The Ghost Town of the Apocalypse - Celestia, Pa

Deep in the woods of Sullivan County, in that region of Pennsylvania known as the Endless Mountains, lay the ruins of one religious group's belief in an apocalypse that never came to pass.  The town was the brainchild of Peter Edward Armstrong of Philadelphia, who in 1850, began purchasing the land that was to become the town of Celestia, eventually amassing over 600 acres.  Armstrong divided the land into lots measuring 20 by 100 feet, and by 1853 sold over 300 such lots for $10 each to people who thought the end of the world was near, and that it was vitally necessary to live in that specific community.

Pennsylvania's Tsunami - The Johnstown, Pa Horror

"One day that dam is gonna break!" 

That was probably a popular phrase in late 1800s Johnstown, and the dam in question was the South Fork Dam.  Built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania between 1838 and 1853 to provide water to the Western Division Canal, the earthen dam contained a body of water 2 miles long, one mile wide, and 60 feet deep.  The reservoir, known as Lake Conemaugh, was precariously perched in the mountains above the populated valley below.

As canals gave way to more efficient methods of transportation, they were frequently bought by the railroads.  Railroad lines were then laid right alongside the canals, so that factories and warehouses that once depended on barges could then be supplied by locomotives.  The Western Division Canal was no exception to this custom, and was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., along with South Fork Dam and Lake Conemaugh.

The lake was of no use to a railroad company, however, and was soon sold to private parties, then sold again.  Eventually the lake and dam were converted into a private retreat for members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, many of whom were officers of the Pittsburgh Steel, and among the wealthiest individuals in the country at the time.

Cabins, eateries, and gathering halls were built for the members, but little attention was paid to the aging dam, except to lower it by several feet so that a road could be built atop it to provide convenient access to the lake's opposite shore.

A Ghost Town in the Making - Centralia, Pa

The neighboring town of Ashland
is what Centralia used to look like.

Main Street, Centralia, Pa was once
the heart of a bustling small town.

Downtown Centralia was once home to over 2,000 residents, several churches, 2 theaters, several stores, a bank, and a post office, but little remains today.  Centralia Borough was created in 1866 as a coal mining town, and the local coal mines were the largest employer for most of the town's history.  However, what gave life to the town would also be its undoing.  In 1962 the town council had made the decision to reduce the waste in one of its landfills by burning it when the weather and wind conditions would be favorable.  So it was in May of that year that members of the volunteer fire department set the trash alight, as they had done in previous years.  Unfortunately, this particular landfill was located in an abandoned strip mining pit, and the fire spread to an exposed vein of coal.

Centralia, Pa, as seen from the air

An attempt was made to contain the fire by digging a large trench around it and filling it with water.  Residents think this idea would have worked, if only the town had authorized weekend and holiday pay.  It was on Memorial Day weekend that the fire escaped from  the nearly completed trench while the workers were home with their families.  Had they worked through the holiday the town may have been saved.

One of the last homes left standing
was once part of a large row of houses.

The town reached national attention in 1981 when 12 year old Todd Domboski was nearly swallowed by the Earth in his back yard.  He had been playing with an older cousin when the ground collapsed beneath his feet, leaving him clinging to the lawn while his lower body hung precariously over a sink hole over 100 feet deep.  Quick aid by his cousin saved his life, for had the fall not killed him, the lethal levels of carbon monoxide at the bottom of the pit surely would have.

The Smoking Highway, Centralia, Pa

The old Pa Route 61, just south of Centralia, has suffered from the coal fire that has burned beneath the town since 1962.  Having been repaired several times, and still deteriorating at an alarming rate, nearly one mile of it was finally closed in 1993, the state installed earthen berms at either end, and traffic was rerouted to a new road to the west of the original highway.   The old road was left intact, however, and is now a popular place to explore.

Disclaimer: It is not the intent of StrangePA, its creators or contributers to encourage or recommend the exploration of any grounds under which an active mine fire is burning, or to which gasses, smoke, steam, or any combination thereof may at any time be vented. We do not assert that such activities are in any way safe, and cannot be held responsible for damages resulting from dangerous gasses, heat, fire, or sudden collapse of ground, or any other incident which may occur in such areas.
 

The original Route 61 is behind an earthen berm
while the detour created in 1993 is to the left.





Abandoned Building, Route 61, Centralia, Pa

Along Route 61, just south of Centralia, Pa is an abandoned building easily accessible from the roadway.  Its original purpose remains a mystery to most explorers, but speculation includes a machine shop, a wash house, or convenience store, or perhaps it was the gas station that played a pivotal role in bringing seriousness the Centralia mine fire to the attention of the townspeople.  In 1979 Mayor John Coddington, who was also as a gas station owner, inserted a rod into one of his underground tanks of gasoline to measure the level remaining.  To his suprise the measuring rod became quite warm, so he then inserted a thermometer and discovered that his gasoline had been heated to 172 °F (77.8 °C) by the coal vein fires burning deep below the town.  Whatever it once was, its now an interesting example of nature slowly taking back what man has left behind.