Rayner Ghost Town

From: Ohio.edu "Rayner was at once intriguing and again sad. It was located just south of US 380 about 8.5 miles east of Aspermont. The only structure left is the old Stonewall County courthouse, which is now a private residence for a ranch. There is also the Rayner Cemetery, which was one of the saddest things I've seen. Regarding the old courthouse, it sits about 3/10 of a mile south of US 380, and it's visible from the road. I drove down the road/driveway and snapped a picture. It looks better than it did when Baker photographed it in 1984 in that it seems to have been fixed up. The cemetery is about 2.2 miles south of US 380 down a county road that is about 0.1 mile east of the road leading to the courthouse. The cemetery sits off to the east about 75 yards from the road, but there is an access way (almost a driveway) that allows you to drive right up to the gate. Unlike every other cemetery that I saw on my trip, this one has been neglected.  It was noted by Baker as being neglected when he photographed it in 1984, and it looked no different during my visit on October 31, 1999. This surprised me because most every other forgotten-town cemetery I've seen is still meticulously kept and still in use in that there are burials more recent than the time the town was active. But, for some reason, this cemetery, which doesn't have many graves anyway, has been allowed to deteriorate."