Located just a few miles from Centralia, Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine is a once-abandoned mine in the heart of Pennsylvanias coal region. Rockland Furnace was powered by a dam and water wheel on Shull Run, where today youll find the beautiful Freedom Falls. This 1930s-era roadside attraction now sits abandoned in North Park in Allegheny County, but was once a public source of water (and dreams of eternal youth) until that water was deemed unfit for human consumption in 1955. If you walk through the forested trails of the Scotia Barrens, you might even find more hidden ruins of this ghost town. The community flourished, growing to as many as 1,000 residents, but was gone by 1910. This former mining community has been abandoned for many decades and while much of it has been lost to the woodland, pieces remain, including several concrete structures and an old rail line. I lived there summer of 1970. They can be accessed from several points along the spectacular Lehigh Gorge. there is an old lumbering town near Coudersport pa, its called Mina.it use to be a large town. Another vote for Fricks Locks. Just a thank you for Pennsylvania history. There are no buildings there. When it left, 60% of the bridge lay mangled on the valley floor. As a kid I had family that lived there so I was there quite often, my aunt used to own the only store in the town which has unfortunately been turned into a hunting camp after she sold it, so theres now no stores, there used to be a post office/motel as well which has now also been turned into residential apartments. (Submitted by Callum Swift) Some are easily seen from the SGL roads that you can walk or bike along. Onnalinda in Pennsylvania is an old coal mining town. The Vintage Electric Streetcar Company, as it is officially known, is located in the formerly abandoned Berwind Coal Company Railroad Shop in Windber, PA. At the time of its construction Concrete City was considered to be a community of the future, but it was abandoned a mere 11 years after the first residents moved in. Do you have a favorite ruin or abandoned place in Pennsylvania that you can legally explore and wasnt on this list? Group Tours: 717-687-6687. I have read that the fires did/do burn from underground, as I understand it? Then theres one on top of a mountain near Ralston, PA. If remember right we went swing too, I think. Thirteen miles of abandoned superhighway, last open to normal vehicle traffic in 1968. Turn Hole Tunnel is an abandoned railroad tunnel built in 1866 and in use until 1956. Reservations Reservations are recommended but not required Please call (717) 735-0803 or (800) 922-2229. You missed the Rockland tunnel right by the Rockland Furnace. Today the abandoned Bayless Paper Mill is part of the Austin Dam Memorial Park in Potter County. They housed military staff that worked at the nearby Naval Airbase. The goal of the work done at this once-secretive site was to developnuclear-powered jet enginesfor the United States Air Force, so that fighter planes and bombers could stay airborne indefinitely, without refueling. In 2010, the furnaces were opened for tours and offer a gritty look into how steel was made. Known as Pine Grove Furnace Prisoner of War Interrogation Camp, German and Japanese officers were brought here after being captured and interrogated. I went to help clean with Titusville Pa American Legion when I was little. Passed front of house.Could see smoke stacks. The rumors persist in part due to the ghostly image which is apparent on a boarded-up back window of the chapel. It is nearly 500 feet long, and visitors can walk through the tunnel, keeping an eye out for abandoned tracks along the way. It left a very special place in my heart. 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. After this second failure, Austin Dam was abandoned and left to crumble. A lot of the kids went to college and never returned,and others left for jobs . Email: ghosttour@ghosttour.com. The brewery complex from the 1800s is a unique eatery with abundant ghost stories. I think Fallbrook was. In 1924, an attempt was made to demolish the community, but the strong construction made this difficult enough that it was never done. Its amazing to tour the homes and think about what it would have been like to have lived in this community. This ingeniously constructed camp has survived in part because two of the four walls are actually massive boulders that were incorporated into the camp structure itself. One story is of two administrators who took the elevator in Pennsylvania Hall. These bunkers were built to house explosive munitions as part of the Susquehanna Ordnance Depot. Is it still around? However, east of Harrisburg is where the real action occurs. Barclay, in Bradford County, was a coal mining community in the late 1800s. Im not familiar with the park. 