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Centralia, Pennsylvania. For most of its history, the town of Centralia was a prosperous coal mining town. Centralia was officially founded in 1842 by Alexander Rae. The first mines opened in the area in 1856, and by 1890 the town had a population of 2,761 and hosted seven churches, five hotels, twenty-seven saloons, fourteen general stores, two theaters, a bank, and a post office. During World War I, production declined as many of the young men enlisted in the military. After the Wall Street Crash in 1929, several of the area mines were closed. However, many illegal mining operations continued in various places. By the 1960's, official coal mining in Centralia had completely ceased, but illegal mining continued until 1982.
In 1962, the Centralia Town Council was deciding what to do with the town landfill. The landfill was established the previous year to discourage illegal dumping and was located inside an abandoned strip-mine pit next to the Odd Fellowes Cemetery. On May 27, firefighters set the landfill on fire and let it burn before extinguishing it. However, the fire was not fully put out - it managed to enter the labyrinth of abandoned coal tunnels that snaked underneath the town.
Residents began to notice something was wrong around 1979. By this point there just over 1,000 residents living in Centralia. That year gas station owner John Coddington inserted a dipstick into one of his underground gasoline tanks to check the fuel level. When he withdrew it, it felt hot. So, he inserted a thermometer into the tank and was shocked to discover the temperature of the gas in the tank was 172° Fahrenheit. Beginning in 1980 several locals began to suffer from health effects due to the gases produced by the fire. Statewide attention began to focus on Centralia when sinkholes began opening at various places in the area. In 1981, 12-year-old Todd Domboski fell into a sinkhole in his grandmother's backyard that opened suddenly right beneath his feet. He saved himself be grabbing a tree root and was pulled to safety by his cousin Eric Wolfgang. The steam plume billowing from the hole was tested and found to contain lethal levels of carbon monoxide. At the same time, Governor Dick Thornburgh and State Rep. James Nelligen were visiting the area to assess the situation. In response to the worsening crisis, the U.S. Congress allocated $42 million for relocation effort. Most residents accepted the payments and moved out of town. Afterwards most of the town's structures were demolished. Some residents, however, refused to leave - with 63 residents remaining by 1990. In 1992, Governor Bob Casey invoked eminent domain on all properties within the town. The U.S. Postal Service discontinued Centralia's zip code in 2002.
There have been several legal attempts by the few remaining residents to stop the government from seizing their homes. The holdouts claim that the government wanted the mineral rights to all the coal deposits that remained untapped. In 2009, the state began formal eviction proceedings against the last few residents. These residents filed suit in 2010 claiming they were victims of fraud. By 2013, the residents settled, reaching an agreement that they could remain in their homes until their deaths, at which point the properties would be claimed under eminent domain. By 2020, only five residents still live in Centralia.
The fire underneath Centralia continues to burn. At its current burn rate, the fire could continue to burn for the next 250 years. Almost all the towns' structures have been demolished, and nature has mostly reclaimed the land. From above, the Centralia appears to be nothing more than a series of paved roads hidden within thick forest. There are numerous fissures all over the affected area spewing steam and toxic gas into the air. A section of Pennsylvania Route 61 passing through the Borough was closed after steam damaged and split the pavement repeatedly. There are many signs placed around warning of ground instability and toxic fumes.
The town has served as the model for numerous ghost towns in popular culture including Vampire Zero by David Wellington and Strange Highways by Dean Koontz. Most famously, the story of Centralia was used as research for the basis of the namesake town in the 2006 film 'Silent Hill' - a movie based the popular video game franchise of the same name.
Ghost town.
Another epic roadtrip adventure.
in the rain
A short horror story I wrote
Word count: 1848
TW: Blood, death, confusion
The sound of the gentle tapping of the rain on my window awakens me.
Just by glancing over at the window I can see the dark autumn sky even though it must still be around noon.
Slowly I get up from the couch, I must have dozed off for a minute or so.
I walk over to my kitchen to see if there is anything to eat.
Opening all the cabinets and finally the freezer, I discover that I'm all out of food.
Damn, I forgot, it's grocery day today... and I still have to go out with this shitty weather.
Still I ready myself to go outside, I take my dark green raincoat and a bag.
I put on my shoes and finally leave, locking the door behind me, walking towards the nearest bus stop.
I know I'm being lazy, walking that distance can be done in about half an hour, but still this weather seems to only be getting worse.
