A Modern Day Ghost Town in the United States?

Around two to three years ago, I was just into my job as Head of Marketing for an IT Solutions Provider in Northern NJ. While I was at my desk, a friend of mine, James Hills, sent me a link about a place in Pennsylvania that seemed mysterious.

When I clicked on the link, I was taken aback. Something about this place caught me by surprise and I became fascinated. Maybe it was the underlying story, or something else that drove me to actually study this place in more detail. Nevertheless, a modern day version of what could be a nuclear holocaust or modern day ghost town exists within the United States to this day. And for the first time in my life, after visiting this place, I was struck with pause, as to what humanity could be capable of; soliciting carelessness and true lack of regard for what Mother Nature is capable of.

When you drive through the town of Centralia PA, you would never know that over 30 years ago, there were over 1,000 individuals living there. Nevertheless, the streets and remaining structures loan itself to a time where America did not necessarily pay attention to print publications and the plight of the public. What is amazing however is, most people believe that the plight of Centralia is widespread. Driving in either direction however, you hit an area that is too close for comfort. Within a mile of each way of Centralia PA, you hit resident homes that to me are too close for comfort, but these are people that have chosen to live life as they see fit despite of the potential repercussions on their health.

We got off at a specific exit on Interstate 81 and drove through several roads. Surprisingly, my wife and I were able to type in the town of Centralia PA into my GPS and find where the town was. When we got there however, a feeling of mysteriousness came upon us as we drove in multiple directions to find out exactly what the town was all about.

As we drove, we saw others pulled over to the side and I was unsure of whether they were in the area to tour the ghost town or if they stepped into the area to stay out of site. Nevertheless, they were pulled over and it was odd to say the least; almost like something was going on beyond all of our understanding.

My wife sat there and wondered, if it was worth going around and about in this area, but considering what was going on, I thought the story of this area must be heard. We went to what we believed to be the Wooded area of the fire; containing hills and saw something I never saw before – smoke coming out of the ground and a very unique smell of burning coal. And the second I saw that smoke and smelled the stench that came from this smoke, I thought “this is hell on earth.” Of course, my wife was freaked out about the whole thing to begin with, so I kept that thought to myself.

What I found as odd is that a number of residences still to this day existed around the outskirts of the town, and within Centralia PA. How our government, private industry and others involved could literally let this go on is a question. When I walk up to a hill, put my hand down on the ground and feel heat, that is a problem. While I believe that all people should help themselves, even I believe that there are limits. And yet, the argument of “maybe they like living in private” comes up. Maybe that is so, but considering that every year or two there are other items that go missing from this area, with the legendary bench missing as of my visit, it makes one wonder what is in fact going on.

Maybe we are all the victim of a conspiracy or a victim of the stories of the internet. But I find it rather odd that while a multi-acre underground fire burns, less then 7-10 people believe that their land is worth fighting for; and that the consequences and health risks, assuming they exist are truly worth the means.