Weird NJ Street Team Goes North Jersey Style!

Time: Sometime in May or early June (Weekend Event)
Place: Staying at a campsite

Places we plan on visiting:

The Manunka Chunk Tunnel

• Is a twin set of tunnels approximately 800 feet long. One side has suffered ceiling collapses, but both tunnels are passable. The tunnels were built in the 1850's. The Lackawanna rail line (which included the Paulinskill Viaduct and the Bryam Ice Tunnel) opened in 1910. It was shorter then this line and had fewer steep grades, and made this line unnecessary.
• Located off Rt 46, Manunka Chunk, Warren County

Ramapo Reservation

• Is an abandoned camp ground area. The large lake there is featured in Weird NJ book with the underwater town in the reservoir.
• Located in Ramapo, NJ

Clinton Road

• Everyone knows about this place - the haunted, creepy road.
• Located in West Milford, NJ

Split Rock Road

• Some have reported seeing unidentified glowing lights hovering above the reservoir late at night. Others say that the old bridge itself is haunted by the spirits of unfortunate drowning victims. Stories tell of skinny-dipping teens leaping from the guard tower in the middle of the bridge, into the reservoir, only to be sucked into the unseen underwater drain below that runs through the dam and empties into the man-made concrete "waterfall" on the other side. Ouch.
• The bridge also has a reputation as being a sort of "suicide leap". There are tales of unhappy souls slipping through the bridge's fence and throwing themselves over the deadly drop, to the jagged concrete of the waterfall below. However, whispered rumors say murder, not suicide, is what really goes on at Split Rock.
• Located in Hibernia, NJ

If you have any other suggestions of places to visit, please let us know via commenting. Thanks!

Centralia, PA Trip - April 5th

The trip was actually pretty fun, but disappointing all the same. I travelled to Centralia about 10 years ago with my family and my other friend's family and there was a lot more to see. A few houses were still standing, 12 lawnchairs circled a tree (12 people lived there at the time), and streets were still accessible. This time around, Centralia has officially become a ghost town. From what I could see, only 2 houses were still standing. The tree was replaced by a memorial and a nice green bench. Sad. However, steam was still visible from the hills surrounding the town. The streets weren't steaming though (maybe the fire moved?). I took some pictures for you all to see...

A big chunk of land sinking from the coal fire...

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A view of the hill where most of the steam was coming from

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Houses used to be behind these trees. This is the only patch of ground where

the trees look this way. Pretty weird.

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This is Route 61. This section of highway is blocked off due to the coal fire damaging and cracking the asphault. There is graffiti everywhere. When I was here 10 years ago, I was able to see steam coming from the cracks. The fire has probably moved since then.

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The beginning of the blocked off Route 61. The arrows you see behind the
grassy knoll is the detour road. Someone has dubbed this section of
Route 61 as "Graffiti Highway."

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A blocked off trail leading through the woods. My conscience told me not to go very
far on this path. The smell of sulfur was pretty strong. I chose life.

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This used to be part of the town. Now its just gravel/coal trails having really
no purpose at all. The burning coal was definitely making its presence
known due to the sulfur smell. I wonder what sort of chemicals were in the puddles?

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Here is another area I found where the ground is sinking.
A house definitely was here at one point. The driveway is off to the right.

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I found the steam! The fire is alive.

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I was definitely overcome by the fumes of the fire burning.
I honestly don't recommend anyone getting this close to the fire...

What to take away from this...

1. Be safe. The ground is unstable. Driving your car around the deserted streets and trails is not a safe bet to take. I would park your car on an undamaged street and walk to wherever you would like to go.
2. Go while you still can! There were only 2 homes left in the town when I went. I don't give the town much longer until its completely leveled and blocked off from public access.
3. Don't burn landfills that are on top of a coal vein.
4. Do not go too far on blocked off trails. The fire is pretty strong and the burnt coal releases sulfur, methane, carbon, nitrogen, and radioactive chemicals into the air. Unless you want some sort of lung/throat/thyroid disease, do your best to keep away from the fire.

Trip Update

The Centralia & Jim Thorpe, PA trip is actually happening!

When: April 5th (Sunday)
Departure: 8:00-8:30am
Leaving: Whenever we're finished.
Where: Centralia, PA (a next-to-abandoned town) & Jim Thorpe (scenic town with hiking)

Hopefully I'll get some sort of video of Centralia, along with lots of pictures. Same goes with Jim Thorpe. Check back for updates.

Weird NJ ST is doing Weird PA

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.

Mt. Misery

Date: Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

Time: 12:00pm-6:00pm

The lake behind the outdoors church.

