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.

Introduction

To our readers and viewers,

We are a group of college-aged amateurs that travel around New Jersey in search of places inspired by the Weird N.J. magazines and books (Vol. 1 & 2). Our goal is to track down and prove the existence of places outlined by the Weird N.J. authors. We are their biggest fans and are in no way, shape, or form trying to take anything away from them or desecrate their hard work.

Some of our trips lay outside of what the books and magazines have found. Our focus extends to the lost towns and history of the Pine Barrens. We average around one trip every month or so and try to pack in as much as we can.

In the near future we will be uploading videos, pictures, and journals to this blog which will highlight all of the trips we have been taking, or will be taking. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, criticisms, etc.

Thank you for checking us out!

Matt