useable.
However, the industrial charm of the structures is still visible beneath the greenery, and the once-elegant owner’s house certainly offers plenty of scope for a dramatic restoration project. The property also boasts a lake and 25 hectares of adjoining farmland – plenty of room for new development.
The entire property is currently on the market for just under €2.3 million, which equates to £2 million ($2.5m), and is being offered as a development opportunity. Potential projects already suggested have included tourism initiatives, an eco-village and residences for the elderly, according to the agent.
This dreamy Italian hamlet could soon be yours for a cool €40 million – or £34.7 million ($42.7m). Perched high on a hilltop, the charming village of Poggio Santa Cecilia in Italy's scenic Tuscany region was abandoned in the 1960s and has sadly fallen into a state of disrepair over the last 60 years.
Located on 1,729 acres of land, the village includes the remains of a medieval castle that could make the ultimate fixer-upper, as well as a vast 18th-century villa and a church complete with a bell tower. The grounds also include partially restored stables, an olive mill and a labyrinth of underground cellars.
The winding streets are sheltered by a tall city wall, featuring stone arches and exquisite medieval architecture. Lining the village's flagstone roads, an array of traditional Tuscan homes offer wooden front doors, terracotta-tiled roofs and beamed ceilings.
On the market with Essentis Group, the sale includes 50 separate buildings, plus 200 acres of woodland, two lakes, 23 acres of fruit trees and 55 acres of vineyards. Ready to breathe new life into this historic settlement?
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