Centralia, PA

[Alex]

Tonight's episode of Life after People on History Channel did a nice piece on Centralia, including a segment of abandoned Pennsylvania 61.

I visited Centralia first in 1996 and again as part of the Harrisburg area road enthusiast meet of 2004. There were a handful of buildings still around in the mid-1990s, but most were demolished by 2004. Somewhere on VHS, I have video of the first visit.

Here are some resources:

Abandoned PA 61; Centralia - gribblenation
Harrisburg Road Enthusiast Meet 2004 - aaroads
Harrisburg / Lancaster Area Roadgeek Meet '04 - delmarvahighways

[mightyace]

Having grown up in Bloomsburg and one set of grandparents in Delaware, we'd often go through Centralia on our way south.  Back in the early 1970s, though, there was much evidence of the fire, yet and very few people had left town.

Now, it's almost like the town never existed.

I have some pictures I took there in 1994.  If I find them, I'll scan them and post them.

One of them shows the smoke from the fire rising through a graveyard.  Spooky.

[PAHighways]

My site's page:  Centralia Mine Fire

[Alps]

Mine too!

[PAHighways]

Centralia Then...And Now

[Alps]

That's a haunting link.  I'm surprised they are now forcing people to move one at a time, especially because the fire has moved away from the town and is slowly making its way south (which threatens even larger towns).

[florida]

Tonight's episode of Life after People on History Channel did a nice piece on Centralia, including a segment of abandoned Pennsylvania 61.

You watch that, too  They've got entertaining shows on the History Channel.

As for Centralia, even with having family in PA, I never visited, but I would like to do so one day. It's just fascinating to see empty lots and wonder who lived there, what it was like, etc. Just like Times Beach, MO. I've got a fondness for towns that just fall off the maps, due to natural or unnatural occurences.

[Scott5114]

Looking at all these Centralia pages makes me want to go and do one for Picher, OK...although I'm not sure that's a good idea, really, considering that Picher is probably more dangerous to be around.

[Alex]

Whats the story behind Picher, OK?



I too watched the before/after slideshow and was amazed to learn that Centralia was as big as it was...

You watch that, too   They've got entertaining shows on the History Channel.

As for Centralia, even with having family in PA, I never visited, but I would like to do so one day. It's just fascinating to see empty lots and wonder who lived there, what it was like, etc. Just like Times Beach, MO. I've got a fondness for towns that just fall off the maps, due to natural or unnatural occurences.

I like abandoned infrastructure, buildings, etc. Life After People was done well, I caught all of the episodes!

[Scott5114]

Picher, OK was a mining town as well, but instead of coal, it was lead and zinc. Mining companies frequently left large piles of "chat" (waste material from the mines) around town. Kids would often climb around and play on the chat piles...

...did I mention they were mining lead??

So now there's tons this junk in town, with dust from the piles blowing around in the air. Because of this Picher (along with Cardin, another nearby mining town) became a Superfund site. Compounding the issues with Picher was the fact that due to the mining operations the ground was unstable, leading officials to fear a cave-in.

As if Picher hadn't suffered enough, in May 2008 the town was hit by an EF4 tornado. This was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back; the few remaining residents clinging on to the town finally agreed to a federal buyout and left town at the end of June of this year. The town is scheduled to disincorporate on September 1.

The Cardin post office, the final business in town, closed at the end of February. In April officials stated there were only 7 occupied residences remaining. I don't have a date for Cardin's disincorporation.

[treichard]

I always found it ironic that the next town potentially in the underground fire's path was Ashland, whose name was chosen long before the fire was started.

[PAHighways]

I always found it ironic that the next town potentially in the underground fire's path was Ashland, whose name was chosen long before the fire was started.

Not to mention it went towards a village named Byrnsville.

[misterjimmy]

In the book "The Day the Earth Caved In" by Joan Quigley, she wrote that during the coal country labor unrest of the late 1800s, a priest cursed the town of Centralia, saying that it would one day be consumed by fire.

[roadman]

Tonight's episode of Life after People on History Channel did a nice piece on Centralia, including a segment of abandoned Pennsylvania 61.

As I understand it, most of the buildings in Centraila were deliberatly demolished when people moved out after the fire.  Doesn't seem exactly compatible with the theme of Life After People to me.  Then again, most of the Centraila segment in Life After People was lifted from a Modern Marvels Engineering Disasters segment - guess plagarism rules don't apply when it's the same network doing both shows.

And yes, I generally enjoy watching both Life After People and Modern Marvels - except that the latter has lately become obsessed with every imaginable nuance regarding the food and beverage industry.

[vdeane]

I'm surprised they still have material for Modern Marvels.  Not surprised they can take the footage - they own both the shows, after all.

[SteveG1988]

Tonight's episode of Life after People on History Channel did a nice piece on Centralia, including a segment of abandoned Pennsylvania 61.