As I turn around to face the weather I feel the cool breeze going through my coat and the water gliding off my face.
A greeting from the outside, a cold and wet greeting.
Quickly I make a run for the bus stop.
Each time one of my feet hit the middle of a puddle, the water flies around me, making me feel like a little kid playing in the rain.
It takes a couple of minutes for me to reach the small square hut, known locally as the bus stop.
I live in the middle of nowhere anyway.
As I finally lay eyes on it I almost dive for cover under the roof.
I know it doesn't really matter, I'm already soaked, but still, it brings me comfort.
Immediately I notice that I'm not alone.
Someone else is standing beside me.
Most likely also waiting for the bus to come.
Their face is obscured by their coat... Their dark green coat.
Did he get it at the same store as me?
For a while we awkwardly stand next to each other, not speaking a word, or perhaps letting the rain itself do the talking.
Cold seconds pass slowly and eventually I can't take it anymore.
"So... uhh... the weather is pretty bad, éh?"
I know the question is bad, small talk is not everyone's favorite, but worse than that, I don't get a response at all.
And we are back at listening to the rain and just standing next to one another, but this one more awkwardly than before.
The person next to me didn't show any sign of even hearing me.
Finally the bus arrives and I get on.
I look back, but the person behind me doesn't seem to be moving in the slightest.
Does he even breathe? I really can't tell.
"Hey man? Didn't you need to take the bus too?" I call over to him, gesturing that he can go in, but again he doesn't move at all.
I shake my head and then turn it towards the bus driver.
Unlike the usual uniform, they seem to be wearing another dark green raincoat. Almost exactly like mine, or perhaps it's completely the same...
I show the chauffeur my ticket, but he doesn't move a muscle.
Quietly I turn around to look further inside the vehicle.
It's almost completely empty, except for a few strangers dressed with the same dark green jacket.
For a moment I hesitate.
Do I really want to be on this bus?
But then the squeaking doors behind me close, cutting off my only escape route.
Obediently I take a seat, trying not to look around me and just stare out of the window.
When the bus finally comes to a halt at my stop I get out as fast as I can.
Strangely enough this is the first stop it made, no one got on and no one got off.
As I step outside, I am greeted by more rain, falling down even heavier than before.
Quickly I race towards the store and feel a sense of relief wash over me as I finally reach the entrance and hear the familiar chime.
The bright light hurts my eyes, it's a lot brighter than outside after all.
I let out a shivering sigh from the cold. It might be less warm here than outside, or perhaps it's because of how wet my clothes have gotten.
The water has gone right through my coat after all.
I notice my breath leaving my mouth in small clouds and rub my hands together for some warmth.
I guess it must be cold here after all.
Carefully I look around, it seems that I'm the only customer inside the store.
I should probably hurry up, I'm not sure if there will be many buses leaving after I'm done with shopping.
I take a shopping cart and start to move around the store.
Taking with me things for breakfast, things for lunch, things for dinner and of course some snacks.
Eventually I find myself next to an aisle that's entirely empty.
"How strange..." I mutter to myself: "I was sure these were filled just last week..."
I take a few steps back, towards the fridges where they keep milk and stuff.
Something about it seems off.
Carefully I take a closer look.
It looks like all the cartons of milk from the highest shelf to the lowest have all been cut in half in a straight row.
No, cut isn't the word.
More like half of it has been melted off.
The contents are spilled all over the floor.
As I inspect the next row, I see that these all have half-faded packaging.
I look up to find a huge dark stain on the ceiling above it, water is slowly dripping down onto those products and the floor.
It's almost as if the rain is washing it all away.
Quickly I leave for the check-out and find another one behind the counter.
A person, dressed with the same raincoat as mine, somehow still with a faded nametag on their chest, too faded to read.
Honestly it looks a bit silly.
Their hood is up and they look down, causing me to be unable to see their face just like with the others before.
I greet the 'worker' like normal even though he doesn't move at all and I hand them the money, which they don't take either, so I place it before them.
"Keep the change." I say, trying to joke away the fear I feel inside.
That is the truth after all.
I'm scared.
I'm terrified.
I'm terrified, but I don't want to let it show.
Everything about this day has been strange.
Normally I don't fall asleep during the day, normally I don't take the bus to the store, normally I don't stand waiting for a bus with a stranger...
Then there's the fact I haven't seen a single familiar face since I woke up. Why isn't anyone here when usually this store is filled with people I know?
I pick up the pace, too scared to look behind me.
What if they did move?
What if they did move, but only if I wasn't facing them.
What if they were right behind me, staring at me from underneath those hoods?
What if they wanted to do something to me?
I shake my head and enter the rainy and windy outside world again.
The rainfall has gotten even heavier.
I can barely keep my eyes open from all the water pouring down, only able to open them again as I blindly enter the bus stop.
This time I'm alone.
Though I doubt if that really is the case.
I mean, what if they're watching?
While waiting for the bus to come I look at my sleeve.
The dark green fabric has been completely soaked.
Why is it that we all wear the same? I think to myself.
Where and when did I even buy such an ugly thing?
I have another one, a blue one... right?
No, now that I think about it I'm not so sure.
This rain... it's making it difficult to remember.
The bus finally arrives for me to go home again.
Trying to avoid the spats coming from the sky, but failing, I enter the vehicle.
It's cold here too.
Like in the store small clouds leave my shivering mouth.
I look at the driver.
It's one of them again.
Or am I supposed to be one of them?
My coat shows our resemblance.
My hood is still up too.
I take it off and smile at the driver.
"Good afternoon sir, bad weather we're having, don't we?"
Suddenly I hear something moving in the back of the bus.
Multiple people dressed like me are sitting there, more than before.
All of them seem to stare at me from underneath their dark hoods.
I smile at them too, but now that I'm looking at them too they have stopped moving again completely.
The door behind me closes and I take a seat.
Everything feels so unwelcoming, it makes me feel a bit sad.
Looking outside of the window I appreciate the beautifully dreary scenery from my home.
It looks like the water levels have been rising far.
Much further than it normally would.
Almost like the water is trying to swallow it all up.
I'm glad I live up high.
We drive past a small cliff.
I look down at the water through the window.
The rain is still relentlessly hitting the windows, coming down unforgivingly at the windows, making me scared that it could shatter them any moment.
It has become a droning noise overtaking any thought I might have had as suddenly, I feel light.
Everything starts feels like going in hyper speed.
The bus has made a turn.
A turn off the cliff.
And we hit the water before I even realized what was going on.
It's all going so fast and yet, none of them moved even an inch.
All of the other 'passengers' keep sitting the way they sat before, not even trembling because of the fall. Making it look like they were plastic figures glued to their respective benches.
Windows break and water starts to pour in even faster than the rain.
Loudly I curse and get up from my seat in a daze.
My head is pounding terribly, did I hit something?
I'm not sure.
It just hurts.
The vehicle starts to sink and I start to panic.
A heavy tree branch falls through one of the small windows in the ceiling.
I jump back, but then see that it has shattered the entire window and created a way for me to get out.
The water is rising higher and higher and I reach for the window.
Now the people in the bus do start to move.
In a strange and shocking way.
Moving like they have never used a limb before.
Crawling around, stumbling around, a strange form of swimming.
Shit!
They're coming for me!
They're coming for me!!
They get closer and closer with their strange movements.
Trying to wrap their arms around me.
As I feel their freezing cold fingers touch me I kick around me as hard as I can.
"Stay away!" I yell: "Stay the Hell away!!"
Desperately I hold on to the branch.
The first few already have their hands wrapped around my ankles.
"Let me go!!!" I yell, kicking and screaming.
More hands.
And then they start to grip and pull.
The gray light from the sky starts to grow distant, my head is getting closer to the water.
The heavy rain has started pushing me down now too.
Pushing back my hands, letting me slide back down.
I've never seen or even felt a rain storm this heavy, it feels like it's trying to get rid of me.
Trying to clean this place by getting rid of me.
Like a ghost town being washed away by the rain...
ATTENTION
If you see this you are OBLIGATED to reblog w/ the song currently stuck in your head :)
Molson Washington
Weird roadside attractions. Rhyolite Nevada
Video by GHOST TOWN: "Ghost Town: #NoTouchies | Episode 1 - How To Make a Pepperoni and Bacon Pizza!"
the cartoons and the movies have no wide-eyed gazes to look back at them. no light of day to shine across the dusty screen. abandoned life, abandoned dreams. left lonely and hidden beyond care. what does it all mean. in this ghost town.
-s's.
Kolmanskop, Namibia
