@fasc1nate
A Land of Fire and Brimstone
The Hidden Story of Centralia, Pennsylvania, an Invisible Landscape
The small town of Centralia has one of the most unique, if not beautiful, histories few know about. This town is in the beautiful embrace of the Appalachian Mountains, an area where you can see many abandoned coal mining facilities. Even though the geography of this area is beautiful, the most essential information to know is related to the history behind this small and, on the surface, unsuspecting town. To find this information, one must look back to its founding in 1866 as a significant hub for the coal mining industry, as stated in the article “About Centralia PA and the Mine Fire.” Coal mining was common back then, with many people having the profession as their livelihood and the source of their income. This profession was further pushed as the coal boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s helped the economy of the United States. Sadly, at present, many do not know the history of Centralia and the mistakes that turned this once bustling town into a ghost town.
In the early years of Centralia, we saw a flourishing, vibrant community as the population quickly grew from its original population of 1,300 in 1866 to 2,800 residents 25 years later (Centralia Borough, Pennsylvania). The town also had, "two theaters, five hotels, seven churches, twenty-seven saloons, one bank, one post office, and fourteen general/grocery stores” (About Centralia PA). It can be assumed that it was part of the lure for families hoping to move, make it big, and claim the American Dream that many wished for during that time. Based on this information, Centralia seems like a place taken straight from a fairytale, the perfect place on Earth. But all good things ended, which is what happened with Centralia.
Centralia began as your standard coal mining town, though after the coal collapse in the 60s (“History of Centralia PA Before 1962”). The coal mining companies being the main source of income for most of the town, the population would naturally start spiraling down. But on the fateful day of May 27th, 1962, the local firefighters had set “the town landfill on fire to clean it up. This was in preparation for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.” (About Centralia PA). Now, this ordinary landfill that was set on fire was not just some random area where people threw things away. It was above an abandoned mine that, when burned, would cause a health crisis. Carbon monoxide began to make its way into the dwellings of the inhabitants as well as holes in the ground opening up swallowing places whole, these reasons caused a volunteer project in 1984 to move civilians away from the dangers of Centralia, this allowed for the buying of property for much of the town's population (About Centralia PA).
This landscape that so many people do not even know about and if they do, they will not know the full history of this place. Shortly after the 1984 program to move civilians away from the town of Centralia, the Pennsylvania government used the powers of eminent domain in 1992 to try to take control and move residents out of the town for the residents’ health. When residents heard about this, they decided the only course of action was to sue (About Centralia PA). This would make a landmark case about state, local, and constitutional rights. After heavy legal proceedings, we saw the definitive answer in 2013, where eight residents were allowed to stay as long as they lived (About Centralia PA). This population would obviously fall as those eight people died out, but thanks to one major source of information, the internet, we can still look back and find the lost historical data of Centralia, Pennsylvania. As of the most relevant Census data from the United States government, in 2022, only five people are staying in the town (Centralia Borough, Pennsylvania).
The story of Centralia, Pennsylvania paints a picture of a town that was vibrant and full of hope and prosperity. Due to a set of circumstances that many of the residents could not control, the town became a modern ghost town, all the buildings have been destroyed, and the only thing that remains are five poor souls, waiting for their time to run out. Centralia is truly a place of fire and brimstone, a Hell on Earth.
Works Cited
“About Centralia PA and the Mine Fire.” Centralia PA, 2 Sept. 2014, https://www.centraliapa.org/about-centralia-pa-mine-fire/.
“Centralia Borough, Pennsylvania.” Census, 2022, https://data.census.gov/profile/Centralia_borough_Pennsylvania?g=160XX00US4212312.
@fasc1nate. X (Formerly Twitter), 5 Aug. 2015, https://x.com/fasc1nate/status/1687886642647109632.
“History of Centralia PA Before 1962.” Centralia PA, 13 Sept. 2014, https://www.centraliapa.org/history-centralia-pa-before-1962/.
