Centralia Pennsylvania

Centralia was once home to over 1100 people.  Families, neighbors friends and relatives made up this small community.  Neighborhood businesses, churches, and township buildings were found throughout the town.  The above picture was taking in 1983, prior to the dismantling of the town. - Photo by Ray Reilley (www.centraliapa.com)

This is Centralia today.  Just about all of the homes, businesses, buildings and structures have been torn down.  All that remains is a grid work of streets where homes once stood.  A few standing homes and buildings still remain.  A few cemeteries also still stand, so far spared from the heat of the underground fire.  The hillside pictured in the foreground is the area currently above the burning coal.

This is Rt. 61 prior to the summer of 1999.  At some point during the summer of 1999 the "road closed" signs had been taken down and the smaller road that detours this damaged part of 61 had been made more permanent. 

Additionally  Route 61 is no longer detoured around Centralia as of sometime during the summer of 1999.  Previously the right turn that Rt. 61 makes at the top of the long hill in Ashland was detoured taking traffic away from Centralia.  Now if you follow Rt. 61, you will travel through downtown Centralia.  The damaged part of 61 pictured above  is still closed and most likely will remain so due to the coal veins burning beneath the damaged section of Rt. 61.   IF you decide to visit what remains of Centralia, be aware that the area is dangerous, especially if you decide to investigate the burning areas.   Recently a section of Rt. 61 had subsided, meaning the ground collapsed beneath the road.  A road crew filled in the large hole the measured approximately 20 feet across and paved over it.

These are the streets of Centralia today.  AS the years pass, fewer and fewer buildings stand.  Some home are still homes to families.

This is The Speed Spot, a former bike shop.
The Speed Spot has since burned to the ground.

Along Rt. 61 in the center of Centralia, the road opened up recently due to subsidence of the burned out coal mines that run under the town. The above and below images show the recently patch hole where workers filled the hole and re-paved Rt. 61.

Directly across the street from the subsidence in the road is a home to a family who still live in Centralia.

You can see the dark patch of black top that covers the recent cave-in and its proximity to the home, a mere 20 feet away.

Above is a vent pipe that vented gases from the underground mine fire.  The vent pipe protrudes from the ground in a lot next to an occupied home.