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Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 18, 2026, 1:36 p.m.
The Rebirth of Pennsylvania’s Infamous Burning Town
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“There’s not much there anymore, it’s pretty much just a crossroads.” I read the posts online telling me not to bother, but I wanted to go anyway. Certainly I could feel something as we got close: the sense of desperation, of ruin and abandon.
So I drove with a small group of friends deep into eastern Pennsylvania—coal country—through towns with names like Frackville, Pottsville, Ashland. Many downtowns had at least one house that had burned to ruin and been left abandoned.
It was early June, but clouds covered the sky and we drove through a slight but persistent rain. We were on our way to Centralia, Pennsylvania.
So I drove with a small group of friends deep into eastern Pennsylvania—coal country—through towns with names like Frackville, Pottsville, Ashland. Many downtowns had at least one house that had burned to ruin and been left abandoned.
It was early June, but clouds covered the sky and we drove through a slight but persistent rain. We were on our way to Centralia, Pennsylvania.
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