Croom

Florida's ghost towns are railroad towns Flagler built, 1920s land-boom subdivisions that busted, and phosphate and turpentine camps.

Croom-A-Coochee is an unincorporated community in Sumter County, Florida, United States, located adjacent to the Croom Wildlife Management Area (WMA) near the Withlacoochee River. The official zip code is 33597, which is shared with Webster. In addition to the Croom WMA, Sumter County offers hunting in the Green Swamp, Richloam, and Half Moon Wildlife Management Area. A new area has opened at the northeast end of Lake Panasoffkee.

The on-the-ground condition of Croom is unverified — it's listed here with unknown status. That could mean standing buildings, or an empty field. Go prepared for either, and consider sharing what you find so the record improves.

Nobody has confirmed the access situation, so treat any visit as reconnaissance: verify land ownership first, and be ready to admire from the road.

Here's the honest truth: access to Croom is unverified. We couldn't confirm whether the site sits on public land, private property, or something in between — so verify land ownership and local rules before visiting, and respect private property at all times. The mapped point for Croom is roughly 28.6120, -82.1380 — use it as a starting point and cross-reference a current topographic map before leaving pavement.

Ghost-town etiquette is simple: take only photographs. Removing artifacts is illegal on public lands and disrespectful everywhere else — and on federal land it can be a serious offense.