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. Peale, PA, Clearfield County. Used to be some bits and pieces left behind Nay Aug Park. C. Hegeler, a zinc manufacturer. Abandoned Central Abandoned Central is another great resource for roaming cool abandoned buildings. Constructed in 1915, this series of five blast furnaces was part of the large steel mill here in Bethlehem. Anyone have any pictures of White Swan Park which was near the Pittsburgh airport ? There was one by allenwood pa its now the state game lands the us government came in and took the land from them in ww2 to make TNT the bunkers you can still go its right by where the allenwood federal prison is i have heard there is still buildings ba k there but have not seen anything YET!!!! The Avondale Mine diaster site in Nanticoke, Pa! Exploring Hidden Ruins at Raystown Lakeis your guide to discovering theabandoned ruins of roads, bridges, and homesof historical significance, hidden around and beneath the surface ofRaystown Lake. Copyright Matthew Christopher Photography LLC 2004-Present. Back in the 1960s, my church group visited Cooks Forest in Northwestern, Pa. A group of us took one of the trails and got lost in a ghost town. In the 1960s, 70s and 80s Concrete City was used for enclosed space fire training for the local fire companies. 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. 5. Despite this, driving on the public roads through town, however, is still fascinating. Petroleum Centre is another oil-boom community that once thrived in northwestern Pennsylvania. It was built for Henry. There is still a small church and remains of the company store. Visit Website All Rights Reserved. Hegeler Carus Mansion in La Salle, Illinois is one of the few abandoned residences that was actually restored and turned into a landmark. I would love to know more on the history!! 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. Today, they are part of an entertainment complex, but still provide a lot of interest for lovers of abandoned industrial sites. Today, the bridge is the central point of Kinzua Bridge State Park. The original road traversed seven tunnels, including those at Blue Mountain and Laurel Hill. Closings There are currently 2 active closings or delays. Rockland Furnace, located just minutes from the Rockland Tunnel, was used to produce iron ore starting in 1832, before being abandoned in 1854. The first nuclear waste from the atom bomb program was stored in several of the Alvira bunkers. This 18th-century village outlasted the canal, being abandoned in the late 20th century with the construction of the adjacent Limerick Nuclear Power Plant. I still know 90% of the people that live in the little town and I still ride up there occasionally and go out over the mountain which is accessible at the end of town. The roadbed, which. Then theres the bunkers. 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. Today, signs offer a self-guided walking tour through the ruins of this camp for visitors wanting to learn more about this unique historic spot. The Turn Hole Railroad Tunnel in Lehigh Gorge Jim Thorpe It has quite a history, dance hall, rides, trolley stops and had bands. When it was completed in 1882, the Kinzua Bridge was the largest and tallest bridge in the world. As the oil boom began to wane, banks collapsed and a fire hit the community, Pitholes population quickly collapsed with only 2,000 residents in the community by December 1866. Lancaster, PA 17604. Beautiful place and grounds. A map of Pennsylvania Railroads from 1923 showing essentially all of the state's rail lines in service, prior to massive abandonments that began in the post-World War II era. In Lebanon county there is a park and boat ride on the Union Canal in West Lebanon. Today, visitors can go deep underground to see this once-active mine and learn more about coal mining. From Route 724, follow Lower Frick's Lock Road until you reach the yellow road barrier. Maybe few people. I just decided not to include it since there really isnt anything from the town left there, minus the cemetery. 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. Had the project been successful, itwould have fundamentally changed the characterof an area that becameone on Pennsylvanias most spectacular state parks. Somebody needs to explore the area. Located only a stones throw from the Abandoned PA Turnpike, youll find an abandoned railroad archhiding deep in the woods. Bube's Brewery, Mount Joy. 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. Gilson Ridge Cemetery in Hydetown Pa. By December 1865, 20,000 people called Pithole, PA home. Visitors have reported being followed around the building by the apparitions of criminals, and have seen and smelt someone lighting a cigarette when there is no one around. Theabandoned Westinghouse Atom Smasheris an iconic relic from the very dawn of the atomic age in the United States. Yettwo years later it broke, with catastrophic consequences. There are two access points for the turnpike: one near Breezewood and one in Fulton County. Here are a few of my favorite Pennsylvania ghost towns and a bit of the history behind them. Philadelphias Mount Moriah Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in the country and the final resting place of up to 300,000 people. The Coplay Cement Company built the kilns in the early 1890s, and they were in use until 1904. However, for those interested in abandoned places in Pennsylvania, Mount Moriah Cemetery still has corners that are quite overgrown. 