Centralia was a small town first established in 1856 and was first known as Centreville. The anthracite coal industry in the area was the main employment for its citizens. Until the 1960s, most of the town thrived on coal mining. In the 1960s, many of the coal mining companies went bankrupt, leaving town citizens to bootleg mine coal. However, in 1962, some coal ignited after the weekly garbage was burned in the local landfill, which was located in an old, unusued mine pit. No one could extinguish the fire and it continued to burn for two decades. The carbon monoxide produced by the fire harmed several people in the town. In 1979, hot fuel levels shocked locals--they were now aware of the possible dangers of this mine fire. Two years later, when 12-year old Todd Domboski suddenly fell into a hole that opened under his feet, state-wide attention had increased. Luckily, he survived and the incident brought national attention to Centralia. $42 million was spent by the federal government to relocate Centralia's locals. Many took up on the offer and moved to nearby towns while a few citizens remained. In 1992, Pennsylvania claimed eminent domain on the properties in the borough and subsequently, in 2002 the US Postal Service revoked the town's zip code, 17927.
Some say that the mine fire is a government conspiracy organized by the government to obtain the mineral rights and rich deposits of anthracite coal in the mines; however, none are sure of the actual value of the coal.
Like Williamsport and Jim Thorpe (more on those two towns later), Centralia was a source of Molly Maguire activity in its early years. The secret organization originated in Ireland in order to protect workers from large mining corporations. According to newspapers of its era, the organization had thriving activity in central Pennsylvania anthracite coal mines. Many violent crimes were attributed to the Molly Maguires--especially in the years of 1876-1878. While there is no actual evidence of such an organization, much of its fiery history is written in the accounts against it.
Centralia really is a modern "ghost town." There is evidence of life in a few occupied homes and a couple moving cars but the area of land where the town once stood is largely empty. A bench marked Centralia sits next to the fire station and a handful of roads go off Route 61. We drove up an empty stretch of gravel, disappointed with the lack of smoke-filled holes. After getting out of the car, we found a handful of small holes that were emitting smoke. As we walked around, we found the larger pits. The ground was warm and we could see the heat waves. The experience was a bit chilling but satisfying--I had never been to a ghost town before.
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