America's 'Burning Ghost Town' Was A Once-Thriving Quintessential Mining Destination In Pennsylvania

If it sounds like the inspiration for a horror movie, that's because it is. Sometimes referred to as "the real Silent Hill," because it inspired the 1999 video game and 2006 movie, Centralia has become a harrowing and eerie tourist destination for curious roadtrippers making their way through Pennsylvania. This simple coal mining town met its fate in 1962 when a fire, started by the city-sanctioned burning of a local landfill, ignited one of the old mining tunnels. This set off a chain reaction of fires and despite attempts to snuff out the fire, no one could escape the smell of burning coal nor the threat of sinkholes and carbon monoxide poisoning. The city was slowly abandoned and in 1992, the government bought out most of the residents. A few hold-outs took on a lengthy legal battle and won the right to stay in 2013.

Visitors who arrive in Centralia can walk around and see a few of the remaining buildings like the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church and the Odd Fellows Cemetery, however a lot of the smoke from the burning coal deposits has died down, and there are only a few places where you will see smoke rising out of the ground. Additionally, efforts have been made to deter urban explorers who once congregated around iconic attractions like the Graffiti Highway, so here's what you should expect before going out of your way for one of the most fascinating ghost towns in the country.

Starting your Pennsylvania road trip from the superb dining and shopping destination of Philadelphia, it takes about three hours to cover the 112 miles by car. Take the northeast route along I-476 so you can make a pit-stop in artsy Allentown for world-class bites. You can drive straight into town, but you will find that many of the older buildings have been demolished, leaving only a few community places, like a church, cemetery, and fire station, as well as only a few homes of the remaining residents behind. Visitors looking for post-apocalyptic curb appeal might be disappointed, but Centralia is still worth visiting for history's sake.

One of the main attractions of Centralia is the Graffiti Highway, a mile-long stretch of pavement that was once part of the abandoned Route 61 that led into town. For decades, the urban explorers that would venture into Centralia would leave their mark on this road, covering almost every inch with graffiti, and people would gather for unofficial bonfires and parties. When the problem was deemed out of control by the landowners that claimed rights to the highway, they dumped dirt all over it in large obtrusive piles. The location of the Graffiti Highway has also been removed from Google Maps, although if you look around you might still be able to find graffiti around town.