Spooky sights: Exploring Washington's ghost towns, abandoned areas Callie Craighead and Zosha Millman, SeattlePI Officially granted statehood over a century after the Declaration of Independence was signed by the founding fathers, the state of Washington is a relative newcomer in American history. But just because it's newer to the union by a hundred years doesn't mean there aren't plenty of desolate, abandoned areas littering the state. The truth is there's a handful of ghost towns around the state, all of which are just waiting for visitors to stop by and enjoy the sights of industrial decay and time gone by.