Reading
Ghost town · Pike County, Missouri

Reading is a ghost town in Pike County, Missouri, recorded as human settlement in Missouri, United States of America. It is one of 5 former communities in Pike County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 43rd among the 102 Missouri counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Reading as a historical populated place: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 39.4914° N, 91.1325° W.
Key facts
| Nearest living town | Louisiana, MO |
|---|---|
| Distance to it | 5.1 miles |
| Coordinates | 39.49139, -91.13250 |
What's there now
Reading is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Louisiana, MO (population 3,231), about 5.1 miles away in a straight line. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- LaMotteghost town · Pike County · 5.4 mi
- Mooresghost town · Pike County · 6.4 mi
- Buschghost town · Pike County · 6.9 mi
- Boothghost town · Pike County · 11.6 mi
- New Philadelphia National Historic Siteghost town · Pike County · 16.9 mi
- Hobartghost town · Lincoln County · 19.5 mi
- Duttonghost town · Pike County · 21.8 mi
- Hydesburgghost town · Ralls County · 22 mi
- Lambghost town · Marion County · 22 mi
- Starkdaleghost town · Pike County · 23.4 mi
- Noonanghost town · Ralls County · 25.7 mi
- Marion Cityghost town · Marion County · 27.6 mi
Questions
Where is Reading?
Reading is in Pike County, Missouri, at 39.4914, -91.1325.
How many ghost towns are in Pike County?
Pike County, Missouri has 5 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.