Bristol
Ghost town · Effingham County, Illinois

Bristol is a ghost town in Effingham County, Illinois. It is one of 3 former communities in Effingham County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 25th among the 78 Illinois counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Bristol as a historical populated place on the Edgewood topographic quadrangle: 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 38.9384° N, 88.6356° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Edgewood |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 558 ft |
| Nearest living town | Mason, IL |
| Distance to it | 1.2 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1810475 |
| Coordinates | 38.93838, -88.63561 |
What's there now
Bristol is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Mason, IL (population 365), about 1.2 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 558 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Flemingsburgghost town · Effingham County · 5.1 mi
- Freenantonghost town · Effingham County · 9.8 mi
- Howards Pointghost town · Fayette County · 13.2 mi
- Bethelghost town · Clay County · 16.4 mi
- Greenlandghost town · Fayette County · 19.4 mi
- Pinhookghost town · Fayette County · 21.5 mi
- Thompson Mill Covered Bridgecovered bridge · Shelby County · 24.2 mi
- Wilsonburgghost town · Richland County · 24.7 mi
- Glenwoodghost town · Richland County · 25.9 mi
- Williamsburgghost town · Shelby County · 29.5 mi
- Watertownghost town · Richland County · 31.6 mi
- Fransoniaghost town · Richland County · 32.8 mi
Questions
Where is Bristol?
Bristol is in Effingham County, Illinois, at 38.9384, -88.6356.
How many ghost towns are in Effingham County?
Effingham County, Illinois has 3 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- 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.