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Rose and Breanne in the Lifeguard stand.

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Random tire swings!

Located in Browns Mills, N.J., Mt. Misery is far from what it seems. No meth labs, no wild dogs, maybe some pineys, but all in all a fun place. After turning onto Mt. Misery Road you will enter the Pine Barrens. There are some weird piney-looking houses and dirt roads mostly. Then, alas, a large open area comes into sight.

Warning: If you have a Ford Focus, or any other compact car, and feel the need to go offroading with it - it is a horrible idea. But it makes for a great time. Digging out your car could be the highlight of the trip! Like it was ours.

When you get to the open field, make sure you park on the dirt road and walk to it. Across from the homes there's the grassy field. If you walk far enough to the tree-line you will see stairs. These lead you to the altar which was once used for human sacrifice in the old days and now holds prayer services for Methodist churches and the surrounding campgrounds. It was very interesting; however, it became old quickly. We followed the trail made of wooden planks connected to the church site. They led us to a lake!

I recommend going in the offseason like we did because it looks semi-abandoned and pretty creepy. Further down the trail, a bridge can be walked on. It makes for a beautiful sight. If you keep going you will come across a "playground in the woods." So much fun! There were rope webs, tire swings, and other things the campers use. I wouldn't say it was scary by any means. It was probably an old cub scouts camp full of activities.

Friendship, NJ & The Carranza Memorial

Date: Saturday, February 7th, 2009

Time: 1:00pm-9:00pm

This excursion was an extension of our Chatsworth, NJ trip. We needed some other things to fill in the void of time we had available.

The Carranza Memorial

Down Carranza Road in Tabernacle, NJ we found the Carranza Memorial. Emilio Carranza was a Mexican pilot who crashed at this location in 1928 while trying to make the first non-stop flight from New York to Mexico City. In Mexico, he was hailed as a hero. The children in Mexico donated most of what they had to establish the monument in his name. We found that there was an Aztec Eagle carved into the stone, along with footprints which symbolized his "final touchdown." It was a quiet place, with only a few campers in the distance, not to mention two state troopers doing fishtails in their cruisers.

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Friendship, NJ

As we went down Carranza Road, we realized there was more than just the monument to see. Farther down, maybe a mile or so, the road turns into a dirt trail (commonly found in the Pine Barrens). It opens up into a wide open field. There we found cellar holes, varying in size, scattered throughout the area. One belonged to the sawmill that used to be the heart of the town, the others were presumably houses. It was neat to see, it was nothing more than that, but added to the trip.

Chatsworth, NJ

Date: Saturday, February 7th, 2009

Time: 1:00pm to 9:00pm

The Result/Findings:

The town of Chatsworth was once known as the "Capital of the Pine Barrens," or at least used to be. The boundaries of the town contain many places to visit.

Chatsworth's Cemetery

The town's cemetery is known to be haunted. Graves as old as 1788 have been found. There have been orbs spotted on film, however, they can be attributed to many things in nature (dust, bugs, rain). Who knows for sure? Be considerate and mindful of not walking on the graves and damaging the tombstones.

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Buzby's General Store

If you visit Chatsworth, make it a point to stop by Buzby's General Store. Marilyn, the lady who runs the store (a former cafe), authored many books pertaining to the Pine Barrens. I suggest you take a look into buying one. She is very knowledgeable about the vast forest and its forgotten towns, churches, and graveyards. You can also buy books about the Jersey Devil and other folklore.

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Apple Pie Hill

On the outskirts of Chatsworth is Apple Pie Hill. It is the tallest point in the Pine Barrens, measuring over 200 feet above sea level. On top of the hill is a fire tower. At night, the cities of Philadelphia, Vineland, and Atlantic City can be seen from afar atop the fire tower. It is only in use during extremely dry conditions. The cabin on top is locked unless park rangers are inside. It is still well worth the climb (if you're not afraid of heights). Awesome photo opportunity. It is also apparent that every visitor who makes the trip to Apple Pie Hill etches their name in the surrounding wooden guardrails. Please note that as you climb higher in the tower, the climb becomes more narrow and it's made out of metal, which means you can see all the way down.

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Chatsworth's Railroad

Chatsworth used to have a railroad that was the center of commerce for the town. It ran down to Tuckerton, other Pine Barren towns, and all the way to Philadelphia. It was also the home to the crash of the Blue Comet, a train that had derailed during a flood, killing many people. We found the railroad, however, the exact place of the crash was hard to pinpoint. We did a lot of walking in both directions from where we started and found nothing suspicious. It is incredibly overgrown. We did get a scenic and peaceful walk out of it though.