The Burning Town

          

  "Centralia" The Near Ghost Town 

As we drove to our next destination, we noticed heavy pedestrian traffic along with a young couple spray painting a tree trunk. Curious, we made a U-turn and set out to see what was going on.

On the eve of Halloween, I stepped out and started questioning the first person that would listen. The story sounds interesting so we decided to explore but wasn't too sure of the story behind all of this. 

Why haven't I heard of this? The next person that walked by I asked the same question.  Angie was her name, she grew up in the area.  She begin to explain the halloween eve traffic.

WOW!!!

 Centralia once a flourishing town of more than 1000 plus people, with schools, businesses, homes, gas stations and churches, now a population of 7 remaining residents. Those few residents can live out their lives there, after which the rights of their homes will be taken through eminent domain.  Centralia zip code was discontinued by the postal service in 2002. Everything is gone leaving the town a near ghost town.

This Photo Courtesy of Google

The old mining town has been burning for 53 years! Signs warning you of the dangers so enter at your own risk.  At anytime you can be swallowed up by the ground or death by asphyxiation.  Wasn't too sure if I should continue but then Angie said the cutest thing "We'll all go together"

The signs detouring you around the Main Street

Underneath this town was a maze of abandoned underground mining tunnels full of coal.  The myth says two young boys were playing with matches, that's what started the fire, another myth said they were burning a landfill. Well it really doesn't matter the mine is still burning 53 years later underneath this town and could go on and on and on.

Grafitti Sprayed Trees( You can see the graveyard in the back)

The old railing is even sprayed with graffiti

The fire eventually destroyed the town of Centralia and everyone was asked to move.  In 1980 most of the town's people were paid to relocate leaving only a few that refuse to relocate.

Angie informed me that the ground was only cracked about an inch when she was younger, now the cracks are large with gases escaping at times.  The main road, Highway 61 is known as the Graffiti Highway. At times you can see the smoke escaping up from the cracks.

After feeling the heat escape through the cracks on the road I had seen and felt enough, I am now a believer.  It was a beautiful autumn day, the fall colors of the trees and graffiti makes the old abandon highway very colorful. ATV's can be seen driving up and down the highway even though police try to put a stop to it.  

Everyone wants photos of the cracked highway

Autumn  On The Graffiti Highway

A church sits high on a hill in the town and can be seen from the cemetery. 

People of all ages can be seen walking the highway and snapping photographs.  It's extra busy on this eve of Halloween as it is the spookiest town in Pennsylvania!!!