Centralia, PA (Columbia County)
I am currently planning a trip with a few college friends to check out Centralia and Jim Thorpe, PA. Centralia, according to Wikipedia (which is always a great source...), had a population of 9 in 2007. Two years later, I can't imagine it being exponentially different. The town became this way because of a vast underground mine fire that has been burning since 1962. Trash was deposited in an abandoned strip mine and set ablaze. Unbeknownst to the town of Centralia, they were perched on top of a huge coal vein. The trash fire whipped down to the coal vein and alas, an abandoned town was born. Townspeople left their homes from fear of collapse, toxic fumes, and fire hazards. This fire will burn for another 1,000 years, maybe more. As said before, only 9 people remain in the town as of 2007. The streets act as vents that let steam (sulfur, carbon, nitrogen, radioactive chemicals) spew out. Fun stuff. I plan on taking/breathing this all in around early April. More updates to come.
Jim Thorpe, PA
Okay, so Jim Thorpe isn't weird, but it's still a cool place to check out. It's a town set on the side of a mountain. There is a huge mansion (see above) that we can tour. It's called the Asa Parker mansion. I don't feel like explaining who he is, so Google him. There are a bunch of trails to hike on and waterfalls to see (a 2 mile hike). It will be cool to check out.
This is going to be a day trip starting on a Sunday at 7:30am. I need to find an exact date quickly though. I'll edit this once I do. Let me know if you plan on going, its 55 miles from where I am in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Who knows how far from New Jersey haha.
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