Centralia Home Page
Centralia PA History
Mine Fire History
Pictures From Today
Centralia Then & Now
   
 
 
An in-depth View
Film and Song
Historical Photos
Mine Fire History
Visiting Centralia
Mine Fire Chronology
Satellite, Aerial Photos
360 Virtual Tours
Downtown Panoramic
Centralia Multimedia
Scientific Study
Memories of Centralia


Panoramic Virtual Tours:

Mine Fire Hot Spot
Downtown Centralia Mainstreet Centralia Damaged Hillside

 
 
   
Knoebels Amusement Park (only 15 miles from Centralia!) 
Ghost Towns
Area 51 - Groom Lake
Abandoned PA Turnpike
Defunct Amusement Parks
Abandoned Places

  

Photo Updates:


Centralia in HDR

July 2006 360? Virtual Tour of Downtown Centralia PA

Centralia's Neighbor:
Byrnesville, Pa

Zeisloft's Mobil
Gas Station

July 5th 2008
Centralia PA

Centralia PA 2008
January Photos and 
commentary by
Donald Davis


2006 Photos


2005 Photos
of Centralia


 

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2004 Photos
of Centralia


2003 photos

of Centralia

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2002 photos

of Centralia


360 Degree Virtual Tours of Centralia PA
 

Fire In The Hole
by Kristie Betts
A fictional story based on Centralia
 

The Little
Town That Was

by Donald Hollinger

 

RESIDENTS TO SAVE THE BOROUGH OF CENTRALIA - FACT SHEET #6 - MARCH 1984 - This "Fact Sheet" was transcribed from a photocopied, original March 1984 newsletter from a Centralia organization called "Residents To Save The Borough Of Centralia".  Read the News Letter here


130th Anniversary
of the 1877 Shamokin Uprising and the Great Railroad Strike .. Read More

 

Centralia Today
A Photo Documentary
of Centralia today.

 

Mine Emergency Response Program
Details from the
Saskatchewan
Mine Rescue Manual
 

















 

   

Centralia Pennsylvania

Maps, Satellite Images, Aerial Photos
Historical Aerial Photos from 1938, 1959, 1971
 

 


View Larger Map

 

1999 Satellite Images of Centralia PA
Images courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey
Click for larger image

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Above - Centralia PA
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Above - Closer zoom of the north side of town
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Above - Closer zoom of south side of town.  Note the main road exiting town, curving to the left.  That is the closed section of Rt. 61 and the smaller road branching off to the right and down center the image is the bypass built to avoid the damaged section of Rt. 61.

 

 

 

Above - This is the south side of the closed section of Rt. 61.  the smaller road branching off to the right is the bypass built to avoid the damaged section of Rt. 61.

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The above image is highlighted to point out the visible hot spots that burn close to the surface.  Often the smoke and steam is quite visible.  The ground is typically hot and all vegetation is dead.  These areas are prone to subsidence, noxious fumes and high levels of carbon monoxide.  The area at the top of the photo is the most visible.  The fire burning below has recently encroached into the cemeteries.  The area in the lower half of the image is a hillside along the old section of Rt. 61 where the fire has burned enough coal to cause subsidence that damaged the roadway.  A large crack has opened up in the roadway, which bellows smoke and steam continually.

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The image above is a hot spot that was warm enough in recent years to note its location.  Its current status is unknown.  These areas are not the only locations of hot or warm spots.  The entire town at some point in the past has been effected by the fire.  In many locations throughout town there are vent pipes that had been drilled down and installed to vent the fumes in a "controlled" way, some older and some more recent.  Some of the vents are still are still releasing fumes.  The areas noted in the images are noted only because they are the most obvious.

Below is where the fire apparently started back in 1962.

 

2007 Satellite Images of Centralia PA
Images courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey
Click for larger image


Centralia PA 2007


Centralia Cemetaries


Closed Section of Rt. 61


Centralia PA aerial photo, 1959


Centralia and Byrnesville, 1959


Centralia and Byrnesville, 1971


Centralia, 1971
Note evidence of digging around the
mine fire location lower right.


Centralia Mine Fire, 1971

 


Centralia and Byrnesville, 1938

 

 
  Mine Fire History Mine Fire History Historical Photos
  Pictures From Today Mine Fire Chronology Visiting Centralia
  Centralia Then & Now 360? Virtual Tours Scientific Study
  Satellite, Aerial Photos Downtown Panoramic Centralia Books

  

Other Interesting Things

 

 


 

So you want to Visit Centralia PA?  What you should know before you go to Centralia PA.

 

The Real Disaster Is Above Ground: A Mine Fire and Social Conflict

 


















 

What's near Centralia?

Plan your visit around one of Pennsylvania's best kept secrets located only 15 miles up the road from Centralia...


Knoebels
Amusement Park

Click Below for
 more details...

Knoebels
Amusement Park

 


Silent Hill & Centralia
Centralia PA inspires screenwriter Roger Avary during the making of the movie Silent Hill.
Read More Here...

 

Remembering ...
Byrnesville PA
By Mike Reilley

 
  Books about Centralia
  Maps of Centralia
  Around Town Today
  Local Attractions
 
  Personal Notes
  Additional Reading
  Haunted Centralia?
 
  Gerry McWilliams and
  the album "Centralia"
  
  Silent Hill Inspiration
  Other Mine Fires
  Search Centralia
  Centralia Sites/Books
  
Panoramic Virtual Tours:
Mine Fire Hot Spot
Downtown Centralia Mainstreet Centralia Damaged Hillside
  
 
  Centralia Infrared


Centralia PA in B&W Infrared
Infrared Photography
by Donald Davis

Video Tour
in Infrared of
Centralia PA
by Donald Davis

  

The Little Town That Was
by Donald Hollinger
 
  
Made in U.S.A. - 1987 movie that was filmed on location in Centralia PA See the opening Scene that started in Centralia during the peek of the mine fire disaster

 
 

 

Is Centralia Haunted?
Explore the possibility

 
The Real Disaster Is Above Ground: A Mine Fire and Social Conflict
 
  

Is there Hope
for Centralia?

Maybe...

Through the use of Nitrogen-Enhanced foam the Pinnacle mine fire was extinguished by Cummins Industries, Inc.  Cummins proposes to tackle the Centralia Mine fire and bring an end to the 
40 plus year fire.

Read this White Paper which evaluates the effectiveness of remotely applied nitrogen-enhanced foam to aid in efforts to isolate and suppress a mine fire.