Group Tours: 717-687-6687. After the unions came in the sewing factory and coal bottomed out the town starter to die. They tie Alvira to Alamagordo. Today, the abandoned ruins of the former Pine Grove Furnace POW Camp are located in the Michaux State Forest. It opened in 1911 with 20 duplex homes. It is so sad now. View map >. My dad grew up in Onalinda and Beaverdale. When the previously mentioned nuclear jet engine testing bunkers were built in Cameron County, local hunting camp owners were forced to abandoned their properties, and the abandoned Kunes Camp is one such property. You're awesome for doing it! Completed in 1916, the Rockland Tunnel in Venango County was constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad to expedite the transportation of oil out of the region. Thats a great spot, but I wouldnt call it abandoned at this point since a rail-trail runs through it. I have read that the fires did/do burn from underground, as I understand it? Abandoned Places In Pennsylvania 1. While many of these ghost towns in PA have completely disappeared, a few still exist in the woods and along the roadways of the state. The round bunkers alone are something to see as some of them are opened and you can walk inside. My father worked in the power plant and we lived in a company house. Harry, is there a boy scout camp on the other side of the stream? I think the County owned it then but I dont about now. Let us know in the comments below. The roadbed, which. Today, the Alvira bunkers, as well as remnants of Wisetown, are located in theUnion Countyportion ofState Game Lands 252, approximately 7 miles south of Williamsport. As with many similar operations, once the local limestone was exhausted, the kilns were abandoned, and their remnants are now part of Canoe Creek State Park. For many, abandoned asylums, and closed down hospitals are some of the spookiest Real Haunts in STATE. Ghosts are said to roam in the corridors and catacombs of Bube's Brewery. Theabandoned Westinghouse Atom Smasheris an iconic relic from the very dawn of the atomic age in the United States. While visiting, its also worth the short bike ride or walk to the Brady Tunnel and the Philipston Turntable. It left a very special place in my heart. By voluntarily exploring any of these locations, YOU assume the risk of any personal injury or damage to personal property, and shall not hold the author liable for any injuries, losses, or damages that may occur while visiting any of these locations. The post office and the fire dept are both in existence too. Of all the places on this list, Yellow Dog Village might be the most like what you think of when you think of ghost towns. Here are a few of my favorite Pennsylvania ghost towns and a bit of the history behind them. Known officially as a Van de Graaff Generator, this was the first industrial generator of its kind and was built in 1937. Lancaster County dining scene has all the Pennsylvania Dutch dishes you know and love, as well as fine dining options. The cemetery around the stone chapel contains more than 500 graves (many unmarked as was Quaker tradition), and rumours exist to this day (most likely urban legends) that the Quaker meeting house was the site of a secret witch trial, execution, and subsequent haunting! My friends Italian immigrant family lived up there and ran a boarding house. One terminus of the Old loggers path. There are also several abandoned prisons and asylums making it the perfect setting for some paranormal activity. Youve got to be a local to find your way around on the mountain though to know where to find these things and to avoid getting lost. The seam below this coal region town caught on fire in the early 1960s, which marked the beginning of the end for the community. The Coplay Cement Company built the kilns in the early 1890s, and they were in use until 1904. Just a thank you for Pennsylvania history. This is definitely an abandoned place in PA to not overlook when traveling around the state. I-81 went through there in the 60s and took a lot of it out. The brewery complex from the 1800s is a unique eatery with abundant ghost stories. Perhaps the largest abandoned spot in Pennsylvania is an abandoned stretch of PA Turnpike. The Big Savage Tunnel, also located in Somerset County, is a formerly abandoned railroad tunnel that has been incorporated into the Great Allegheny Passage rail trail. The Ghost Tour of Lancaster departs from the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Penn Square at King and Queen Streets. For our overnight guests, you can enjoy a sustainable meal made with freshly harvested ingredients from our on-site garden in the privacy of your exclusive hotel room!. S1 E11: Is Keepling Locations Secret Important? You missed Pithole PA near Oil Creek