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. Here are a few of my favorite ruins and abandoned places in Pennsylvania you can legally visit. My great great grandparents lived there after arriving from England. When the furnaces were closed in 1982,large swaths of the site met the wrecking ball. Do you have anything on (West) Winfield, PA? regularly. The tunnel is roughly260 feet long, and other than the eastern portal, is completely unlined. The Presbyterian Church cemetery, one of the oldest in the county is still there, with headstones back to colonial times. Site of a small logging town, saw mill and CCC camp. Haunted Pennsylvania - 10 Places You May Not Know About 8,544 views Jan 11, 2021 128 Dislike Share Save Did You Know Lists 1.31K subscribers Did you know that Pennsylvania has many. Today, the ghost town of Greenwood and the abandoned remains of the furnaces are part of the larger Greenwood Furnace State Park. It was fun imagining how they were laid out. The largest still-remaining area consists of several concrete buildings that once served the mining operations, as well as the old railroad grade. Not sure if one can go up the road anymore as the road is fading away. 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. There are definitely foundations, steps, the Stone Church, and 2 cemeteries left from Alvira. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. DEPARTURE POINT. Visit it often. It was probably one of the most amazing places I visited time and time again! The ruins of the Colonial Springs Bottling Plant are located along the Mount Misery Trails in the little-visited western side of the park. Subscribe to our mailing list for news and updates. Following a path that goes downhill by the creek you can pass flat stone foundations for the buildings from a farm including the well and by going further you reach the old cemetery. The Bethlehem Steel Stacks in the Lehigh Valley are one of the most impressive abandoned places in Pennsylvania. We used to drive through there and my mom would tell us where she and her friends used to live, where the churches were, where the hotel used to be, etc. Located in Michaux State Forest, Camp Michaux is a former prison-of-war camp from World War II. Let us know in the comments below. King George II Inn Bristol, PA Views: 2,072 Photos: 1 Rating: 3 / 5 Exp. Fricks Locks Historic District or more simply Fricks Lock is an abandoned village, along the also abandoned Schuylkill Canal, in the northeast portion of East Coventry Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It's in Linfield near the Limerick Power Plant. Abandoned as a railroad bridge in the mid-Seventies, the Salisbury Viaduct has in more recent times been reborn as part of the Great Allegheny Passage rail trail in western PA. Explorers can hike or bike across this 101 foot-high, 1,908 foot-long former railroad bridge and experience exceptional views of the surrounding countryside. They tie Alvira to Alamagordo. Saw photos of the inside of Lynnwood Hall from an explorer with a camera who got permission to go inside. I stumbled across a very old headstone with 1700 dates on it. It is a short walk along the tracks through the woods. Ill have to add it to my list of places to check out. Carrie Furnace in Pittsburgh is nearly all that remains of the once massive Homestead Steel Works on the banks of the Monongahela River. I grew up in Armstong County we use call Yellowdog , mutesville. Many of these properties are not maintained or monitored for safety conditions, and therefore these are all strictly VISIT AT YOUR OWN RISK DESTINATIONS! From 1911-1931, this mine operated on the outskirts of Ashland, PA. Located on state game lands a short distance south of Williamsport are the Alvira Bunkers. My friends Italian immigrant family lived up there and ran a boarding house. Today, the ruins of the community can be found in St. Anthonys Wilderness along a great rail trail. Be sure to check our daily dinner specials including steak . My favorite is the trail leads you straight there! 9,622 talking about this. The main road leading to the west side of the gamelands is named Elvia Road. On of the women active in the cam[p was Ruth Rockwell. At the end of the tunnel, youll find a spectacular view overlooking the Lehigh River. There are also still some foundations there. Helvetia was a small coal mining and power plant company town in Clearfield County. 