centralia, pa i located in columbia county. as the result of a mine fire (burning since 1962) the population has dwindled from over 3,000 residents to a meager 10 (last time i checked). centralia is the least populted municipality in pennsylvania (surprised?) there has not been a clear cause as to what started the fire, many believe it was caused by garbage being set on fire in a nearby dump and it finding it's way into the mine through an unguared shaft, but what we do know is that it continues to burn today and some experts say it could go on burning for another 250 years. most residents have been relocated (save a handful) to nearby towns after the government declared eminent domain over the area in 1992 and condemning all remaining buildings within. even the postal code was revoked in 2002. part of highway 61 (leading into centralia) was closed due to a cave in and the road was rerouted around.
it is very deceiving in the photos, the crack is much lager than it appears and it grows larger every day. the first time i visited the area, you could actually see the smoke (smelly stuff...don't inhale too deeply, it's full of toxins) rising from within the crack. this second time, was a warm, sunny day so i didn't see any smoke. to find this section of the road, you must park near the cemetary and walk, it's closed off so you must go on foot. i suggest that you bring a can a spray paint to leave your mark, as it appears most people do. i did not and i regret it...which means a third trip here may be in my future.
don't waste your time riding around in your car. pack your hiking shoes, it'll be worth it i promise. you will miss everything if you don't get out and walk. there are still a few residents living here, so don't be disrespectful either, i beg of you. this is their home and it has been for a very long time. they are still in the process of fighting the government to keep their homes and it's obvious that they love their town. there are at least three cemetaries located here, each and every one of them has been well kept. and although i found this photo ^^^^to be quite entertaing, remember that this is someone's home so try to refrain from leaving your mark (unless it's on that abandoned section of the highway of course, because you just can't help yourself). you'll find many of these 'steps to nowhere', they are everywhere you look. all along the
streets where houses used to stand...ask yourself 'who lived there? where did they go? how hard did they fight to try and hang onto their home?' it left me feeling a little sad for the people who resided here. what used to be a thriving town is now....well...nothing but empty streets lined with empty sidewalks and signs telling ghots to 'stop'. make sure you take a minute to sit on the stoop, it gives you (or at least it gave me) a really weird feeling to be there where people would enter and leave a home that they loved and would evntually leave for one final time never to return.
as i said before, make sure you are leaving your car and walking, just be sure you don't park it in the road because although the town is virtually deserted, the road is still being used as a thruway to neighboring towns. if you don't plan on walking all over, you can drive to the cemetaries and park there and walk to the nearby areas (that's what i did). at the cemetary atop one hill, you can park and explore the woods quite a bit...it required me to climb over a very large dirt mound (no, i didn't fall...okay, maybe i slipped, but never actually hit the ground) and there are some old steam vents (i am assuming) up there and after poking around in the woods a bit, i found an old arm chair so i decided to take a breather (get it? that's funny, right? because i'm a zombie. i don't breathe. ugh.) who lugged that thing up there, anyway? it wasn't like you could just drive up and dump it there. these are the things that make my mind wander. i am going to leave you with one final photo. i didn't take this photo on this trip but i did take it on a previous trip up to centralia...it was a much colder, gloomier day and you could see the smoke rising out of the ground. if you plan on visiting, i suggest you do it when it is cold out (i went in march the first time, there was still some snow on the ground, but still not frigid...)
so that you can get a better view of the smoke venting out of the ground. it really is a sight to see and you will be sorely disappointed if you get all the way up to the top of the mountain and you can't see it because it happens to be too warm out (i know i was)
on to my next adventure....