State Park. The tunnel is in complete disrepair and flooded and is dangerous to walk through but can be seen through. It was a trailer park with a pond across the street. Help spread the word. Pennsylvania has dozens of historic iron furnaces. Today, visitors can walk through the surrounding park, marvel at the size of Austin Dam and its crumbling ruins, and pay their respects to those killed here. They are currently doing mine reclimation in the area. Today, this once-bustling borough is reduced to fewer than 10 residents. Here are 6 haunted or abandoned places near Philly for you to explore: 1. Read the Abandoned America book series: Buy it on Amazon or get signed copies here Theres one way in and one way out of the town of Orviston for visitors that arent familiar with the area. But one thing all of them have in common is that the Earth is slowly reclaiming them, and one day they will all be but distant memories. Today, the land that was once Scotia has been reclaimed by nature and is now part of State Game Lands 176 in Centre County. While the property is typically closed to the public, the owner often lets visitors roam around with prior permission. In the 1960s, 70s and 80s Concrete City was used for enclosed space fire training for the local fire companies. The dam was later rebuilt, but failed again in 1942. Restaurants in Lancaster, PA: Gibraltar Restaurant Gibraltar Restaurant One foundation is octagonal, it was probably a silo. There were a total of 20 duplexes in the community, so 40 carefully selected workers were chosen to move into the homes with their families. See Howard Tunnel in York County, Pa for the oldest operating railroad tunnel in the world. When the furnaces were closed in 1982,large swaths of the site met the wrecking ball. Today, they are part of an entertainment complex, but still provide a lot of interest for lovers of abandoned industrial sites. No jobs to bring them back to the area the town was left with aging people or others who were to poor to leave or some who could find a job. My Dad grew up in a town called Ralphton, near Somerset, PA. The original road traversed seven tunnels, including those at Blue Mountain and Laurel Hill. Abandoned places in Pennsylvania are pretty easy to find, no matter where you live in the state. The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike is a stretch of 13 miles of road on the Pennsylvania Turnpike that stopped being used when a more modern road was opened in 1968. Theabandoned Lake Leigh Dam at Ricketts Glen State Parkis a towering remnant of anill-fated hydroelectric projectthat thankfully failed! Abandoned in 1971, saved from the wrecking ball, and now owned by a non-profit organization, Eastern State Penitentiary operates asa year-round museum and historic site. Ive never heard anything about this place since. There are buildings and some families. Seeing this piece of history is well worth the cost of the tour. Today, visitors can go deep underground to see this once-active mine and learn more about coal mining. A short drive from Dutch Wonderland , Sight & Sound Theatre, outlet shopping, and restaurants. Located near Grassflat, PA. In the late 50s and 60s it was a girl scout camp. One story is of two administrators who took the elevator in Pennsylvania Hall. The town raised money to demolish it which is devastating. If youre looking for the best abandoned places in PA you can legally explore, this is the article for you! Hegeler Carus Mansion in La Salle, Illinois is one of the few abandoned residences that was actually restored and turned into a landmark. The place went through its dark days during the 1990s as patients escaped rapes and abuse. After being closed, the mine was abandoned for two decades before it was open for tours in 1985. Today, this perfectly preserved shop looks just as it did when it closed 60 years ago and offers the chance to see what a mid-century machine shop would have been like. He has also traveled to more than 30 different countries around the world. There is a turn out off the road in the valley from Arnot to Morris. Theabandoned nuclear jet engine testing bunkersin theQuehanna Wild Areaare a fascinating Cold War-era remnant of Pennsylvania history, now slowly being reabsorbed by the surrounding forest of Cameron County. The National Iron and Steel Museum in Coatesville isnt abandoned in and of itself. Since then, its been hidden away in the woods of this state forest. By all accounts, this was a pleasant and desirable community to live in, though it was short-lived due to plumping and other issues. The Best 10 Restaurants near me in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Sort:Recommended Offers Delivery Offers Takeout Breakfast & Brunch Caribbean 1. This shop was built in 1900 to repair