The borough of Centralia, Pennsylvania is not much to see, literally. The abandoned coal mining town looks nothing like the photo below taken in 1959. Instead, it more closely resembles the following photo taken in 2007. It’s nothing more than a patchwork cluster of roads colliding in the middle of an empty forest. The shocking death of the once booming borough lies within its own creation: anthracite coal.
The borough of Centralia is located in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Conyngham Township, a large portion of which remained untouched until 1830 when interest in anthracite coal mining had grown. After passing through a multitude of hands, the town was surveyed by George Ashton and William Lownes. This placed, what was known as Centreville until about 1862, in the hands of the coal mining company Locust Mountain Coal and Iron Company. From 1841-1860 very few buildings were erected. The first house constructed in 1841 was a tavern named the, “Bull’s Head,” and it was done by a man named Jonathan Faust. In 1855, Alexander W. Rea, the first engineer of Locust Mountain Coal and Iron Company, settled in Centralia with his workers following him over the course of a year. This was the unassuming start of Centralia, PA5.
It did not take long for the coal miners in Centralia to revolt in response to their work conditions. In 1868, Rea was murdered by two of his workers who were members of the Molly Maguires. They planned on stealing Rea’s money and skpping town, but they were caught and hung about ten years later. This was one of many murders involving coal mine supervisors and disgruntled workers. This created an outward flux of residents leaving the town due to a fear of being injured or killed in the seemingly dark days of coal miner rebellion5.
However, this flux was nothing compared to the 954 person mass exodus that occurred in the 1980’s3. This was due to a notorious underground fire that broke out in the coal mines that bordered the edge of Centralia4,8. The fire’s exact origin is still disputed. What is known is that the fire company had accidentally set fire to an extensive network of coal mines underneath the town via garbage disposal in an old mine ditch. What’s disputed is whether or not the garbage was ignited by the fire company burning the garbage or if there were hot ashes dumped into the pit the day prior2,6. Regardless of the fire’s origin, its continued presence up until this point has led to cave ins and toxic fumes rising from fractured earth. This caused a slow outward migratory pattern of residents from the 60’s to 80’s, until 1981 when the state could no longer afford to put out fires and test soil. They bought out the residents and destroyed their houses, leaving behind a few stubborn denizens1. In 2010, the United State Census accounted for ten residents in total. The most recent American Community Census approximated the same population3. Those living in Centralia live under eminent domain imposed in 1990 and will be the last legal residents in the town for the foreseeable future1.
These are some abridged facts of the borough, Centralia. It’s existence was relatively brief, but its fiery ending brought forth a small town filled with tall tales and visitors. Centralia has become a hotspot for urban explorers for many reasons. It is almost entirely empty, it is legal to visit at your own risk, there are empty roads that go on for miles, and toxic fumes still spew from cracks in the earth. These physical characteristics alone attract a lot of visitors, but there is some urban myth and pop culture that attracts people as well.
The Molly Maguires’ history is rich with ghost stories that extend to towns in Northeast Pennsylvania like Jim Thorpe. Centralia has one of its own Molly Maguire myths as well. In 1869, the first Catholic priest in Centralia, Father Daniel Ignatius McDermott supposedly cursed the town because three members of the Molly Maguires beat him for speaking out against their gang. He warned that there would be a time when his Church, St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church, would be the only building left standing2. For a time this remained true, but the building was destroyed in the 1990’s due to its instability.
In addition to this old myth, Centralia was named as an influence for the 2006 horror film, Silent Hill. The screenwriter, Roger Avary, sited Centralia’s atmosphere as one of his influences in developing the film’s environment7. The location chosen for the film is an abandoned coal mining town as well. The long abandoned Route 61 can clearly be seen as an influence below.
Despite the town’s demise beginning in 1962, it seems its legacy lives on quite healthfully. There is just enough fact and fiction to keep people interested and this has taken the form of books, movies, urban explorations, and yes, even blogs on the emptied town.
If you’re interested in seeing some video of the town, here is some excellent drone footage from Sean Swatsky Photography!
Stay tuned! Next up will be the Buck Hill Manor in Cresco, PA!
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List of References:
- Centralia Website
- DeKok, David. Fire Underground: The Ongoing Tragedy of the Centralia Mine Fire. Guilford, CT: GPP, 2010. Print.
- U.S. Census
- Huffington Post
- Columbia County Website
- Quigley, Joan. The Day the Earth Caved In: An American Mining Tragedy. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Smithsonian Magazine
In oqɯᴉ˥ 
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