This Abandoned Pennsylvania Town is One of the Most Contaminated in the State

Still, at one point, it was an up-and-coming coal mining town located in Columbia County, Pa. Centralia was incorporated in 1866 and founded by Jonathan Faust, and the principal employer within the community was coal mining.

Coal Mining was a risky job, but it also provided a good income for the citizens of Centralia. At this point, there were approximately 1,000 citizens who had settled in the town, and little did they know its primary income source would also be the downfall of this small, growing town.

History

The Native Americans settled in Centralia and sold the land to colonial agents in 1749 for £500. By 1770, the construction of Reading Road, connecting Reading to Fort Agusta (Sunbury), was in progress.

In 1793, Robert Morris, a Revolutionary War hero, acquired a third of Centralia's valley land; however, in 1798, he filed for bankruptcy, and the land was surrendered to the Bank of the United States.

Eventually, a French sea captain, Stephen Girard, bought the land for $30,000, and he also learned that there was anthracite coal in the area. In 1842, the land was purchased by Locust Mountain Coal and Iron Company, and the mining engineer Alexander Rae, began to plan a village around the the mine.

Initially, the town was named Centreville, but in 1865, it was changed to Centralia because the US Post Office already had a Centreville. 1854 Mine Run Rod was built to transport coal out of the valley.

Mining/Corruption

The mines opened in 1865: the Locust Run Mine, the Coal Ridge Mine, and eventually the Hazeldell Colliery Mine in 1860, 1862 the Centralia Mine, and finally the Continental Mine in 1863. Centralia was finally incorporated into a borough in 1866, and its biggest employer was the mining industry.

Unfortunately, Alexander Rae was murdered on October 17, 1868, by members of Molly Maguires (a local gang) during a trip between Centralia and Mount Carmel. The men were convicted and hanged on March 25, 1878.

At this time, Centralia was full of murder, violence, and arson, with Molly Maguires at the center. Molly Maguires was also crucial during the 1860s to organize a mineworkers union so miners could get a higher wage and better working conditions.

Local Legend

There was a legend that was passed down through locals in Centralia about Father Daniel Ignatius McDermott. He was the first Roman Catholic priest in Centralia, and it is said that he cursed the land in retaliation for being assaulted by three members of the Maguire Gang in 1869. It is rumored that he also stated that one day, St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church would be the only structure left in Centralia.

Eventually, most of the Molly Maguires leaders were hanged in 1877, and the crimes ended; however, many of the descendants lived in Centralia until the 1980s.

Downfall/Fire

It was the weekend before the Memorial Day festivities of 1962, and the town had a massive problem. The town's growth had exploded, and their local landfill was overflowing and needed to be dealt with.

The city council had met that month to devise a solution to clean up the disaster that had been slowly growing. The landfill was 300 feet wide and 75 feet tall, and the city council agreed they would burn the trash.

The landfill was directly above an old coal mine; however, the city council decided they would have to take the risk and set fire to the landfill on May 27, 1962. Then they waited until the fire went out, except it never stopped.

The local fire department was called in, and they could not control it; slowly, the fire latched onto the old coal seam below the city and began to spread. The first ones to notice that something was wrong were the town's gas station owners.

The gas station owners take the temperature of their underground fuel tanks daily, and they noted a temperature of 397 degrees F; they began to panic, as gasoline will combust at around 495 degrees F.

Some residents began to leave alone, knowing it could get much worse. Soon, flames were seen coming from cracks in the ground, slowly worsening. Residents reported smelling trash burning as well as coal. Authorities tried to control the fire, even put it out, but nothing worked.

They filled the mines with water daily and covered the holes with clay, rock, and ash; nothing stopped. The fires continued to burn.

Evacuation

The city, at this point, feared for its residents and marked the city condemned, and all its residents were forced to leave their homes. However, not all left; some opted to stay despite the warning from the local government. Most relocated to nearby towns; however, the fire continued to spread.

At this point, it was 1980, and reports of carbon monoxide were being reported in the surrounding areas; it became a state-wide problem. The problem worsened in 1981 when a 12-year-old boy, Todd Dombrowski, fell into a sinkhole that opened beneath him while playing in his backyard.

He was saved by his cousin, who pulled him to safety; however, he inhaled a lot of carbon monoxide. When the hole was examined, it was found to be 4 feet wide 150 feet deep, and full of toxic gases and heat.

Shortly after that, other towns in the area were forced to evacuate, and in 1992, Governor Bob Casey enacted eminent domain on all properties within the borough. Those who were still in the town attempted to have the decision revoked.

However, they failed. 2002, the US Postal Service removed the Centralia zip code, but the residents refused to leave. Eventually, they agreed, as those left could stay in their homes. However, their homes would be seized as soon as they died, so no one else could move into the town.

No one died during the tragedy of the burning of Centralia. However, there are still reports that the area is haunted.

Hauntings

Since then, Centralia has become a ghost town that attracts tourists. The smoke still comes out of the cracks from the streets, giving it an eerie look, and many have reported seeing ghosts.

When people visit Centralia, it appears to be a town stuck in time and remnants of houses once their stairs lead nowhere. Many who have seen it also report feeling like they are being watched. Others have reported hearing voices and smelling a strong scent of sulfur.

Many have also rumored that the hanged leaders of the Molly Maguires gang still haunt the lands.

PA Route 61 is known as Graffiti Highway, where local artists have depicted demons, devils, and ghouls. Mother Nature has reclaimed most of Centralia and its land, and some say it will be unrecognizable within the next ten years.