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. You can check out that second article and 50 additional photos of the abandoned Cresson Sanatorium right here. What about Wierham know my dad used to go there for groceries with parents in horse and buggy. It was constructed in the early 20th century as company housing for the DL&W Railroad. Located in Columbia County in the states northeastern corner, Centralia was a bustling coal mining community until the coal seam below the borough caught on fire in 1962. Marietta, Pennsylvania. Those were. The buildings were built in the 1920s and 1930s for workers at the nearby limestone mine. Land speculators and would-be oil barons quickly scooped up the land and a town as built around them. my mother was born there In I believe it is either Prospect park or Ridly in PA. is a hidden town. glen hazel. Driving along Scotia Range Road throughState Game Lands 176near State College now, youd never guess that you are passing right by the location of a once-thrivingiron mining boomtown. The highlights of this abandoned superhighway are two tunnels, both roughly a mile long. It is fascinating! This site has a 100-year history as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a mental hospital, and a modern prison, meaning that you can explore everything from an old psychiatric ward to modern cell blocks. Today, Concrete City sits abandoned and regularly draws in locals and visitors alike. Today you can schedule a legal visit to the former SCI-Cresson through Hydroponic Life the company than now occupies the grounds. 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! I always wondered why the people left and and what their lives were like in their heyday. Yellow Dog Village was constructed in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, in the first decades of the 20th century to support the mines that were right outside of town. OnJuly 21, 2003, a tornado struck the bridge, destroying 11 of the 20 support structures. Amish Farm and House Tour was one of the first Amish tourist attractions in Lancaster, PA, and it's still among the most popular today. He has also traveled to more than 30 different countries around the world. Empty hospitals are eerie on their own, but even moreso when you consider that spirits of the departed could be lurking around any corner, and haunting the hallways of the hospital they once called home. Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505 ( Get Directions ) Conveniently located near Sight & Sound Theatres, Dutch Wonderland, and Intercourse, PA. It would have been torn down then, but the concrete used to build the homes ended up being too difficult for even dynamite to destroy. Said to be the first railroad tunnel built in USA. The Old Stone (Lutheran) church is on part of the Ordnance area later taken for the Allenwood Federal Prison, and is open on special occasions to the public. Abandoned downtown and hospital on the hill with nurses quarters. At Rausch Gap there are cellar holes near the rail trail on the uphill side you can find by following the old road bed that goes past the stream mitigation project upstream from the rail trail bridge and you can find the foundations of a railroad engine repair shed. However, many of the buildings are continuing to fall into decay as the years pass. In 1911, the dam failed and the ensuing flood of water killed 78 people. So are traces of the streets. Coal mining was a tough life. Today the land where Petroleum Centre once sat is now part of Oil Creek State Park. Without a doubt, this site is easily one of the largest abandoned places in Pennsylvania and one of the most varied. Today, you can find the neglected remnants of the Fountain of Youth along Kummer Road near Wexford. Otherwise, everything else from the service to the food is exceptional! Way more fascinating and with much more to see than Centralia. Top Motels & Hotels in Lancaster, PA: Red Carpet Inn - Ronks, PA One of Lancaster County's newest motels, in the center of Amish Country. Inspired by a page dedicated to preserving abandoned, or and interesting pages in Western Pennsylvania,. However, during repairs in 2003, a tornado swept through the valley. I was young and didnt think anything about it. Northeastern Pennsylvania has a rich anthracite coal mining history, and nowhere is that better seen than on a tour of the Lackawanna Coal Mine in Scranton. Fax: 866-692-9332. What about Buck Hill Falls Inn? I havent been there in awhile. At its peak, Pithole featured more than 50 hotels, three churches, the worlds first oil pipeline, a newspaper, a theater, and a railroad. The community of Pithole (Charming name, huh?) Fortunately this time, no one was killed. Now the area is left abandoned places in NJ, reclaimed by nature with some dreaded stories. Now, Scotia is but a ghost town (and some say still inhabited by ghosts! Constructed in 1915, this series of five blast furnaces was part of the large steel mill here in Bethlehem. My dad grew up in Onalinda and Beaverdale. What about Eldora Park in Washington County, in Carroll Township between Donora and Monongahela. However, by 1873, the town was essentially abandoned. Today the Lake Leigh Dam isslowly being reclaimed by Nature, but the abandoned ruins are still easily visible more that 100 years after they were first constructed. Located in McIntyre Township near Ralston, PA, I was raised In Ralston went to school there as a child gram lived by the cemetery trains went by our house. I was born in a small coal mining town, Madera, Pa Before the 1970s it was thriving two grocery stores, two 5&10, bank, gas station, Farms, post office, dentist, doctor office, theater, schools a Moose, VFW, Hotel, Insurance business, two beauty shops, coal tipple and many working mines and Sewing factory and other