boats along the nearby Monongahela River, but soon shifted its focus to railroad equipment and just about anything mechanical that needed fixing in town. Site of a small logging town, saw mill and CCC camp. Not far from Johnstown Pa. is the Staple Bend railroad tunnel. Correction: Landrus is between Arnot and Morris, PA. Morris Run is over beyond Blossburg, so it is on the eastern side of US Rt 15. Built in 1947 and operating until 1983, this building could put out ten-foot pieces of steel and still retains its giant crane and power generating station. Did we all have a hallucination? Based in the state capital of Harrisburg, Jim frequently travels around Pennsylvania and has visited, written about, and photographed all 67 counties in the state. My Grandmother was from Guffey, which is not even the maps anymore, probably faded into history. The Presbyterian Church cemetery, one of the oldest in the county is still there, with headstones back to colonial times. Within a few decades, Centralia was nearly abandoned, though a few hearty souls still live there. Jim Cheney is the creator of UncoveringPA.com. What was once known as the town of Alvira PA, is now known as State Game Lands number 252. Laquin on Barcley Mountain in Bradford County is abandoned and use to be a booming logging community theres a cemetery thats supposedly haunted by the people that died there from the plague. While nearly all of the community has been torn down, its still interesting to drive the city streets and see the curbs, sidewalks, and stairwells that lead nowhere. You can check out that second article and 50 additional photos of the abandoned Cresson Sanatorium right here. Follows the old railroad bed. Its my understanding most of the houses became hunting lodges. The Westinghouse Atom Smasher can be found laying on its side in a residential neighborhood east of downtown Pittsburgh. The ghost of a young girl with blonde hair has been seen, dressed in Victorian clothing, and the staff says she likes to play games. Kinzua Bridge State Park. A few of the old brick homes have been turned into hunting camps, but 90% of the town is still residential. Peale near winburne, pa is a cool spot I used to hunt in. Sadly, the homes were left abandoned for over a decade and are now in a state of disrepair. The tunnel is roughly260 feet long, and other than the eastern portal, is completely unlined. Today, it sits abandoned in the woods just waiting for people to come and explore it. Many of the houses in Peale were moved to Grassflat. Centralia Wikimedia Commons By far the most well-known ghost town in the entire state, Centralia has been nearly abandoned since the underground mine fire that broke out there in 1962. While Im unsure of the legality of visiting the site, I do know that people regularly do visit. The paved main street (complete with yellow pavement paint) can still be seen, along with several foundations and the remnants of the town cemetery including some old grave stones left behind. I think there is an old cemetery there. But before they are gone, Ill share with you a few of the more interesting abandoned places in PA I have explored in recent years. There were still plates on the table as though they got up from dinner and left everything behind. During WWII the land was seized by the army and used as an army ordnance. Abandoned downtown and hospital on the hill with nurses quarters. Concrete City is located in Luzerne County near Nanticoke and was once company housing for select employees that worked at the nearby Truesdale Colliery. You're awesome for doing it! The abandoned nuclear jet engine testing bunkers in the Quehanna Wild Area are a fascinating Cold War-era remnant of Pennsylvania history, now slowly being reabsorbed by the surrounding forest of Cameron County. The penitentiary was open until 1970 when it was closed in favor of more modern facilities. Below are over 35 of our favorite abandoned locations throughout the state. Today, the ruins of the community can be found in St. Anthonys Wilderness along a great rail trail. In the case ofAlvira(originally founded as Wisetown in 1825), the federal government used the courts and eminent domain to force residents to accept buyouts of their homes, so that their entire town could be leveled and turned intoa TNT manufacturing plant and storage facilityknown as thePennsylvania Ordnance Works. While most of the buildings have been torn down, its still fascinating to drive around the old streets and see the curbs, gutters, and stone steps that are surrounded by fields of forested land. While day time hay rides might be fun for the younger crowd, if you're looking for big scares this Halloween, you'll want to check out one of Lancaster's Haunted Nighttime Hay Rides! Closings There are