Centralia: A Town Abandoned

Have you ever heard of the Pennsylvanian ghost town called Centralia? 🏚️

After learning what took place there, I knew I had to visit.

During the 1960s, a fire started in a landfill as a means to remove trash accidentally poured into the anthracite coal mines below through an open crevice. These coal mines were filled with different types of gases, including methane, causing the mines to catch fire under the town. As toxic gases continued to burn, they released harmful fumes, resulting in many of the residents having to flee as it was deemed unsafe to live.

Interestingly, this fire is still burning to this day, 60+ years later. There are vents now putting off heat from the fire burning beneath the surface. Here are some photographs from a couple of the vents…

Vent #1 location with smoke rising from the depths.

Vent #2 Location. There was still heat and gas, but we couldn’t see any smoke.

The fire spread through the extensive coal mines beneath the town and has been burning ever since. It is expected to burn for the next 200 hundred years

The mine fire began releasing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and other gases, causing health and safety concerns. This made the area inhospitable, resulting in many residents leaving Centralia. Still, some residents remained behind. Starting in the 1980s, the remaining folks were relocated by the state and federal government as part of a $42 million relocation program. By 1992, the state condemned all of the buildings in the town, with the exception of the town’s municipal building and one of their churches, which still holds regular services to this day.


Currently, it’s estimated that only 5 residents remain... Admittedly, it probably wasn’t smart to visit that area without a respirator..

This vent was located in a wooded section just off the road, where it was evident from the litter and empty beer cans that some scoundrels had been there before. It was fascinating to visit one of these vent sites to feel the heat from the half a century old fires burning beneath the ground.
We threw in a couple of pieces of cheese, a few marshmallows and sat back to watch them melt! I love abandoned places like this, and I don’t count on this being our last visit to the ghost town of Centralia.

Myself standing in front of Vent #1

After leaving the wooded section behind, we stepped back under the hot sun, making our way toward my vehicle. Our next stop was Graffiti Highway, an abandoned stretch of Route 61 covered with graffiti, or what was left of it..

Our group begins to explore what’s left of Graffiti Highway..

In 1993, this section of Route 61 was closed indefinitely due to the road buckling from the historic coal mine fire that took place 50 years ago. The abandoned stretch of highway attracted graffiti artists and others looking to make their mark in this desolate environment. Much like the rest of the town, Route 61 fell into history and later received the name “Graffiti Highway.”

What’s left of the guardrail alongside Graffiti Highway.

Unfortunately for folks like myself wanting to explore these areas, the highway was covered with mounds of dirt in 2020 in an attempt to deter visitors due to the buckled road and unsafe conditions. It was also a good way to cover some of the less… desirable artworks.

You’ll find all kinds of strange art pieces there. This polkadot rock is one of the memorable ones!

The road was truly in horrible shape from the photographs I’ve seen. I’ve heard, but I can’t confirm that there were areas where you could even see smoke rising from the street. It’s probably for the best that these dirt piles were laid. Still, it would’ve been interesting to see without the dirt. 👀

Flowers grow through the dirt and rubble, a sign of nature enduring.

We found love in a hopeless place.

Our group turns around after walking over dirt mounds in the heat for the past 10 minutes.

I end up taking a nasty fall, which bloodied my leg, but nothing major and I even managed to get it on camera. We only stayed there for about 30 minutes as it was pretty hot and there wasn’t much to see with the roads being covered. If we weren’t on a time crunch that day, we would have visited the last standing church and a couple of the cemeteries in the area. That just gives us an excuse to visit again.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading and if you liked the story, be sure to leave a comment below letting me know what you think or share it with a friend who you think would enjoy it!

Thanks again, you guys. Until next time, keep getting out there!