Looking for
a reason to
visit Centralia? Plan your visit around one of
Pennsylvania's best kept secrets located
only 15 miles up the road from Centralia.
This set of photographs were
taken in May of 2001.
Each image links to a larger copy.
The Speed Spot. In the summer of
2001, the Speed Spot still stood as the only
surviving business structure in Centralia.
Many recent year pictures show the Speed Spot
as a landmark to the center of town. The
following year after this pictures was taken,
the Speed Spot burned to the ground, and
apparently labeled a suspicious fire. For an
article on the Speed Spot Fire
Click Here.
Above left:
this shot is looking
down the eastern side of the
cemetery. On the other side
of the tree line is where the
fire started in 1962.
Above right
and below:
Vent pipes that are within the
cemetery and in the near
vicinity. The fire has since
moved on and the pipes are
no longer venting gases.
Ashland in the distance.
Closed section of
Rt. 61 due to subsidence.
Above and below: In front of this home
is an area of the currently open section of Rt.
61 that recently caved in. The dark area is
where a work crew filled the hole and paved over
Rt. 61 again.
Above and below: Capped bore holes in
the streets that were used to monitor the
temperatures below.
Located just west of the
burning area is this old mine
entrance that descends down
into the Earth at about a 45°
angle.
Above
and to the right: Located on the east side of
town, this underground stream emerges from the
side of the hill carrying waste water from the
underground mine shafts and water table.
The pond and stream is brown-green with
contaminants. The stream above drains the
pond. The pond's water supplies water to
the surrounding trees. Beavers, building a
dam, felled many of the trees, leaving the
stumps exposed. What is interesting about the
stumps is the color of the wood and sap coming
up out of the stumps, which is the same color as
the water.
Through the use of Nitrogen-Enhanced foam the Pinnacle mine
fire was extinguished by Cummins Industries,
Inc. Cummins proposes to tackle the Centralia Mine fire and bring an end
to the
40 plus year fire.
Photo Updates:
