Each year hundreds of people visit Centralia Pennsylvania. Many of them are coming to see what is left of the town. Others are there to view the steam generated by the mine fire. Still others are hoping to explore abandoned buildings and structures.
For the last group of visitors, mild disappointment awaits. Most of the homes and businesses in Centralia were torn down long ago. The majority of the residents began leaving in 1984. After they sold their homes to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the structures were demolished and the ground leveled. Trees, shrubs, and flowers were planted.
Today, Centralia PA is more like an overgrown park than a ghost town. However, if you look hard enough, you can find a few decaying structures and many tantalizing remnants of the town that once was.
Keep in mine that if you are planning to visit Centralia, most of the homes that are still standing are occupied. Please be respectful of those residents who have chosen to remain in the town.
Below is a gallery of photos showing some of the abandoned places in Centralia Pennsylvania.
Outside an abandoned trailer in Centralia PA. Credit: Flickr/t3hwit
Inside an abandoned trailer in Centralia Pennsylvania. Credit: Flickr/t3hwit
Centralia is full of abandoned streets and curbs. Credit: Flickr/lhoon
An abandoned lot with a decaying wall in Centralia PA. Credit: Flickr/lhoon
Abandoned house in Centralia PA. Credit: Flickr/road_less_trvled
Inside an abandoned home in Centralia Pennsylvania. Credit: Flickr/road_less_trvled
Inside an abandoned home in Centralia PA. Credit: Flickr/t3hwit
Coal miner wash house along Route 61 near Centralia in 2008. This was later torn down. Credit: Flickr/Mike Kalasnik
Where are the abandoned house and trailer located? I saw the trailer on Life After People but hadn’t seen it when I visited Centralia. The wash house near Byrnesville was torn down about 4 or 5 years ago. I never did get a picture because it really wasn’t in the borough of Centralia. Now I wish I had.
Actually Shenandoah is a very depressing town to drive through. It is overrun with abandoned buildings, many collapsing. Recently an arsonist struck there, torching several empty buildings. This is the most likely reason nearly all the vacant buildings in Centralia were razed. The torching of the Speed Spot is a prime example.
I just wonder what would have happened if Pennsylvania had not exercised the eminent domain option. Would Centralia have eventually turned into what Shenandoah looks like now ? Would relatives of Centralians that passed on sold the properties to absentee landlords or became absentee landlords themselves ? I don’t know what is sadder. Centralia with its few remaining homes and residents or Shenandoah with its definite blight of a crumbling economy and homes.Next time you “tour” Centralia, make it a point of going to Shenandoah. You will see what I am talking about.
Thanks for the suggestion about visiting Shenandoah! We might do an article about the town and its history.
The trailer is beside the actual church. The trailer doesn’t actually look like this anymore it has tons of holes throughout it.
I went through there the first time last July and could not believe it.Statistics say that nearly 30% of homes in Shenandoah are vacant. It also says that tenants are about 25% of the population and ownership is about 48%.That shows that tenants and vacancies are about than half the properties.Figure in that some of those owned properties are also vacant.. That is a sign that Shenandoah has seen better days.They have a web site for people that want to bring it back to the glory days. Without something to replace coal mining as the main source of revenue, I’d say they are really fighting an uphill battle.
It looks like theres a face in the window of the trailer. It looks like a woman with burns on her face.
Are there still any abandoned places?
From what I’ve seen while going up the trailer still stands but isn’t very exciting to look at since it’s been through a lot of abuse from people coming through to check it out. Also there is a small building to the right when you pass the fire station. You have to drive a little bit past the first station and it’ll be your first road to your right. Vehicles can’t make it down this road unless you have a truck. Once you walk down the road straight for awhile look to your right.
Are there any places left at all really trying to visit this year hopping to see something before its all gone!!
From what I’ve seen while going up the trailer still stands but isn’t very exciting to look at since it’s been through a lot of abuse from people coming through to check it out. Also there is a small building to the right when you pass the fire station. You have to drive a little bit past the first station and it’ll be your first road to your right. Vehicles can’t make it down this road unless you have a truck. Once you walk down the road straight for awhile look to your right. I was actually just up there this past week. My friends and I go up a lot.
This town is really cool to come up and visit. But if you go up during the night beware some guy likes to drive around in a Ford 150. I’ve only seen two abandon buildings but thats also because we haven’t gone down all the roads yet. I plan on making another trip there to explore. Every-time we go up there is more and more to see. IT’s like a never ending discovery. People thing there is only one graveyard to your left when you first come into Centralia. That’s wrong if you drive a little down the right not your fist right but your second you’ll be on a dirt road pull through there and you’ll see another graveyard. I actually just discovered that this past weekend. Two abandon places I know of currently are the trailer beside the Church over looking the town. Then another is to your right just up the road from the fire-station. You’ll have to physically walk down a trail and the building will be to your right. I’ll be updating this after this weekend with hopefully more discoveries.
2nd street is the other graveyard. I stopped at the graveyard and didn’t go any further down from there so I have no clue whats further down this dirt road. North Street is with the abandon building.
To your left on Paxton street and center street there is a nice spot to just sit down for a bit.
Then the actual church is on Center Street and the trailer is just behind the church. And if you go into the graveyard behind the church there for some reason is an actual working bath tub.
Just one there again last weekend crazy night…crazy. We got chased away 2 times. One we were at the Abandon Drive thru theater and something started to legit run at us.
Then the second time we were going to the church when a truck drove up this dirt bath then back down towards us. Easily had to be going 50 then we drove away we had to be going 60 or 70 driving away from this guy. Once we got around one turn that left the town the person stopped and turned around…
i love reading about this place
I don’t understand why they tore everything down. Was leaving the buildings dangerous or something because of the fire? Were they trying to force people out by leaving nothing to come back to?
Was up there twice this week and still didn’t find the abandoned houses? We found 3 cemeteries and graffiti road and walked along numerous trails. We did find the shrine and foundation of I think was a garage/repair shop. It is a very depressing area and the amount of dumped trash and tires is disgusting.
Wy cant we share this..I want to share it
There had to be a lot of debris after the houses were torn down…lumber, bricks, cement……what happened to it all???…were any houses moved to another location??….are utilities & telephone still in operation for the remaining tenants??….
Can you pay for this houses