Peru
Ghost town · Bates County, Missouri

Peru is a ghost town in Bates County, Missouri, recorded as human settlement in Missouri, United States of America. It is one of 6 former communities in Bates County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 35th among the 102 Missouri counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Peru as a historical populated place on the Butler South 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 38.1825° N, 94.2922° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Butler South |
|---|---|
| Nearest living town | Butler, MO |
| Distance to it | 5.9 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 745674 |
| Coordinates | 38.18253, -94.29217 |
What's there now
Peru is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Butler, MO (population 4,594), about 5.9 miles away in a straight line. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Shobeghost town · Bates County · 6.3 mi
- Reynardghost town · Bates County · 8.6 mi
- Culverghost town · Bates County · 11 mi
- Rocky Fordghost town · Vernon County · 11.4 mi
- Lindaleghost town · St. Clair County · 13.7 mi
- Colevilleghost town · Bates County · 16.1 mi
- Vintonghost town · Bates County · 17.5 mi
- Wolfeghost town · Vernon County · 17.7 mi
- Doniaghost town · St. Clair County · 19.7 mi
- Iuka Springsghost town · St. Clair County · 21 mi
- Templeghost town · Vernon County · 21.5 mi
- Greene Springsghost town · Vernon County · 25.9 mi
Questions
Where is Peru?
Peru is in Bates County, Missouri, at 38.1825, -94.2922.
How many ghost towns are in Bates County?
Bates County, Missouri has 6 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- 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.