As I understand it, most of the buildings in Centraila were deliberatly demolished when people moved out after the fire.  Doesn't seem exactly compatible with the theme of Life After People to me.  Then again, most of the Centraila segment in Life After People was lifted from a Modern Marvels Engineering Disasters segment - guess plagarism rules don't apply when it's the same network doing both shows.

And yes, I generally enjoy watching both Life After People and Modern Marvels - except that the latter has lately become obsessed with every imaginable nuance regarding the food and beverage industry.

I have not seen the episode, i am in a semi and do not have cable/satelite only antenna. Did they use centralia to show "this is what can happen if a volcano or similar erupts beneath a town"

[roadman]

I'm surprised they still have material for Modern Marvels.  Not surprised they can take the footage - they own both the shows, after all.

Modern Marvels has always been the History Channel's "this topic doesn't fit in any of our other shows" boneyard.  Although I've been a MM fan for years, especially of the "Engineering Disasters" segments, even I'll admit that the show of late has gotten increasingly repetitive in terms of content - one example is how they've been trending to "most, fastest, coolest, etc. of" themes, which is basically a license to recycle old material.

And my comment about plagarism was meant as a joke.

[roadman]

Did they use centralia to show "this is what can happen if a volcano or similar erupts beneath a town"

The premise of Life Without People is simply "What would happen over time if people ceased to exist." and does not speculate as to the possible causes of their demise.  One of the best episodes of the series IMO looked at what would happen to bridges and other transportation infrastructure over time, and had some creative CGI of the eventual collapse of the Brooklyn and Golden Gate bridges.

[Pete from Boston]

I was particularly fond of the idea of kudzu growing on dead kudzu all the way up the skyscrapers of Atlanta until lightning hits and the city becomes one giant inferno, again.   

[ixnay]

Modern Marvels has always been the History Channel's "this topic doesn't fit in any of our other shows" boneyard.  Although I've been a MM fan for years, especially of the "Engineering Disasters" segments, even I'll admit that the show of late has gotten increasingly repetitive in terms of content - one example is how they've been trending to "most, fastest, coolest, etc. of" themes, which is basically a license to recycle old material.

My favorite MM was from about 2002 and road related, about Boston's Big Dig.  The Ted Williams Tunnel was the only major element finished by that time; the Central Artery was still standing and operational and slurry walls for the O'Neill Tunnel (as WBZ's traffic guy pronounces I-93's tube) were being dug underneath.  No mention of the cost overruns as they were trying to sugarcoat that.

I searched in vain on YouTube for MM's Central Artery show, instead finding NatGeo's documentary about the finished Big Dig and its cost overruns (not to mention the leaky tunnel).

ixnay

[Pete from Boston]

Modern Marvels has always been the History Channel's "this topic doesn't fit in any of our other shows" boneyard.  Although I've been a MM fan for years, especially of the "Engineering Disasters" segments, even I'll admit that the show of late has gotten increasingly repetitive in terms of content - one example is how they've been trending to "most, fastest, coolest, etc. of" themes, which is basically a license to recycle old material.

My favorite MM was from about 2002 and road related, about Boston's Big Dig.  The Ted Williams Tunnel was the only major element finished by that time; the Central Artery was still standing and operational and slurry walls for the O'Neill Tunnel (as WBZ's traffic guy pronounces I-93's tube) were being dug underneath.  No mention of the cost overruns as they were trying to sugarcoat that.

Already out of date by then.  The tunnels were almost open by 2002. 

[jeffandnicole]

When the fires were directly underneath Centralia, the place resembled something relatively close to a fiery hell.

Today though, the fires have moved on.  In just a relatively short period of time, Centralia is now a lush, green forest of trees.  Many of the roads, rarely driven on, are quickly being engulfed in weeds spreading from the nearby curbs.  One of the few remaining residents even had a garden growing out back this past summer.

[ixnay]

Modern Marvels has always been the History Channel's "this topic doesn't fit in any of our other shows" boneyard.  Although I've been a MM fan for years, especially of the "Engineering Disasters" segments, even I'll admit that the show of late has gotten increasingly repetitive in terms of content - one example is how they've been trending to "most, fastest, coolest, etc. of" themes, which is basically a license to recycle old material.

My favorite MM was from about 2002 and road related, about Boston's Big Dig.  The Ted Williams Tunnel was the only major element finished by that time; the Central Artery was still standing and operational and slurry walls for the O'Neill Tunnel (as WBZ's traffic guy pronounces I-93's tube) were being dug underneath.  No mention of the cost overruns as they were trying to sugarcoat that.

Already out of date by then.  The tunnels were almost open by 2002.

It might've been a rerun when I saw it, then.

ixnay

[SteveG1988]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NetworkDecay

What happened to the History Channel.

One of the things that kind of kicked the network in the nads.... the Smithsonian Channel. Basically, anything that has an exhibit at the Smithsonian....is exclusive to the Smithsonian Channel.