What to Expect at Centralia, PA

Centralia, PA is a fascinating place with a unique story. However, many visitors come with overblown expectations and go home disappointed with their visit. If you know the facts, and know what's to be seen, your trip to Centralia, PA will be more satisfying.

It's not really a ghost town.

It was after the citizens relocated, and for a few years most of the houses were empty and boarded up. But the unoccupied homes were destroyed in 1992, leaving only the houses of the few who were staunchly opposed to relocation. Today only eight buildings remain (fewer than Concrete City), including the municipal building and an abandoned trailer. It's not Silent Hill, but walking the truly empty streets is an unforgettable experience in its own right.

The fire is largely in the southeast corner of town.

In other words, if you'd rather not risk falling into a sink hole, don't walk immediately right after clearing Route 61. Another fire is sweeping under the abandoned highway, so it would be stupid to drive your car over the dirt barrier (which I have seen people do).

There are no flames shooting out of the ground.

"We thought there would be fire all over the place," one unimpressed Centralia visitor told me. It's true that steam from ground water curls up from the ground in places, but the fire itself hasn't been visible in about twenty years. And the steam doesn't cover the town Silent Hill-style, either -- it just wisps out of the abandoned highway, the western landfill and a few other isolated spots.

There's an abandoned wash house, along the 54 detour, that is accessible.

The legal status of the Byrnesville Washhhouse is unknown -- there are no stories of being charged with trespassing while inside it, but it's hard to know how interested the police are in guarding the site. The washhouse doesn't seem to be used for anything other than dumping trash. It's fascinating to explore, but enter at your own risk.

The residents' struggle to relocate cannot be embellished.

David DeKok's book Unseen Danger describes the entire story in detail -- sometimes too much detail, particularly in the subtle political motions -- and it's hard to believe what had to be done. Todd Dombowski's fall into a subsidence didn't do it. John Coddington passing out from carbon monoxide wasn't enough to motivate the state government to act. In fact, the PA health department played down the threat of the mine fire gases, seemingly in service to then-governer Thornburgh. It's an ugly chapter in Pennsylvania political history, and something every vigilant citizen should be aware of.