Why Does this Strange Missouri Town Have a Zip Code But 0 People?

If you drive through a certain part of southern Missouri, you'll pass by a Missouri town, but you won't find any people there. It even has a zip code for some reason, but also one big problem. There are no people there.

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This is a Missouri mystery that I came across mentioned on Reddit. Some investigators have even tracked what is known as Lead Hill, Missouri to a zip code website that includes some strange number combinations. Lead Hill, Missouri has a zip code of 72643, but a population of 0. Yet, the zip code website says there are 57 P.O. Boxes there? Say what?!?

If you look up Lead Hill, Missouri on Google Maps, you'll see it's located in a remote rural area to the southeast of Springfield.

If you drive the winding tree-lined roads, you'll see there are a few buildings visible over the hills.

The only history I can find about this part of Missouri is the fact that there used to be a lead mine located on what was known as the 'summit' of Lead Hill according to Wikipedia. The question is who owns those 57 P.O. boxes?

Are there off-the-grid homesteaders in this part of Missouri or is this the ghost of what used to be an old mining part of the state? Perhaps it's all of those or none.

The only thing I'm certain of is Lead Hill, Missouri is technically a real place with a real zip code, but completely devoid of people. A true Show Me State mystery.