Empire, Nevada became a ghost town in 2011

In January 2011, Empire was home to ninety-nine U.S. Gypsum Company employees and their families. Today, all the inhabitants of the company town are gone and the desert is reclaiming the land. Above: The view from outside Empire's locked gates. (Photo by Leigh Ann Lipscomb, late November 2011).



Above: The now-vacant drywall plant.
(Photo by Leigh Ann Lipscomb, late November 2011).