Pinhook
Ghost town · Fayette County, Illinois

Pinhook is a ghost town in Fayette County, Illinois. It is one of 3 former communities in Fayette County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 28th among the 78 Illinois counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Pinhook as a historical populated place on the Vandalia 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 38.9103° N, 89.0342° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Vandalia |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 546 ft |
| Nearest living town | Vandalia, IL |
| Distance to it | 6 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1773097 |
| Coordinates | 38.91032, -89.03423 |
What's there now
Pinhook is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Vandalia, IL (population 6,041), about 6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 546 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Howards Pointghost town · Fayette County · 12.2 mi
- Bristolghost town · Effingham County · 21.5 mi
- Greenlandghost town · Fayette County · 21.9 mi
- Freenantonghost town · Effingham County · 22.2 mi
- Bethelghost town · Clay County · 23.5 mi
- Elm Pointghost town · Bond County · 24.5 mi
- Thompson Mill Covered Bridgecovered bridge · Shelby County · 26.7 mi
- Flemingsburgghost town · Effingham County · 26.7 mi
- Williamsburgghost town · Shelby County · 27.1 mi
- Fremontghost town · Clinton County · 29.1 mi
- Westminsterghost town · Shelby County · 31.2 mi
- Pigeonghost town · Jefferson County · 38.7 mi
Questions
Where is Pinhook?
Pinhook is in Fayette County, Illinois, at 38.9103, -89.0342.
How many ghost towns are in Fayette County?
Fayette 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.