Centralia Ghost Town (USA, Pennsylvania)
Rating: 9,2/10 (2940 votes)   Centralia Recognized The most sparsely populated city in Pennsylvania, the small town of Centralia has become popular around the world over the past few years. And it's not just the special status of the ghost town, it's also the unique history of the emergence and desolation of this eerie and at the same time attractive for tourists from all over the world. The history of the settlement on the site of the future city began in 1841, that time for the United States was a period of active development of coal mining and mining in general. The state of Pennsylvania was recognized as one of the most fertile territories for mining. Mining engineer Alexander Ria is considered the founder of the city. but before his move, there was already a settlement here, it was called Thundering Brook, and consisted of several yards of woodcutters and the Bull's Head tavern.  Centralia Engineer Ria, who came here to explore the area in 1856, immediately decided to turn the small village into a full-fledged mining settlement - so impressive was the intelligence about the anthracite deposits. The status of the city of Ria was achieved only 10 years later, in 1866, in the same year migrants from Ireland began to actively flock here, who became the first coal miners in the developing deposits of anthracite. "Dark" pages of history Centralia began already then. The immigrants from Ireland founded the secret society Molly Maguyers in the city and throughout the state, which became a sabotage organization that fights against the tyranny of the leaders of the mines. Alexander Ria was declared the culprit of all the troubles, and in 1868 he was killed by three inhabitants of Centralia. The consequences of this murder were terrible on the scale of a small town - the terror of the Irish lasted for 10 years, dozens of people were annually executed in the streets by hanging.  Centralia The revival of the city began in 1878, from the same period it is customary to talk about the flourishing of Centralia as an American province. Coal mining was carried out here on a huge scale, the city was built up and expanded. By the middle of the 20th century, several thousand residents, seven churches of various denominations, five hotels and even two full-fledged theaters were officially registered in Centralia alone. The beginning of problems in the city was recorded in 1962. On the eve of the Day of Remembrance, as part of cleaning up the urban area, a group of local firefighters were ordered to liquidate one of the landfills that had formed in an abandoned mine pit of the 19th century. Following instructions, firefighters set fire to the debris to extinguish the flames and clear the remaining debris. Not knowing the exact depth of the pit, the firefighters removed the visible blockage and dispersed. But the littered debris fell deep into the ground, giving a reaction to the entire coal seam.  Centralia The problem was not noticed for a while, but after a couple of years, residents of suburban houses began to complain of smoke and the acrid smell of burning coal. Attempts to extinguish the underground territory were unsuccessful - the smoldering of rocks spread to other layers, the scale of which they decided not to talk about, so as not to escalate the situation. Panic in the city began in 1979, when the local owner of a gas station, while checking underground tanks, found that the fuel was hot to a temperature close to a fire.  Centralia The state authorities paid attention to Centralia only in 1981, when the first incident occurred almost ending in death. A local teenager walking down the street fell into the hole that formed under his feet - this was the first case of a collapse of the ground and literally melted asphalt in the city. The teenager was pulled out of the pit by his elder brother, and representatives of the state congress witnessed the rescue. The resonance caused by this accident was wide. They learned about Centralia throughout the country, and immediately began to make attempts to save the residents of the city as soon as possible, but the process of transporting citizens of Centralia began only in 1984. The US government allocated $ 46 million for a program to relocate residents of the city, but not everyone agreed to leave - a group of residents remained in their homes in the hope that the city will be saved.   Centralia The American government has officially refused to support the dying city in any way. The last sign of the destruction of Centralia from the memory of the Americans was the events of 2002. This year, the US government post office announced the removal of all Centralia's indexes from the register. The city is documented to have ceased to exist. Urban tourism in Centralia is flourishing, despite numerous warning signs at the entrance. The remaining residents of the city willingly make contact with journalists and travelers, guiding them along the safest roads of the city and showing local attractions. In the last few years alone, dozens of documentaries and films have been filmed in Centralia. Several streets of the city became the location for filming the first part of the movie"Silent Hill".  Centralia When visiting Centralia, you should remember about basic safety rules. It is impossible to be here without respiratory masks in warm and cloudless weather - you can earn carbon monoxide poisoning. At any time of the year, tourists must wear special heat-resistant footwear - the soil and asphalt in some areas of the city heats up to + 80 ° C. Several streets of the city became the location for filming the first part of the movie"Silent Hill". We also recommend reading Grande Mosque description and photos - Tunisia: Mahdia Topic: Centralia Ghost Town (USA, Pennsylvania). |