people with small home skills like shoe cobbler. Would like to see a photo of the old carbon county switch back and trail it was used for. Although it is a privately-operated attraction and open by invitation only, the Windber Trolley Graveyard deserves an honorable mention on any list of amazing abandoned places in Pennsylvania. The National Iron and Steel Museum in Coatesville isnt abandoned in and of itself. ThePine Grove Furnace POW Camp, as it was known at the time, was classified as secret and no civilians worked there or were allowed to have knowledge of the camp. It has since been restored and now houses a variety of restaurants and a microbrewery. Located in southwestern Pennsylvania, Linn Run State Park is home to the beautiful ruins of a hunting lodge. However, the mine never again reopened as an active coal mine. Make sure to obey any signage you might see, and obtain owner permission or pay the admission fees where required.). Its where Indian Creek flows into the Tough. Houses all gone except 3 and the three houses have families living in them whom are relatives.This town is in Cambria County. There is still a chapel and a cemetery. Bitumen, In Clinton county West of Renovo, my Mom grew up there. Thank you for sharing them. Lets start with the biggest, and some would say best, abandoned place in PA the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike! Seeing this piece of history is well worth the cost of the tour. 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. Horse Inn 309 Gastropubs American (Traditional) $$ "Note: Beware of the parking restrictions just outside of this restaurant. It has a cemetery, which you can barely see anymore, and the houses are all gone. The Abandoned Cresson State Prison in Cambria County began as atuberculosis sanatoriumwhen it opened in1913and morphed over the years into a state hospital and finally a state prison. MARIETTA, Pa. . My mom grew up in Laurel Run, PA. Visitors have reported being followed around the building by the apparitions of criminals, and have seen and smelt someone lighting a cigarette when there is no one around. What about black diamond in schuylkill county. 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. The Turn Hole Tunnel is located just outside of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania in Lehigh Gorge State Park (next to the trailhead for the now-closed Glen Onoko). After the unions came in the sewing factory and coal bottomed out the town starter to die. Reserve your stay at the Red Carpet Inn - Ronks, PA for a good night's sleep! Construction on the Bayless Paper Mill in Potter County began in 1900, and the dam which provided the large volumes of water the mill required (and which ultimately failed and caused the flood) was built not long after that. Visitors access the mine via a very cool railcar. Experience the Hi-Tech horror at Jason's Woods! Walked the Cemeteries. 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. AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC. S2 E6: The Lost Garden of Beatrix Farrand, S2 E5: The Skin Experiments at Holmesburg Prison, S2 E4: The Story of Urban Exploration Resource, S2 E2: The Life & Death of the American Mall. Oil Creek State Park is known as the Valley that Changed the World and was the site of the worlds first commercial oil well. 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. Do you have a favorite Pennsylvania ghost town that we didnt include on this list? Or is there really something there? 38.8 miles from Gettysburg, PA. The ghost is also said to turn lights of and on and move objects. Best Haunted Houses in Lancaster, OH 43130 - The Haunted Farm, Fear Columbus Haunted House, Haunted Hoochie, Carnage Haunted House, Backwoodz Oddities Haunted House, Smith Nature Park, The Hunted Haunted Trail Stonewall Cemetery This cemetery is said to be . Fortunately, a group of local residents decided to open this abandoned mine to tours in 1962. When I was young I hunted a farm field East of 209 in the Bushkill area. When I left PA about 40 years ago, there were still a few houses left, and some ruins. Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Source: flickr Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike. Another ghost town is Fricks Lock in Chester County. My aunt lived in Bull Run . The Kinzua Bridge State Park is home to the Kinzua Viaduct and located in McKean County, Pennsylvania. Today the Abandoned PA Turnpike is a non-maintained hiking/biking trail, but how long it remains a viable destination for those activities is anyones guess. Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and creator of the PA Bucket List travel blog. lately but i have to go thar soon thar are old graves stones tharr crumb is near central city pa i use to go there often but i haven/t been thare lately i know thare old grave stones thaire that you cant read the names, Lived within walking distance of Crumbstill old logging railroad right-Of-Ways and a few foundations, McIntyre was an old mining town in the late 1800s. A few of the old brick homes have been turned into hunting camps, but 90% of the town is still residential.