currently 2 active closings or delays. Cant find where I lived. Located in Lebanon County near the Appalachian Trail, Rausch Gap was formed in 1828. Theabandoned Alvira munitions bunkersare remnants of the American WWII war effort, as well as reminders of what lengths the federal government will go to to seize private property for the greater good. The foundations of all the houses are still visible, some with a bit more. 49. Built in 1950 just outside Lancaster, PA as the Conestoga Motor Inn, this hotel was also known as Sheraton Conestoga, Conestoga Resort Inn, and Lancaster Farms Resort. I use to go to ghost town on a picnic and on rides. Based in the state capital of Harrisburg, Jim frequently travels around Pennsylvania and has visited, written about, and photographed all 67 counties in the state. Robinson/Robindale was an old factory town near Seward west of Johnstown that was abandoned after the Flood of 1977. It had rides, a dance dance hall and was on the railroad tracks and people from the Mon Valley went there by train for picnic and enjoyment. Today the land where Petroleum Centre once sat is now part of Oil Creek State Park. All of these abandoned places in PA were legal to explore at the time I visited them but that may not always be the case in the future, so please heed any no trespassing signs or the like should they pop up in the future. Other than the bunkers and a cemetery, though, I dont believe there is anything left. Do you have a favorite Pennsylvania ghost town that we didnt include on this list? I remember some years ago visiting the cemetery there and seeing the foundation of a former band shell perched on a rock on the edge of a cliff. For the next two decades, the prison set abandoned until it was opened for limited tours in 1988. Jim Cheney, I beg to differ about you saying there isnt anything of the Town left in Alvira, PA. Current management has plans to restore much of the East Broad Top track, and the tunnels are being considered for rebuilding and trains once again riding thru the tunnels. These are some haunted houses with a large number of reviews near Lancaster, OH 43130. Advertisement. Oldest continuously operating railroad tunnel in the world is the Howard Tunnel in York County, Pa along the current Northern Central Railroad. 22.6 miles from Lancaster, PA This historic prison is now abandoned, but was built in 1906 and decommissioned in 1979. Did you know that during World War Two,German and Japanese prisoners of war were housed and interrogated at a secret camp near what is now Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Cumberland County?! Make sure to obey any signage you might see, and obtain owner permission or pay the admission fees where required.). This is a fantastic spot for both history buffs and photographers to tour. Helvetia was a small coal mining and power plant company town in Clearfield County. Near the park office once stood the community of Petroleum Centre, though all that remains are a set of steps that once led to the bank. Fax: 866-692-9332. They can be accessed from several points along the spectacular Lehigh Gorge. Let us know in the comments below. Im not familiar with the park. Do you have anything on (West) Winfield, PA? "Abandoned America" is a registered trademark. It was a logging town as well as an ice farming town that supplied ice to hospals along the east coast. Along Pleasant stream. I used to drive through Centralia on way to Shamokin,Pa where my husband used to live. It is fascinating! Thanks for sharing. In the late 1800s, the area around Oil Creek was home to tens of thousands of prospectors hoping to strike it rich. Pithole was laid out in May 1865 after oil was discovered nearby. I havent been there in awhile. Do you have a favorite ruin or abandoned place in Pennsylvania that you can legally explore and wasnt on this list? Tons of cool architecture and history there. Now the area is left abandoned places in NJ, reclaimed by nature with some dreaded stories. I find them intriguing as I went to a few out west. York, Pennsylvania 22.8 miles from Harrisburg, PA This historic prison is now abandoned, but was built in 1906 and decommissioned in 1979. Way more fascinating and with much more to see than Centralia. For almost 80 years, the Westinghouse Atom Smasher was a landmark inForest Hills, a suburb of Pittsburgh roughly 10 miles east of downtown, and it was instrumental in the pioneering work leading to the development of nuclear power in the United States. The buildings were built in the 1920s and 1930s for workers at the nearby limestone mine. Frick's Lock can be found off of Route 724 in the Limerick/Pottstown area. 2151 Columbia Avenue, Lancaster, PA, Phone: 717-397-6191 Cool places to go near me, luxury spas, golf: Wichita, CT, CA, Corpus