Centralia, Pennsylvania.
It all started in 1962 with a fire...
"... started by five members of the volunteer fire company when they were hired by the town council to clean up the landfill... The landfill was located in an abandoned strip mine pit and as the firemen had in the past, they set the dump on fire, let it burn for a time, and then extinguished the fire, or so they thought." (source)
They fought the (underground) fire for twenty years. It just kept on burning (it still burns today). With carbon monoxide levels continually rising and risks such as the ground suddenly sinking (in 1981 a 12-year old boy fell into such a sinkhole but was saved), the inhabitants started to leave in the 1980s.
It's now an abandoned ghost town, apart from the 9 or so inhabitants who refuse to leave. It's hard to find because it's been taken off the map and does not officially exist (the US Postal Service has revoked Centralia's zip code.). But it's real. It's a town where streets lead to nowhere. Streets that have no names, nor houses because they have now either been burnt down or demolished.
But wait... was this town allowed to die for a reason? If it doesn't exist, it can't have mineral rights. And it's sitting on some rich coal deposits... That's what some people believe.
Is Centralia haunted? There have been no known related deaths. But many visitors have talked about the 'strange feeling' that they get when they're there. There are two stories that you can read about here. These people heard a voice out of nowhere... and footsteps in an abandoned house. To believe or not to believe? Sony thinks so... they developed Silent Hill - a popular video game (Playstation) and film - which was inspired by Centralia.
I think... I sort of believe (I want to!) that it's haunted... at least enough that I will stay away from the place. But many go there for that reason! Would you want to visit a ghost town like Centralia? (click for map!)
Happy Halloween!
