Photo TR: Highway To Hell

[Jim S.]

The infamous Centralia Mine Fire, burning since the 1960s, has settled down quite a bit under Centralia proper, although not before almost everybody was kicked out of town. If you go just west of town, past the Russian Orthodox cemetery, you can find a hillside with large unburned coal boulders exposed.

Scattered throughout this hillside are some cracks still venting steam and smoke:

and some areas showing sulfurous and metallic mineral deposits left where the fire used to burn:

 

Traveling just south of Centralia, towards the towns of Byrneville and Ashland (you can't make this stuff up -- they were there before the fire started) you'll find where Route 61 was diverted around a major outbreak of the fire in the late 1980s. Looks perfectly normal, doesn't it?

"Route 61 THROUGH THE TREES!"

 

Oops, sorry, that should've been "TREES THROUGH ROUTE 61!"

 

As you go further south on the abandoned road, the warping and cracking becomes obvious:

until you come to this:

me, sporting a Knoebels PPP shirt, standing atop road damage so severe that it shows up on aerial maps of the region

 

But that's not what I came here to talk about. Amidst all this destruction, people have brought their creative skills to the scene, using the road as a huge graffiti canvas:

warning for humans

snail

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

giant spider

angelfish

robot

 

There's lots more, but some bozo has defaced a lot of them.

[Band-Aid]

I remember driving past there once. I wanted to go in, but was afraid that it would be illegal to go inside.

 

Also, I found this article about Centralia to be interesting-

http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/Silent-Hill.htm

[spaceace12]

Once I get my Jeep built up (lift, bigger tires, bumpers, maybe lock.ers) I plan on going wheeling there.

[Josh Linn]

I live maybe 15-20 minutes away...used to drive through there all the time. I can remember when there were a few buildings still standing on the main street, but nearly everything is wiped out now. I really don't understand why the people that live there (less than 10) continue to do so, especially when they were offered money by the government to leave and rebuild elsewhere.

[astroworldfan1]

There's a movie about Centrailia, PA that I want to eventually watch. I really do like the story of that town, as sad as it is, but I could never imagine moving from the town that I've grown up in.

[cal1br3tto]

I've always been curious about this place. I wouldn't mind visiting if I had the chance. So eerie.

[Brandy524]

Really interesting place! Would love to visit it one day.

[BaMiTsPaT]

Yikes! I just read the history of that place and it gave me the shivers

[SamMarrs]

Yeah, the movie "Silent Hill" was based off of it.

[scooterdoug]

Any TR with a Lovecraft reference is OK by me!

[Cameron]

Wow - those are some great shots! I'd heard about the area, but never the abandoned road. Thanks for sharing

 

Cameron.

[astroworldfan1]

For those who would like to learn more about the town that was Centrailia, PA, check out the movie, "The Town That Was" on Hulu for free.

 

"The Town That Was" on Hulu.com