Christi, Best aquariums in the US, Hartford, NM, GA, NC, UT resorts, NM, LA, MI, DE, PA lakes, San Diego Beaches 9. From 1834 to 1904, the furnaces of Greenwood in Huntingdon County produced charcoal-fired iron in great abundance, and a thriving company town that included nearly 130 buildings evolved around that industry. Located along the Railroad Arch Trail, the South Penn Railroad Aqueduct sits at the end of a quiet and easy trail. By the census of 1870, less than 250 people lived in Pithole. From 1911-1931, this mine operated on the outskirts of Ashland, PA. Another vote for Fricks Locks. My great great grandparents lived there after arriving from England. Fortunately, a group of local residents decided to open this abandoned mine to tours in 1962. We have one of it in flames. However, many of the buildings are continuing to fall into decay as the years pass. You can still find the original maps online and many foundations survived. Nearby, you can also explore the ruins of Kunes Camp. Some of these sites were abandoned due to technological shifts that left them obsolete. 18. There isnt much left of Rausch Gap, though there are a few building foundations that can be found as well as a cemetery. All I know about it is, it ran from down town to up over the hill behind the school in upper Jim Thorpe. Visit it often. It was always so interesting. Search. Marietta, Pennsylvania. Note: As of late 2021, it appears that Yellow Dog Village is for sale. Wish I could find it. Help spread the word. I would love to know more on the history!! The article linked within this piece has all the info about how to request permission. Barclay, in Bradford County, was a coal mining community in the late 1800s. While the nuclear reactor was dismantled decades ago, the bunkers remain buried underground. A visitor center is located at the corner of town which offers a fascinating look at this short-lived community. Despite occasional reports of efforts being made to preserve Concrete City for its historic merits, youd be hard pressed to find any evidence of that when visiting today. In the 1950s, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation obtained 51,000 acres of land in this remote area of Pennsylvania. glen hazel. The community of Pithole (Charming name, huh?) From 1930 until 1957, this tower was used to refuel train engines with coal as they made their way along the banks of the Allegheny River. (Note: While to the best of our knowledge you can legally these abandoned places at the time of publication, access can always change. The Baptist Church, just outside the area seized for the Ordnance grounds is still a working church. Built in1922, the McGinnis Rod and Gun Club existed for roughly 20 years beforethe building was consumed by fire, leaving only the stone walls and fireplace you see today. You used to be able to access it via the Hawkins Hollow road, but that was closed to the public 15 years ago or so. My children had some great times there. Do you have any other info on Onnalinda? Oil Creek State Park is known as the Valley that Changed the World and was the site of the worlds first commercial oil well. Constructed in 1915, this series of five blast furnaces was part of the large steel mill here in Bethlehem. Thanks for your help. There are some surviving houses, a mill and a museum commemorating the small community. The largest still-remaining area consists of several concrete buildings that once served the mining operations, as well as the old railroad grade. Tunnel is over 900 feet long so take a flashlight along. Others were abandoned after natural disasters. It's in Linfield near the Limerick Power Plant. He has also traveled to more than 30 different countries around the world. The Bayless Paper Mill was rebuilt after the flood in 1911, but ultimately succumbed to a massive fire in 1944 and was abandoned after that. This massive tower stands tall over the trail, which runs directly underneath it. Today, the ghost town of Greenwood and the abandoned remains of the furnaces are part of the larger Greenwood Furnace State Park. Haldeman Mansion Regarded as one of the most haunted places in Lancaster, the Haldeman Mansion dates back to the 1700s. Hidden deep in the woods of Valley Forge National Historical Park near Philadelphia, youll find the ruins of an early 20th-century bottling plant. My mom grew up in Laurel Run, PA. The community flourished, growing to as many as 1,000 residents, but was gone by 1910. Its where Indian Creek flows into the Tough. Many of these properties are not maintained or monitored for safety conditions, and therefore these are all strictly VISIT AT YOUR OWN RISK DESTINATIONS! Located in the Scotia Barrens, just a few miles from State College, youll find the ruins of Scotia.