Welcome to Hell: Centralia Pennsylvania

 

The Borough of Centralia is a near ghost town in Pennsylvania. Its population his been dwindling since a coal fire started burning in the ground back in the 1960s. The population was 1000 in 1980 but has since dropped to 5 residents as of 2020. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania claimed and condemned all real estate in Centralia in 1992. The Zip Code for Centralia was discontinued in 2002, and in 2013, State and local officials came to an understanding with the remaining residents that they may remain in their homes until their deaths.

History of Centralia

Many of the local Native American tribes had sold the land that makes up Centralia to colonial agents in 1749 for five hundred pounds. In 1770, when they were building the Reading Road, many settlers explored the land. The Reading Road stretched from Reading to Fort Augusta, and years later, much of this road became Route 61, the main highway that runs East into and South out through Centralia.

In 1796, Robert Morris, a hero of the revolutionary war who had signed the Declaration of Independence, realized there was Anthracite coal in the area, but this coal was overlooked. In 1832, Jonathan Faust opened a tavern called the Bulls Head, and by 1842 Centralia’s land was purchased by the Locust Mining Coal and Iron Company. Alexander Rae moved his family in and built streets and such, naming the area Centerville, which was later renamed Centralia. In 1854, they built the Mine Run Road to transport coal out of the valley.

Mining Industry

The first two mines in Centralia opened in 1856. They were the Locust Run Mine and the Coal Ridge Mine. In 1860, came the Hazeldell Colliery Mine and the Centralia Mine in 1862, which was followed by the Continental Mine in 1863. They made Centralia a borough in 1866, the main employment there was coal mining. Alexander Rae, the town founder, was murdered in his buggy by members of the Molly Maguires (an Irish secret Society) on October 17th, 1868 during a trip from Centralia to Mount Carmel. Several Other murders and arson took place in the area, as Centralia was a hotspot for the criminal activities of the society. This led to the organization of the Mining Union, to improve wages and working conditions. Father Daniel Ignatius McDermott, the first Roman Catholic priest in Centralia, cursed the land after being attacked in 1869. 

He claimed that there would come a time the only remaining building in Centralia would be the church. Many leaders of the Molly Maguires were hanged in 1877, ending their crimes. However, many of their descendants had lived in Centralia up to the 1980s.

The maximum population of Centralia was about 2,761 in 1890. During that time, the town had seven churches, five hotels, twenty-seven saloons, two theaters, a bank, a post office, and fourteen general and grocery stores.

After thirty-seven years, the production of coal had reached its peak, and production declined when miners entered the military for world war I. The crash of 1929 forced five local mines to close, however, bootleg miners continued to mine idle mines via methods such as pillar robbing. This was where the miners would mine coal from the pillars holding up the mine, which resulted in many of these idle mines collapsing. Which further complicated the coal fire in 1962. Coal mining continued into the 1960s and bootlegging continued until 1982. While Strip and open pit mining are still active in the area. There is also an underground mine that is about three miles to the west that employs 40 people. However, the railway service ended in 1966. Centralia had its own school district with several elementary schools, a high school, and two Catholic schools.

The Fire

There has been a fire burning under Centralia since May 27, 1962, tunneling its way through abandoned and collapsed coal mines. It is burning at depths of 300 feet, over an 8-mile stretch of 3,700 acres. They say that at the rate this fire is burning that it could burn for another 250 years if not longer. The population has dwindled to 5 residents as of 2020, and most of the buildings have been razed.

They say that at the heart of the fire, temperatures are 1000 degrees and that lethal clouds of Carbon Monoxide and other gases swirl through the rocky chambers.

Pop Culture Inspirations

Centralia has been the inspiration for many fictional ghost towns and portrayals of hell. This includes Dean Koontz’s Strange Highways and David Wellington’s Vampire Zero. Also, the town Silent Hill featured in the popular video game and the movie was inspired by this town.

The Ghost Town

There is no way in and no way out of Centralia, and that’s a good thing, as it is dangerous to go there. There once was a Graffiti Highway (Route 61), that people would visit and leave their mark. However, in 2020, this was covered in dirt to discourage vandals and visitors from trying to visit Centralia. Because of this, plant life has taken over Graffiti Highway, making it look more apocalyptic and therefore still drawing people to it.

If you risk visiting Centralia, you will find the residential streets abandoned, and the homes left standing stand empty as a monument to the families who once lived here. It’s a sad atmosphere, with unused backyards and porches that hold memories of happier days. Many of the curbs and streets are protruding upward because of the fires burning below.

 One of the few buildings that are still standing in Centralia is the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian-Greek Catholic Church, which we believe is the very church that Father Daniel Ignatius McDermott said would one day be the only building still standing in the borough. This is the last church of five in Centralia that is still standing today.

Though we encourage you not to visit, the place is unstable because of the fires, and sinkholes can open up at any moment. It’s best to stay away from this famous ghost town which is the one place in Pennsylvania that they don’t want people to be visiting.