Centralia, PA

[Hof8231]

Took some pictures in the abandoned town of Centralia, Pennsylvania over the weekend. C&C always appreciated!

1.

Crack and Bend in Highway by SteveH8231, on Flickr

2.

Crack 2 Lanes by SteveH8231, on Flickr

3.

Windmills by SteveH8231, on Flickr

4.

Crack Low by SteveH8231, on Flickr

This one's not for CC, just posting because it's funny


Disregard Females by SteveH8231, on Flickr

 

[FanBoy]

The heaved and cracked roads are the most compelling shots. It doesn't quite tell the eerie story of Centralia and the underground coal fire that still roils the town, but they are dramatic photos nonetheless. I live in nearby Berks County and only by-passed Centralia at times. I'm not sure if there are still hotspots on this old section of Route 61, but I imagine steam is only visible emitting from the cracks under certain weather conditions.

The sad story of Centralia isn't widely known outside the area. Most likely it's simply forgotten, like the coal industry itself.

 

[harmonn2]

Love number 2. I have always wanted to visit Centralia to take photos since I learned about it in an Environmental lecture a while ago. Did you run into any of the residents that didn't move out? Last I heard, there were only about 10 or so still living there (surprised they have survived that long).

 

[TATTRAT]

I have wanted to take the trip up there for the day, how hard is it to gt in there? I know that up until the late 1980's some folks still called the town home, I assume that it is now truly a ghost town? Would love to do some shooting up there! Thanks for sharing, I dig the first shot, even with the blown out sky. The 5th is lol worthy.

 

[Hof8231]

The heaved and cracked roads are the most compelling shots. It doesn't quite tell the eerie story of Centralia and the underground coal fire that still roils the town, but they are dramatic photos nonetheless. I live in nearby Berks County and only by-passed Centralia at times. I'm not sure if there are still hotspots on this old section of Route 61, but I imagine steam is only visible emitting from the cracks under certain weather conditions.

The sad story of Centralia isn't widely known outside the area. Most likely it's simply forgotten, like the coal industry itself.

I believe the hot spots are only really visible in cold weather, where you can better see the smoke and steam rising. I plan to go back in the winter to see if this is true.

Love number 2. I have always wanted to visit Centralia to take photos since I learned about it in an Environmental lecture a while ago. Did you run into any of the residents that didn't move out? Last I heard, there were only about 10 or so still living there (surprised they have survived that long).

Thank you! And yes, I saw a house in town (literally the only one I saw) with 3 cars outside of it so I'm assuming that's the majority of the remaining population. I also came across an older man who didn't seem thrilled to see me and my camera in the town.

I have wanted to take the trip up there for the day, how hard is it to gt in there? I know that up until the late 1980's some folks still called the town home, I assume that it is now truly a ghost town? Would love to do some shooting up there! Thanks for sharing, I dig the first shot, even with the blown out sky. The 5th is lol worthy.

Thanks for the feedback! It's not very difficult to get to. The entire town is great for photos since there is almost nothing there. Streets with no houses (or anything) on them, empty fields, the highway, etc. The abandoned highway was a little tough for my dad and me to find but that was because we were given conflicting accounts of where the road was. It's definitely worth a trip if you're into this kind of thing.

 

[TimothyJinx]

These are good. My personal opinion is they would be more compelling with the saturation or vibrance toned down a bit .

 

[ElegantShot.studios]

i liked the crack roads pictures gives it a story to be discover

 

[Hof8231]

These are good. My personal opinion is they would be more compelling with the saturation or vibrance toned down a bit .

Thanks for the input! Yeah, I have a tendency to go overboard with saturation without even really realizing it until I look at the pictures a little bit later.

i liked the crack roads pictures gives it a story to be discover

Thanks! Yeah, the town has an incredible and very sad story. I wish I could capture it better, but there are almost literally no signs of life or civilization in the entire town. The most "famous" part of town is the old abandoned highway pictured above. I definitely have to go back there when I have more time and I'm not on a schedule because the blocks that literally have nothing other than pavement are very compelling and would probably tell the story of Centralia pretty well.

 

[Hayder]

The green tone is high, is this Nikon camera?

Sent from my iPad using PhotoForum

 

[Hof8231]

Nah, it's a Canon T3i.

 

[ktan7]

This is an abandoned town? Interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing this ghost town with all of us

 

[FanBoy]

This is an abandoned town? Interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing this ghost town with all of us

Centralia, PA is an abandoned town. The government paid for the town's people to move out years ago after an underground coal mine fire in 1962, but about a dozen stubborn remain. You can search it easily on the Internet.

The area is really drab and depressed up there with high unemployment. It's creepy and a place I'd rather "just keep going" through.

 

[Werley102]

I lived about ten minutes from there as a kid in the mid 80's. I can remember seeing the smoke from the hotspot billow up through the ground and thought tree stumps. I think your photos are on the right track but I think I trip to the area in winter and maybe shot in black and white would convey the desolation more. I drove through the area a year or so ago and there is more vegetation than I remember as a kid.