Centralia, Pennsylvania
This is not actually an abandoned town but pretty close and has had tragedy unlike any other ghost towns. When Centralia was a thriving mining town in the late 1800s, the population was about 2,700 people (thrillist.com 6). There are still a few people who still live there today but once they pass, the state will take over the land. The tragedy of Centralia happened in 1962 when “an abandoned coal mine caught fire, and it’s been smoldering underground ever since” (thrillist.com 6). Once this happened, most of the people, except for the few that are still alive and living there today, left the town and headed for other safer places for their residences.
Unfortunately, the amount of coal that is still underground and burning is expected to keep burning for another 250 years so there isn’t much of an end in sight (thrillist.com 6). Centralia isn’t much of a tourist destination for this reason, with al of the toxic chemicals entering into the air constantly. Many who know about the Graffiti Highway like to travel there on ATVs and ride around. April of this year though, residents covered it up with dirt and other materials to stop the riders from trespassing during the quarantine we’re all supposed to be following (thrillist.com 6). The rising smoke pictured above from the fire burning below gives this place all the eeriness of a ghost town, so much so that the movie Silent Hill was inspired by this town (thrillist.com 6). History is still being written here and how it will all play out is still up in the air.
