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Centralia Then & Now
   
 
 
An in-depth View
Film and Song
Historical Photos
Mine Fire History
Visiting Centralia
Mine Fire Chronology
Satellite, Aerial Photos
360 Virtual Tours
Downtown Panoramic
Centralia Multimedia
Scientific Study
Memories of Centralia


Panoramic Virtual Tours:

Mine Fire Hot Spot
Downtown Centralia Mainstreet Centralia Damaged Hillside

 
 
   
Knoebels Amusement Park (only 15 miles from Centralia!) 
Ghost Towns
Area 51 - Groom Lake
Abandoned PA Turnpike
Defunct Amusement Parks
Abandoned Places

  

Photo Updates:


Centralia in HDR

July 2006 360? Virtual Tour of Downtown Centralia PA

Centralia's Neighbor:
Byrnesville, Pa

Zeisloft's Mobil
Gas Station

July 5th 2008
Centralia PA

Centralia PA 2008
January Photos and 
commentary by
Donald Davis


2006 Photos


2005 Photos
of Centralia


 

IMG_0215b.jpg (116899 bytes)
2004 Photos
of Centralia


2003 photos

of Centralia

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2002 photos

of Centralia


360 Degree Virtual Tours of Centralia PA
 

Fire In The Hole
by Kristie Betts
A fictional story based on Centralia
 

The Little
Town That Was

by Donald Hollinger

 

RESIDENTS TO SAVE THE BOROUGH OF CENTRALIA - FACT SHEET #6 - MARCH 1984 - This "Fact Sheet" was transcribed from a photocopied, original March 1984 newsletter from a Centralia organization called "Residents To Save The Borough Of Centralia".  Read the News Letter here


130th Anniversary
of the 1877 Shamokin Uprising and the Great Railroad Strike .. Read More

 

Centralia Today
A Photo Documentary
of Centralia today.

 

Mine Emergency Response Program
Details from the
Saskatchewan
Mine Rescue Manual
 

















 

Centralia PA - January 3rd 2008
Photos and commentary by Donald Davis

This is my second visit to Centralia.  My first visit took place in August of 2007.  My inspiration to visit began my my viewing of the Silent Hill movie.  While doing some research on the parallels and differences between the movie and the videogame, I came to find out that the screenwriter for the film used the history of Centralia for the film.  Upon further research into Centralia, I read about Todd Domboski's brush with disaster when the sinkhole opened beneath him.  I vaguely remembered hearing about that on national news back in 1981 (Todd Domboski and I would be the same age).  At that point, my curiosity led me to various sites with photos of Centralia, most notably offroaders dot com.  I then made the decision to make the 4.5hr drive to visit the town in August of 2007.

My August 2007 trip was fascinating seeing the town for the first time and actually BEING THERE in all the photos I viewed.  However, the trip was slightly disappointing.  First off, I spent 3 hours on the subsided highway alone, 2 more than planned.  So that rushed the remainder of my trip.  I was wearing all black that day on the highway with temperatures close to 90F/33C and I left my water in the car not thinking I would be out as long as I was.  So combine that heat with carrying nearly 15lbs of camera and video gear (35mm body, medium format film body, digital compact, tripod, and Hi8 "palmcorder"), mild dehydration occurred which made me slightly weak and lightheaded for another couple hours.  I then was rushed to see most of the town before the sun set.  I had also missed a few spots along the burning hillside because I entered from the wrong side.  Lastly, the smoke was at a minimum due to the temperatures.  Speaking to a resident of Centralia, he recommended I return in winter to see the smoke rising from the ground.

So here I am in January of 2008 photographing the town on a very cold day, 15F/-9C but with beautiful clear skies.  The steam was plentiful and my visit was a great success.  Of course, I plan a 3rd visit in warmer weather to find more vents in the roads that may be covered by the snow.  I had nearly the whole town to myself as only 3 others were out, presumably due to the cold.  In fact, I was the only one on the subsided highway during the 75 minutes I was there.

When I was there, I got a few good breaths of the sulfurous fumes yet I had no problems breathing afterwards.  I was coughing during the day, but that was due to the cold weather since I had started to cough when I first got out of my car on the way to my first stop, the subsided highway.  I had no scratchiness in my throat nor was I bothered by the fumes when I left the town.

Donald Davis


Railroad Ave

 

Christmas decorations hung at the corner of
Centre and Locust Streets. (videotape frame captures)

 


 


Bench at the corner of W Park St and Rt 61

 

 


DEP borehole at burning hillside along South St

 

Taken from a path off the subsided Rt 61 that is only about 50ft or so north of the fissure

 


 

Corner of Paxton St and North St

 


 

Corner of Trautwine St and Centre St

 


 

SS Peter Paul Orthodox Cemetery


Subsided section of Rt 61

 

 


 

Odd Fellows Cemetery

 


 

 

 


 

 

Burning hillside. Many rocks here were estimated to be 70F/21C or warmer by touch.

 


 

 


Base of burning hillside at the corner of W Park St and Plum St

 

 

 

  photos continued, follow this link...

   

 
  Mine Fire History Mine Fire History Historical Photos
  Pictures From Today Mine Fire Chronology Visiting Centralia
  Centralia Then & Now 360? Virtual Tours Scientific Study
  Satellite, Aerial Photos Downtown Panoramic Centralia Books

  

Other Interesting Things

 

 


 

So you want to Visit Centralia PA?  What you should know before you go to Centralia PA.

 

The Real Disaster Is Above Ground: A Mine Fire and Social Conflict

 


















 

What's near Centralia?

Plan your visit around one of Pennsylvania's best kept secrets located only 15 miles up the road from Centralia...


Knoebels
Amusement Park

Click Below for
 more details...

Knoebels
Amusement Park

 


Silent Hill & Centralia
Centralia PA inspires screenwriter Roger Avary during the making of the movie Silent Hill.
Read More Here...

 

Remembering ...
Byrnesville PA
By Mike Reilley

 
  Books about Centralia
  Maps of Centralia
  Around Town Today
  Local Attractions
 
  Personal Notes
  Additional Reading
  Haunted Centralia?
 
  Gerry McWilliams and
  the album "Centralia"
  
  Silent Hill Inspiration
  Other Mine Fires
  Search Centralia
  Centralia Sites/Books
  
Panoramic Virtual Tours:
Mine Fire Hot Spot
Downtown Centralia Mainstreet Centralia Damaged Hillside
  
 
  Centralia Infrared


Centralia PA in B&W Infrared
Infrared Photography
by Donald Davis

Video Tour
in Infrared of
Centralia PA
by Donald Davis

  

The Little Town That Was
by Donald Hollinger
 
  
Made in U.S.A. - 1987 movie that was filmed on location in Centralia PA See the opening Scene that started in Centralia during the peek of the mine fire disaster

 
 

 

Is Centralia Haunted?
Explore the possibility

 
The Real Disaster Is Above Ground: A Mine Fire and Social Conflict
 
  

Is there Hope
for Centralia?

Maybe...

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.

Read this White Paper which evaluates the effectiveness of remotely applied nitrogen-enhanced foam to aid in efforts to isolate and suppress a mine fire.